![Lions wide receiver Golden Tate makes a reception that was initially ruled a touchdown with 8 seconds remaining in their game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. After a review the TD was overturned. Because the Lions had no timeouts, there was a 10-second runoff, ending the game.]()
1 of 75![Detroit's Golden Tate makes a reception, which was initially ruled a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. After review the play was ruled that Tate's knee was down short of the end zone and the game ended on a running clock because Detroit had no timeouts remaining.]()
2 of 75![Lions offensive linemen T.J. Lang can't believe his ears as the officials announce a late fourth-quarter touchdown was ruled short and with no timeouts for Detroit, the game was ended.]()
3 of 75![Lions' Golden Tate still looks stunned as former Lion, Falcons' Andre Roberts chats with Tate after the game.]()
4 of 75![Lions guard T.J. Lang pauses after the end of the game.]()
5 of 75![Some Lions players take a knee during the national anthem.]()
6 of 75![Players and administration including Detroit Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford arm-and-arm with head coach Jim Caldwell during the national anthem.]()
7 of 75![Some Lions players kneel and others stand, arm in arm, during the national anthem.]()
8 of 75![Lions cornerback Quandre Diggs, left tackles Falcon wide receiver Mohamed Sanu at the goal line in the first quarter. The play was initially ruled down at the one yard line, but after a review a touchdown was awarded to the Falcons.]()
9 of 75![Falcons' Taylor Gabriel dives over the goal line for a touchdown with Lions' Glover Quin defending in the fourth quarter.]()
10 of 75![Detroit Lions safety Glover Quin makes a second-quarter interception and returns it for a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons.]()
11 of 75![Lions receiver Golden Tate gets brought down hard by the Falcons' Brian Poole in the first quarter.]()
12 of 75![Falcon running back Devonta Freeman avoids the tackle of Lions defensive lineman Jeremiah Valoaga and picks up positive yardage in the first quarter.]()
13 of 75![Falcon quarterback Matt Ryan gets brought down for a sack, tripped up Lions defensive lineman Anthony Zettel in the second quarter.]()
14 of 75![Lions running back Ameer Abdullah looks for a hole in the second quarter.]()
15 of 75![Lions fans watch while the Lions trail the Falcons in the second quarter.]()
16 of 75![Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan laterals a pass back to running back Devonta Freeman, who gets positive yardage in the second quarter.]()
17 of 75![Lions running back Ameer Abdullah readies for a first-down reception in the second quarter.]()
18 of 75![Lions safey Glover Quin runs an interception of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, right, back for a touchdown in the second quarter.]()
19 of 75![Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford throws under pressure by the Falcons' Adrian Clayborn in the second quarter.]()
20 of 75![Falcons receiver Taylor Gabriel runs over Lions linebacker Nick Bellore, right, and defensive lineman Akeem Spence, left, in the first quarter.]()
21 of 75![Lions running back Theo Riddick, right, tries to run around the Falcons' De'Vondre Campbell in the first quarter.]()
22 of 75![Lions linebacker Paul Worrilow, right, tackles Falcons running back Devonta Freeman in the first quarter.]()
23 of 75![Lions receiver Marvin Jones, Jr. (11) and the Falcons' Robert Alford (23) battle for a pass intended for Jones in the second quarter.]()
24 of 75![Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford looks to pass in the second quarter.]()
25 of 75![Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford throws in the second quarter.]()
26 of 75![Lions running back Theo Riddick avoids the hit rom Falcons' Deion Jones and heads up field in the third quarter.]()
27 of 75![Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford scrambles for a first down before being brought down by Falcons' Brian Poole in the third quarter.]()
28 of 75![Lions T.J. Jones pulls down a reception along the sidelines in the third quarter.]()
29 of 75![Lions' Golden Tate breaks away from Falcons' Deion Jones and into the end zone for a touchdown in the third quarter.]()
30 of 75![Lions wide receiver Golden Tate is congratulated by fans after he scores a touchdown in the third quarter.]()
31 of 75![Lions' Golden Tate celebrates his touchdown with a quick game of curling in the third quarter.]()
32 of 75![Lions fans sing the Victory Song after the Golden Tate's touchdown in the third quarter.]()
33 of 75![Falcons' Andre Roberts is brought down by Lions' Charles Washington in the third quarter.]()
34 of 75![Falcons' Andre Roberts is brought down by Lions' D.J. Hayden and Charles Washington in the third quarter.]()
35 of 75![Lions' Darius Slay readies for his first interception — two for the day — on a tipped ball in the third quarter.]()
36 of 75![Lions' Darius Slay pulls in his first interception — two for the day — on a tipped ball in the third quarter.]()
37 of 75![Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is slammed down to the turf for a sack by Falcons' Takkarist McKinley in the third quarter.]()
38 of 75![Lions' Kenny Golladay is brought down after a reception by the Falcons defense in the third quarter.]()
39 of 75![Falcons' Jermaine Grace, left, misses a tackle on Lions running back Theo Riddick in the third quarter.]()
40 of 75![Fans cheeer on the Lions on a third down in the fourth quarter.]()
41 of 75![Lions' Golden Tate pulls down a reception over Falcons' Brian Poole in the fourth quarter.]()
