Detroit Lions Week 5 player of the game: 5 Game Ball candidates vs. Packers

The Detroit Lions got a huge win on Sunday Detroit Lions T-Shirt , pushing the team to 2-3 and 1-0 in the division. It took a lot of individual efforts for the Lions to pull off the upset over the Green Bay Packers, so that’s why we have our weekly Game Ball poll.If you’re new to game ball, the concept is simple: I give you five candidates for player of the game and you vote on them. Winner gets three points, second place gets two points, and third place gets a single point. We keep track of the Game Ball standings throughout the season to see which Lions player has been performing the best on a week-to-week basis. Here’s how the standings look now.Game Ball standings through Week 4:(Note: There was a tie between Golladay and Slay last week for third place, so they both got a half-point.) Kenny Golladay - 6.5Devon Kennard - 3Kerryon Johnson - 3Golden Tate - 3Matthew Stafford - 2Frank Ragnow - 2Quandre Diggs - 2Darius Slay - 1.5Da’Shawn Hand - 1Here are the Week 5 candidates:Kenny GolladayStats: 4 catches, 98 yards, 1 TD, 1 savage stiff armFour catches on nine targets make it look like Golladay had a rough outing on Sunday, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Golladay was dominant; his play was physically imposing, running beautiful routes and creating big play after big play. Had a penalty not negated a 46-yard touchdown, Golladay would’ve finished the week with the second most receiving yards in the league, behind only DeAndre Hopkins.Da’Shawn HandStats: 4 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recoveryIf Da’Shawn Hand hadn’t done anything else on the day, he still would’ve made this list, because this play is just... so... good. Playing nose tackle(!!), facing a double team, Hand splits the offensive lineman, chases down Aaron Rodgers, forces the ball loose, and has the wherewithal to find the ball and flop on top of it. The turnover quite possibly was a 10-point swing. The Packers were driving to get a field goal before the half ended, but Hand gave the Lions good field position and a few plays later, Matthew Stafford pushed the Lions lead to 24. Matthew StaffordStats: 14-for-26, 183 yards, 7.0 Y/A Detroit Lions Hats , 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 101.9 QB ratingAs far as Stafford statlines go, this is an extremely underwhelming performance from the Lions quarterback. However, it is a very misleading box score. Stafford was very accurate all game, and would’ve had two big plays added to his statline had penalties not negated big plays from Stafford. Even without those plays, Stafford was effective and efficient with the ball in his hands. Most importantly, Stafford was near perfect in the red zone, throwing touchdowns on two of his three passes inside the Packers’ 20-yard line. Romeo OkwaraStats: 3 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 3 quarterback hitsJust watch this and try not to smile.A lot of the Lions’ pressure on Aaron Rodgers was the result of good coverage from the secondary. Unfortunately, the Lions defensive backs really broke down in the second half, and no one played consistently good enough to make this list. So, let’s honor the beneficiaries of that good coverage early. Any time you hit the quarterback three times in a game, it’s a pretty good day, regardless of the circumstances. Okwara was an unpopular pickup at the time, but in four games, he has 3.0 sacks and is racking up a ton of playing time while Detroit waits for Ezekiel Ansah to get back into the game. Those are big shoes to fill, and Okwara is doing a solid job.LeGarrette BlountStats: 12 carries, 22 yards, 2 TDsHaters will point to Blount’s 1.8 YPC and say he had a horrible game, but Blount did what was asked of him. He converted a huge third-and-1, and he single-handedly fixed the Lions’ red zone issues with two goal line touchdowns.It’s also no minor accomplishment that when Kerryon Johnson went down late, Blount took over and didn’t turn the ball over late. It wasn’t a glamorous day for Blount, but he did exactly what the Lions wanted from him when they signed him this offseason.(No, we’re not putting Mason Crosby on this week’s list... mostly because he’d probably win and I don’t want him on the standings all year. Also Detroit Lions Hoodie , don’t be a jerk.) Imagine a world where the Detroit Lions could have their own version of Rob Gronkowski at a really cheap price. Now forget that and imagine a world where the Lions could have a fullback that’s capable of way more than fullbacking. That’s right, guys, I’m talking about Danny Vitale again. You know me all too well, Jeff. Maybe it’s because I have been talking about Dan Vitale since I was at SideLion Report in 2016. There’s a reason I do this. I believe in the idea that Vitale is a stud that nobody has used correctly in his entire career.When Dan played for Northwestern, he played a position called Super Back. This is a combination of running back, fullback, wide receiver and tight end. That’s right, Dan can play all of those positions well enough. Yet, for some odd reason, the NFL lacks imagination in this regard, and they just make him a fullback. The Lions actually could use a player like Vitale right now. Before I just wanted him on the team because I like him. Now the Lions are stuck in a bind where their tight ends are essentially nonexistent. Vitale can come in and be a receiving threat at that position. He could also take a little stress off of Theo Riddick catching passes out of the backfield. He’d give Nick Bellore a rest, or could even give him a run for his money as the team’s starting fullback. Don’t tell me Vitale can’t be a playmaker at each of these positions. Seriously! Why is no team using Dan like this? Look what this guy can do at his size. Here’s the issue: Danny just got waived by the Browns with an injury settlement. Vitale injured his calf back in August during practice. He hit waivers with an injury tag before the regular season, but drew no interest. Getting waived is never a good sign, but at the end of the day, he’s still just 23 years old. If he can get healthy, he has plenty of time to get back on track in his career.Theother problem is that the fullback position is dying in the NFL, and teams insist on having Vitale play solely fullback, despite his ability to do other things. It’s hard to show what you can do in the receiving game when you’ve only been targeted 10 times in your entire career. It makes you wonder what the Buccaneers and Browns were watching when they saw his game film, because they seem to ignore everything outside of his blocking skills. In the end, who knows whether the Lions will actually do it? They don’t need him, but he could be a nice luxury to have at a super cheap price and with little to no hassle at all. If it doesn’t work out, say goodbye with no problems at all. If the Lions don’t sign him, some team will, and it’s only a matter of time before Rams coach Sean Mcvay finds this guy and makes him the super back he should be. I imagine he’s the only one gutsy enough to do it. Then again, maybe Vitale needs a guy like Jon Gruden and his “burn it all to the ground!” attitude to be used correctly. Someone has to do it. Please be the Lions.