Name: Shawn Smith Age: 44 Promoted To Referee: 2018 Graphic Courtesy of Football Zebras Last Game: Week 3 2025 DEN @ LAC Last Lions Game: 11/12/23 – DET 41 @ LAC 38 The Detroit Lions committed 4 penalties for 44 yards. They were flagged a total of 5 times. The Los Angeles Chargers committed 3 penalties for 36 yards. They were flagged a total of 4 times. Together there were 7 penalties for 80 yards. There were 9 total flags in this game. Shawn Smith’s crew has officiated three games this year and it’s not good news for either the Home (DET) or away (CLE) teams, as this crew is in the top 4 in every major Per game Penalty avg for the season. Both the Lions and Browns fall into the penalty trends of Smith’s crew, with Offensive Holding and Defensive Pass Interference a problem for both teams. The Lions will have to be mindful of Unnecessary Roughness and Defensive Holding calls, while the Browns D-Line under Jim Schwartz is very twitchy and may continue to rack up Defensive offsides and Encroachment penalties if Goff can use his cadence effectively.

If you're torn between riding Al-Quadin Muhammad's breakout Ravens performance or exploiting desperate 0-3 teams in potential edge rusher fire sales, we just may have the analytical framework you need to think like Brad Holmes. This episode dissects the true value of Muhammad's dominant Sunday against Baltimore, then examines which struggling franchises might become sellers - and if their available talent will align with Detroit's championship timeline. We're live tonight at 7pm est on the following platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDimsvCdqyQ   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1450894442841186    X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/TheGreyManes   Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lionsgreymanes

Having been doubted all off-season and fueling that negativity with a opening week turd against the Packers, the Lions went into M&T Bank Stadium last night and absolutely controlled the game and handily beat the Ravens. While the final score was much closer than it should have been at 38-30, the Lions completely controlled the second half of the game and let the Ravens back into it late, but make no mistake, this was a game where the Lions imposed their will on the opponent. The best pat was watching all the ESPN talking heads pick the Ravens and then having to watch them eat crow after the game, while Buck and Aikman had to publicly state what Lions fans already knew, this is Dan Campbell’s offense, not Ben Johnsons. It was a victory reminiscent of the 2023 at Kansas City win to open the NFL season, as the Lions are at their best when they are being doubted. Hutch Sack What Went Wrong: Although the Lions pretty much dominated the game, there were a couple of issues that flared up again. First is Terrion Arnold and his coverage. He gave up a couple of very long passes and was flagged for a brutal PI and another holding call that directly led to Ravens TDs. His coverage was better in the second half, but it is concerning to say the least that he is being identified as the weak link by opponents and not really putting an end to it. Jackson completed 21/27 for 288, 3 TDs and a passer rating of 148.1, which is outstanding, he killed the Lions when they didn’t get home on their blitz packages or moved around to by some time. While the tackling was actually pretty good most of the night, a failure to wrap up Justice Hill on a short pass in garbage time led to a massive 37-yard gain form the Lions 19 into plus territory, feeding into a late Ravens score that mad ethe game look closer than it really was. There were times when the blitzing left both the corners (see Arnold comment above) safeties and LBs trying to rush to space to cover, leaving wide open gaps in the Defense that the ravens exploited routinely for large gains. Lions were once again sloppy at times in all three phases, in a two-minute span at the end of the 1st half with bad offense, penalty on the Punt setting up ravens at midfield and then awful defense leading to a quick 32 second TD that tied the game at the half. 1st Down St Brown! What Went Right: The Lions offense looked like….the Lions. Johnson who? This is, and always has been, Dan Campbell’s offense. John Morton called his best game of the season with the Ravens defense gradually being worn down and not putting up much resistance in the second half. When a team goes 98-yards in 18 plays taking over 10 minutes off a clock and runs the ball in for a TD, that is demoralizing. Sonic and Knuckle had 2 TDs each, with Montgomery in particular gashing the Ravens repeatedly for 4-6 yards a pop until he hit the 72-yard back breaker. St Brown had 7 for 77 and a TD, but the unsung hero was probably Sam LaPorta. Every time the Lions needed a big 3rd down conversion, Goff found him with 3 of his 4 catches moving the chains. He also recovered the onside kick at the end of the game when the Ravens had pulled within 8 with 30 seconds left. The defense struggled a bit early and let Jackson pile up the yards and TD through the air, and who wouldn’t against a Lamar Jackson led offense, but made some great adjustments in the second half and not only contained his rushing but sacked him 7 times on the night while limiting him to just 35 rush yards. Shout out to jake Bates, who outside of a Kickoff that went out at the two-yard line, was 5/5 on XPs and ½ on field goals, with a 67-yard attempt at the end of the half just missing wide left, which had the leg had it been a bit straighter. What’s Next: The Lions return to Ford Field to host the Browns next Sunday at 1pm on Fox. The Browns are coming off a 13-10 home win over the Packers, who man-handled the Lions in Week 1. Its hard to gauge week-to-week how common opponents translate, but the Browns defense led by former Lions Head Coach Jim Schwartz is no joke and are the No 1 unit in the NFL in Rushing yards and Total Yards allowed. The Browns Offense led by Joe Flacco, not so much, as they are bottom third, coming in at 22nd overall in YPG and 30th in Pts/game at 15.3.

