ALLEN PARK – When it comes to punt return yards, teams have not been very successful against the Detroit Lions this season. Under special teams coordinator Dave Fipp, the Lions have been stellar at stopping the opposition in their tracks.
Through eight games, the Lions have allowed a total of 64 punt return yards, which ranks fourth-lowest in the NFL. Teams have been averaging 7.1 yards per punt return. The most yards the Lions have allowed in a single game this season came during a Week 3 win against the Green Bay Packers. In that game, the Packers returned two punts for a total of 34 yards.
As great as the Lions have been in this area, they face a tough test this Sunday when they face the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. When it comes to returning punts, the Chargers are among the league’s best.
Currently, the Chargers are third in the NFL in punt return yards, netting a total of 232 and averaging 16.6 yards per return. All of that production belongs to their primary punt returner, rookie Derius Davis. The Chargers selected Davis in the fourth round of this year’s draft, and since then, he’s proven his worth and then some.’
The former TCU prospect showcased how dangerous he can be this past Monday against the New York Jets. He provided the game’s opening score less than two minutes into action, returning an 87-yard punt for a touchdown.
“Yeah, they’ve done a nice job,” Fipp told reporters. “The returner’s an explosive player. He can run; obviously, he did that the other night against those guys. The thing that’s not difficult but part of this guy’s game is he can run around the edge on the outside. He’s got enough speed to run around everybody. But then, in that Jets game, he put his foot in the ground and took it up the middle of the field. Also, he makes you cover the whole field.
“They do a nice job with that. Their players play hard; I would definitely say that. These guys compete in the return game. They do a good job of that, so it’ll be a good matchup.”
Heading into Week 9, the Jets were in the middle of the pack in this area, only giving up 118 punt return yards. So, the Chargers being able to exploit the Jets in this fashion is nothing to overlook. On Monday, Davis exploded for a grand total of 104. Based on what has transpired through eight games, it’s not likely that Davis will duplicate that performance against the Lions.