42 of 75![Lions kicker Matt Prater celebrates his 57-yard field goal in the fourth quarter against the Falcons.]()
43 of 75![Lions' Marvin Jones, Jr. (11) cannot hold onto a reception under pressure by Falcons' Damontae Kazee (27) in the fourth quarter.]()
44 of 75![Lions safety Don Carey, top, reacts after he thinks he has stopped Falcons' Andre Roberts (19) on a punt return but Carey is called with a penalty in the fourth quarter.]()
45 of 75![Lions safety Don Carey (26) reacts after he thinks he has stopped Falcons' Andre Roberts (19) on a punt return but Carey is called with a penalty in the fourth quarter.]()
46 of 75![Lions safety Don Carey, with hands on helmet, reacts after he thinks he has stopped Falcons' Andre Roberts, not shown, but Carey is called with a penalty in the fourth quarter.]()
47 of 75![Falcons running back Devonta Freeman gashes through the Lions defense for more positive yardage in the fourth quarter.]()
48 of 75![Lions running back Theo Riddick (25) tries to evade a tackle by Falcons' Deion Jones (45) in the fourth quarter.]()
49 of 75![Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford runs for a first down in the fourth quarter.]()
50 of 75![Falcons cornerback Robert Alford (23) intercepts a pass intended for Marvin Jones, Jr. (11) in the fourth quarter.]()
51 of 75![Lions fans cheer after they think the Lions have scored a touchdown to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. After review, the play was called down before the touchdown.]()
52 of 75![Golden Tate and Matthew Stafford]()
53 of 75![Lions corner back Darius Slay brings back his second interception for the day up field in the fourth quarter.]()
54 of 75![After an interception, Lions corner back Darius Slay (23) tries to outrun Falcons' Taylor Gabriel in the fourth quarter.]()
55 of 75![After an interception, Lions corner back Darius Slay (23) tries to outrun Falcons' Taylor Gabriel in the fourth quarter.]()
56 of 75![Lions running back Theo Riddick looks towards an official for a flag after an incomplete play late in the fourth quarter.]()
57 of 75![Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. can't pull in a reception in front of Falcons' Robert Alford in the fourth quarter.]()
58 of 75![Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is hit from behind by Falcons' Adrian Clayborn, throwing incomplete in the fourth quarter.]()
59 of 75![Lions' Don Carey slams into Falcons' Andre Roberts on a punt return and is called for a penalty in the fourth quarter.]()
60 of 75![Falcons' Jake Matthews, right, tries to block Lions' Ezekiel Ansah, left, in the fourth quarter.]()
61 of 75![Fans in the crowd react as the Lions fall to the Falcons 30-26.]()
62 of 75![Lions' Golden Tate pulls in a tough reception with Falcons' Ricardo Allen and Brian Poole defending in the fourth quarter.]()
63 of 75![Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford looks to score late in the fourth quarter.]()
64 of 75![Lions' Marvin Jones Jr. can't pull in a reception in the end zone with Falcons' Desmond Trufant defending but a penalty on Trufant puts the Lions near the goal in the fourth quarter.]()
65 of 75![Fans wait to hear the outcome of the official review of Golden Tate's touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Detroit Lions vs Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field in Detroit on Sept. 23, 2017. Falcons win, 30-26.
(Robin Buckson / Detroit News)]()
66 of 75![Kelly Stafford, wife of Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, shows off the twins Sawyer and Chandler to Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford and vice chairperson Elizabeth Ford Kontulis on the field before the game as the Detroit Lions take on the Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field.]()
67 of 75![Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford warms up before the game against the Falcons.]()
68 of 75![Lions wide receiver Golden Tate readies for a reception during warm-ups.]()
69 of 75![Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. pulls in a reception during warm-ups before the game against the Atlanta Falcons.]()
70 of 75![From left, Matthew Spring of Auburn Hills, Bob Mirti of Wayne and Don Spring of Waterford take a selfie outside Ford Field.]()
71 of 75![From left, Alicia Huerta, 24, of Clinton Township, and Persia Grai, 24, of Detroit ride the zipline before the game.]()
72 of 75![Lions President Rod Wood on the field during warmups.]()
73 of 75![Dan Solis, right, reacts outside of Ford Field, with his wife, Anna Solis, both of Adrian as they head to the Tigers game, yes, the Tigers game.]()
74 of 75![Kelly Stafford, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford's wife, shows off the twins Sawyer and Chandler to Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford and vice chairperson Elizabeth Ford Kontulis on the field before the game.]()
75 of 75
Detroit — The Lions deployed a mix-and-match strategy to deal with the absence of injured linebacker Jarrad Davis during Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Tahir Whitehead played every snap, which was to be expected. Beyond that, the team rotated the rest of their options. Paul Worrilow, the former Falcon, played the second most among linebackers, but was on the field fewer than two-thirds of the team's defensive plays. Somewhat surprisingly, Nick Bellore, who was off the roster Week 1 and a healthy scratch in Week 2, saw more action than rookie Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
All this tells us is the Lions lack a third linebacker on the roster with a complete skill set. Maybe this shouldn't be surprising. General manager Bob Quinn, at the combine in 2016, talked about the difficulty of finding linebackers capable of playing all three downs.
