Roaring Lions look to keep playoff hopes alive vs. Jets

Updated Dec. 16, 2022 12:21 p.m. ET

Associated Press

DETROIT (6-7) at NEW YORK JETS (7-6)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Lions by 1

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Lions 4-8-1; Jets 8-5-0

SERIES RECORD: Series tied 7-7

LAST MEETING: Jets beat Lions 47-17 on Sept. 10, 2018, in Detroit.

LAST WEEK: Lions beat Vikings 34-23; Jets lost to Bills 20-12

LIONS OFFENSE: OVERALL (4), RUSH (11), PASS (7), SCORING (5)

LIONS DEFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (26), PASS (30), SCORING (31)

JETS OFFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (20), PASS (15), SCORING (21).

JETS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (13), PASS (4), SCORING (6).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Lions plus-3; Jets minus-2.

LIONS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR DJ Chark. The Lions gave the veteran, coming off an injury-shortened season in Jacksonville, a $10 million, one-year contract to add a vertical threat. After a slow start, he has provided a return on the investment with 11 catches for 192 yards over the past two games to help Detroit win by a combined total of 39 points.

JETS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Zach Wilson. After being benched for three games to work on mechanics, Wilson will start in place of the injured Mike White. Wilson went just 9 of 22 for 77 yards in a 10-3 loss at New England in Week 11 and then the Jets elevated White to starter. White is dealing with a rib injury and wasn't cleared for contact by doctors.

KEY MATCHUP: Lions WRs Chark, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds and Jameson Williams vs. Jets CBs Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed. Detroit's passing game is one of the best in the NFL, with Jared Goff spreading the ball around with lots of success. But Gardner and Reed have been perhaps the league's top cornerback duo, routinely limiting teams' best receivers.

KEY INJURIES: Lions C Frank Ragnow (foot) was limited the first two days of practice. ... Rookie DL Aidan Hutchinson, DL Michael Brockers and CB Mike Hughes sat out practice Thursday while dealing with illnesses. ... White was cleared by Jets doctors to practice during the week, but not for contact in a game. ... DL Quinnen Williams has a calf injury that has him iffy to play Sunday.

SERIES NOTES: The Jets have won four of the past five meetings. ... Behind quarterback Greg Landry's two TD runs and one TD throw, Detroit scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to break a 20-20 tie and win 37-20 in the teams’ first meeting in 1972. ... Kevin Long ran for three scores in the teams' second matchup in 1979, a 31-10 victory by New York. ... Wesley Walker caught three TD passes from Richard Todd to lead the Jets to a 28-13 win in 1982. ... Eric Hipple's three TD throws to Leonard Thompson paced the Lions in a 31-20 victory in 1985. ... Barry Sanders' go-ahead 15-yard TD run in the fourth quarter led Detroit to a 13-10 win in 1997. ... Nick Folk's 30-yard field goal in overtime gave New York a 23-20 win in 2010. ... After having his first NFL pass intercepted and returned for a TD by Quandre Diggs, Sam Darnold regrouped and led the Jets to a 48-17 rout of the Lions in the teams' previous meeting in 2018.

STATS AND STUFF: Detroit has won five of its past six games after starting 1-6, losing only to Buffalo on a field goal with 2 seconds left on Thanksgiving during this recent stretch. ... The Lions have doubled their win total from last season, Dan Campbell’s first as coach. ... Detroit has scored 74 points, twice as many as it has given up, and gained 902 yards in the past two games. ... Goff has completed 69% of his passes with eight TDs and no INTs over the past five games. Goff has thrown for more yards (3,352) and TDs (22) than he did last year in his debut season with the Lions. ... RB Jamaal Williams has an NFL-high 14 rushing TDs. ... St. Brown has averaged eight-plus catches over the past six games and is 15 yards from surpassing the 912 yards receiving he had last year after being drafted No. 112 overall. ... Hutchinson, the No. 2 overall pick this year, had a sack last week and leads NFL rookies with seven sacks. ... LB James Houston, a sixth-rounder, is the sixth rookie this century to have a sack in each of his first three games. ... The Jets enter the game just outside the playoff picture with both New England and the Los Angeles Chargers ahead of them for the final AFC wild-card spot. ... Undrafted rookie RB Zonovan “Bam” Knight has 230 yards on 46 carries — a 5.0-yard average — in his first three NFL games and ran for his first NFL touchdown last Sunday. ... Garrett Wilson and Miami's Tyreek Hill are the only players this season with three TD receptions of 50 or more yards. Wilson is also the only rookie this season with as many as six games of 75 yards receiving or more, and one of 13 players overall. The No. 10 overall pick broke Keyshawn Johnson’s franchise record for yards receiving by a rookie with 868 to go along with a team-leading 63 catches and four TDs. Wilson is also just six receptions away from breaking Wayne Chrebet’s franchise mark for rookies. ... The Jets allowed four sacks and eight quarterback hits at Buffalo — including the two that knocked White from the game. ... New York has used seven different O-line combinations. ... Williams' 11 sacks are a career high and the most by a Jets player since Muhammad Wilkerson in 2015. Williams ranks first among NFL interior D-linemen in sack rate (3.7%) and quarterback pressure rate (14.5%). ... Gardner leads the NFL with 16 passes defensed. ... The Jets' 39 sacks are tied for fourth most in the NFL.

FANTASY TIP: Knight has suddenly emerged as the Jets' No. 1 running back — and a must-start in your fantasy league playoffs. He should get plenty of work Sunday, especially against the NFL's 26th-ranked run defense.

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