The Lions defeat the Titans 52-14 as Kalif Raymond scores 190 return yards and 2 touchdowns: Takeaways

By Colton Pouncy, Joe Rexrode and Jelani Scott

The red-hot Detroit Lions extended their winning streak to five games with a 52-14 home win over the Tennessee Titans (1-6), dominating in all three phases.

Detroit's win featured another strong offensive performance from the NFL's No. 2 scoring unit, but the scoring stats were tempered by big contributions from the special teams unit, led by Kalif Raymond's 190 total return yards. Almost half of that came on a 90-yard punt return touchdown in the third quarter.

Minutes later, Raymond scored his second and caught the third of Jared Goff's three touchdown passes. In total, Detroit finished the game with 262 return yards, setting up the offense led by Jahmyr Gibbs' rushing attack.

The @Lions are 6-1 this year, their best start to the season since 1956.
⁰#OnePride pic.twitter.com/Eqv4KPjAm7

— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) October 27, 2024

Detroit dominated the field position battle

The Lions finished four points shy of setting a franchise record for points in a single game (55). They did it while amassing just 225 yards of offense. It's the kind of yard-score combination that only comes from good field position and contributions from the other phases, which the Lions achieved all game.

The defense allowed 417 yards of offense but forced four turnovers in the game and hasn't allowed a point since the 14:18 mark of the second quarter. In addition to Raymond's punt return, Khalil Dorsey returned a punt for 72 yards, setting up the score for the offense. A strong day all around for Detroit. – Colton Pouncy, Lions beat writer

The lions have a scary road ahead

This win was expected, but it was still nice to see a Lions team capable of a convincing victory, able to win convincingly. The next two games should tell us a lot about this team. Along the way, it's off to an NFC North contest against the Green Bay Packers and then on to Houston to face CJ Stroud and the Texans. Two games against good football teams. However, in their current state, the Lions appear capable of winning every game on their schedule.

It should be a fascinating few weeks. – Pouncy

Titans Kicking Game is a full-blown clown show

The Titans had a 285-133 halftime lead over the Lions in total offense – 26 more yards than the Titans averaged per game – and trailed 35-14. Why? Largely for the same reason, the score quickly reached 42-14 in the third quarter.

Colt Anderson's special unit basically can't cover a kick. The Lions' 72-yard kick return set up a short field for a touchdown, and Raymond's touchdown punt return made it a 28-point game early in the second half. The Titans missed another long return and another, but the fourth was called back because of a Lions penalty.

Yes, four ball losses also played a big role in this humiliation. But special teams were consistently bad all season for Tennessee, and this was the masterpiece. — Joe Rexrode, Titans writer

Rudolph ended up having a productive day with 266 total yards and a touchdown on 22-for-38 passing, and this was by far Calvin Ridley's most encouraging day as a Titan – 10 catches for 143 yards on 10 targets.

The Ridley result is encouraging and urgently needed. But Rudolph also had two brutal interceptions that led to Lions touchdowns. Nothing has changed on this front. As soon as Will Levis and his sore right shoulder are able to play, he should return to the starting lineup. — Rexrode

Required reading

(Photo: Junfu Han / USA Today)