It also highlights how difficult it is to compensate for Davis' absence. That's a lot of moving parts in the second level, and no matter how much the Lions practice with various groups, it's difficult to build chemistry with that many substitution packages.
Here are some additional observations from Sunday's snap count report:
■ In his return performance with the Lions, defensive end George Johnson got 20 snaps of work, more than undrafted rookie Jeremiah Valoaga.
■ TJ Jones led the Lions with 63 receiving yards, but Kenny Golladay continues to dominate the third receiver timeshare, playing exactly triple the snaps.
■ The emphasis on the passing game is clear throughout the offensive workload. Eric Ebron played significantly more than blocking tight end Darren Fells and Theo Riddick out-snapped Ameer Abdullah in the backfield rotation for the first time this season.
■ With safety Tavon Wilson out with a shoulder injury, the Lions didn't plug Miles Killebrew fully into Wilson's role, instead splitting it with Charles Washington. Killebrew worked a much larger percentage of the timeshare, but by utilizing Washington, it gave the Lions the flexibility to move Killebrew around and put him in spots where he's had so much success the past several regular season games.
■ It was a light day of work for rookie return man Jamal Agnew. The Falcons didn't punt until the fourth quarter, and looking for the spark, the Lions put Golden Tate back deep. The team also replaced Agnew on kickoffs with TJ Jones early in the game. There wasn't an announced injury for Agnew, so it's possible he got the hook for something performance related.
| Defense | Position | Offense | % | Defense | % | Special Teams | % |
| T.J. Lang | G | 70 | 100% | 6 | 18% | ||
| Rick Wagner | T | 70 | 100% | 6 | 18% | ||
| Greg Robinson | T | 70 | 100% | 6 | 18% | ||
| Zac Kerin | G | 70 | 100% | 6 | 18% | ||
| Graham Glasgow | G | 70 | 100% | 6 | 18% | ||
| Matthew Stafford | QB | 70 | 100% | ||||
| Marvin Jones | WR | 68 | 97% | ||||
| Golden Tate | WR | 63 | 90% | 2 | 6% | ||
| Eric Ebron | TE | 45 | 64% | ||||
| Kenny Golladay | WR | 45 | 64% | ||||
| Theo Riddick | RB | 34 | 49% | ||||
| Darren Fells | TE | 29 | 41% | 13 | 39% | ||
| Ameer Abdullah | RB | 29 | 41% | ||||
| TJ Jones | WR | 15 | 21% | 13 | 39% | ||
| Michael Roberts | TE | 9 | 13% | 12 | 36% | ||
| Zach Zenner | RB | 7 | 10% | 21 | 64% | ||
| Jared Abbrederis | WR | 6 | 9% | 9 | 27% | ||
| Tahir Whitehead | LB | 68 | 100% | 6 | 18% | ||
| Glover Quin | FS | 68 | 100% | 6 | 18% | ||
| Darius Slay | CB | 67 | 99% | 6 | 18% | ||
| Miles Killebrew | SS | 53 | 78% | 7 | 21% | ||
| Paul Worrilow | LB | 42 | 62% | 24 | 73% | ||
| Nevin Lawson | CB | 41 | 60% | 9 | 27% | ||
| A'Shawn Robinson | DT | 39 | 57% | 6 | 18% | ||
| Anthony Zettel | DE | 37 | 54% | 5 | 15% | ||
| Nick Bellore | LB | 35 | 51% | 21 | 64% | ||
| Haloti Ngata | DT | 34 | 50% | 6 | 18% | ||
| Akeem Spence | DT | 34 | 50% | ||||
| Quandre Diggs | CB | 33 | 49% | 9 | 27% | ||
| Ziggy Ansah | DE | 33 | 49% | ||||
| Cornelius Washington | DE | 32 | 47% | 6 | 18% | ||
| D.J. Hayden | CB | 28 | 41% | 8 | 24% | ||
| Jeremiah Ledbetter | DT | 28 | 41% | 7 | 21% | ||
| Jalen Reeves-Maybin | LB | 26 | 38% | 26 | 79% | ||
| George Johnson | DE | 20 | 29% | 1 | 3% | ||
| Charles Washington | FS | 15 | 22% | 19 | 58% | ||
| Jeremiah Valoaga | DE | 15 | 22% | ||||
| Don Carey | FS | 27 | 82% | ||||
| Steve Longa | LB | 21 | 64% | ||||
| Jeff Locke | P | 18 | 55% | ||||
| Don Muhlbach | LS | 11 | 33% | ||||
| Matt Prater | K | 6 | 18% | ||||
| Brian Mihalik | T | 6 | 18% | ||||
| Jamal Agnew | CB | 2 | 6% |
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