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Detroit Lions game balls: Finally healthy, Ifeatu Melifonwu comes alive in secondary
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- Detroit Lions game balls: Finally healthy, Ifeatu Melifonwu comes alive in secondary
Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett hands out accolades for the Detroit Lions in their 42-17 win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday night at Ford Field:
Game balls
S Ifeatu Melifonwu
A forgotten man in the Lions secondary for most of the past three years, Melifonwu has finally had enough sustained health to get meaningful playing time — and he's making the most of it.
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In his second straight start at safety in place of the deposed Tracy Walker, Melfionwu was one of the Lions' most impactful defensive players. He had a sack-fumble on Russell Wilson on a safety blitz early in the game and was credited with eight tackles, two quarterback hits and two pass breakups.
Detroit Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (6) defends Denver Broncos tight end Lucas Krull (85) during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023.
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C.J. Gardner-Johnson is expected to return to practice next week, and he could be back in the starting lineup before the end of the month. But Melifonwu has played well enough the past two weeks to keep a role the rest of the season. He's a converted cornerback with good coverage skills and he has shown a insatiable appetite for the ball.
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GM Brad Holmes
Dan Campbell rightfully gets a lot of credit for the Lions' turnaround. He's the face of the franchise in many ways, a brilliant motivator and bright football mind. But Campbell wouldn't be having the success he is without the right players by his side.
Asked about the contributions of rookies Sam LaPorta (five catches, 56 yards, three touchdowns) and Jahmyr Gibbs (11 carries, 100 yards, one rushing and one receiving TD) on Saturday, Campbell took a moment at his postgame news conference to tip his cap to Holmes, who eschewed traditional draft value by position to grab Gibbs (No. 12) and LaPorta (No. 34) among the top picks in April's draft.
"I'm not surprised (that LaPorta) just keeps getting better and better and so does Gibbs," Campbell said. "Gibbs is just getting better and better, so I'm just going to bring it back to Brad Holmes, it's a hell of a job by him, once again. Took a lot of criticism for those two picks, but they look like they're OK, so I'm glad we got them."
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CB Cam Sutton
The Lions have struggled in the secondary much of the season, and Sutton hasn't been immune to those problems. He does not have an interception this season, and he entered Saturday with a 101.2 passer rating against, according to Pro Football Reference.
Still, Sutton has been the Lions' best cornerback, and the team trusted him with its most important matchup Saturday. He helped limit talented receiver Courtland Sutton — who entered Saturday with a TD in 10 of the Broncos' 13 games — to five catches for 71 yards, no scores and just one target in the first half.
"Cam's a crafty guy, smart player," Campbell said. "We felt good about that, and certainly we had some help over the top at times but I thought he certainly accepted that challenge, that's not something he's going to shy away from. And I thought he kept him in check, it was really good. Man, that honestly that was the big concern, I just mentioned again these shot plays. You could play great for most of the game and all of the sudden you give up one of those and you're in trouble. So, we did well."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ifeatu Melifonwu making most of chance for Detroit Lions