The last practice report just dropped and while there was a surprise downgrade for one Lions starter, it looks like everyone, but Marcus Davenport is trending to be available on Monday night. The Ravens have four players listed as Out for Monday, including major impacts to their pass rush, but did get back a key secondary player. Ravens Friday: The ravens will be down their two best pass rushers and their all-pro fullback for the Lions game, as Madubuike, Van Noy and Ricard are all Out, along with TE Isaiah Likely. They did get good news, as CB Nate Wiggins was a full participant today and will play in the game, but a groin is a tricky injury and may limit him or be susceptible to reinjury. As stated yesterday, the rest of the players are available and all participated fully today. Thursday: The Ravens saw a couple of improvements in RB ALI (LP to FP), DL Jenkins (LP t FP) and starting CB Nate Wiggins (NP to LP). The rest of the players had the same status, including three starters listed with NP. Wednesday: The Ravens are running a bit thin in their front seven, as starting LB Kyle Van Noy and DL Nnamdi Madubuike along with backup NT John Jenkins all missed practice today. Three other starters, CB Nate Wiggins (LP), CB Marlon Humphrey (FP) and FB Patrick Ricard (NP) also showed up on the report. Harbaugh indicated in his presser today that he hoped that Wiggins would be good enough to practice tomorrow. Backup TE and RB Isiah Likely and Rasheen Ali were both Limited today. Lions Friday: It was a foregone conclusion when it was noted that Davenport was in a sling yesterday that he would be out this week and was confirmed by Dan Campbell in his presser earlier today. However, it was a bit of a surprise that Taylor Decker was reported as missing at practice and confirmed as a NP, until it was also note that his injury was updated to Shoulder/rest. So, the big man received a rest day to help get ready for Monday night despite being Questionable. As for the other Lions stares, they l are listed as Questionable and should be ready for Monday, with Campbell improving for the second practice in a row, DJ Reed improving to Full Practice, and Kerby Joseph staying as a LP with his knee injury. Campbell also noted that both Nowaske and Vaki are ready to go but didn’t indicate if they would be active or a healthy scratch. Thursday: Two notable upgrades and one likely out based on today's Lion’s report. Davenport was a NP again but was spotted n the locker room with his arm in a sling and having difficulty pushing himself up out of a chair. He is trending toward OUT without a doubt. The upgrade came in the form of Taylor Deck form NP to FP, and Jack Campbell from NP to LP. Both appear to be trending toward playing Monday. Joseph and Reed (both LP again) and Nowaske and Vaki (both FP again) round out the todays report with no change in status. Wednesday: As expected, the big name was EDGE Marcus Davenport, who left the Bears game with a chest injury and didn’t return did not practice today. Dan Campbell mentioned they are still waiting on test results, and may not know until later in the week. Two other starters that played the entire game on Sunday, but came in injured, were Jack Campbell and Taylor Decker. Both missed practice today with lingering issues form those injuries. Kerby Joseph also popped up late last week with a knee, and played the whole game, but he was a limited participant today. The good news is that two special teams stalwarts, Sione Vaki and Trevor Nowaske were Full Participants after missing the first two weeks of the season.

The second practice report for the Lions and Ravens brings about several players improving their status form yesterday. This includes two Lions starters trending to play and one for the Ravens. Ravens Thursday: The Ravens saw a couple of improvements in RB ALI (LP to FP), DL Jenkins (LP to FP) and starting CB Nate Wiggins (NP to LP). The rest of the players had the same status, including the three starters listed with NP. Wednesday: The Ravens are running a bit thin in their front seven, as starting LB Kyle Van Noy and DL Nnamdi Madubuike along with backup NT John Jenkins all missed practice today. Three other starters, CB Nate Wiggins (LP), CB Marlon Humphrey (FP) and FB Patrick Ricard (NP) also showed up on the report. Harbaugh indicated in his presser today that he hoped that Wiggins would be good enough to practice tomorrow. Backup TE and RB Isiah Likely and Rasheen Ali were both Limited today. Lions Thursday: Two notable upgrades and one likely out base don todays Lion’s report. Davenport was a NP again, but was spotted n the locker room with his arm in a sling and having difficulty pushing himself up out of a chair. He is trending toward OUT without a doubt. The upgrade came in the form of Taylor Deck form NP to FP, and Jack Campbell from NP to LP. Both appear to be trending toward playing Monday. Joseph and Reed (both LP again) and Nowaske and Vaki (both FP again) round out the todays report with no change in status. Wednesday: As expected, the big name was EDGE Marcus Davenport, who left the Bears game with a chest injury and didn’t return did not practice today. Dan Campbell mentioned they are still waiting on test results, and may not know until later in the week. Two other starters that played the entire game on Sunday, but came in injured, were Jack Campbell and Taylor Decker. Both missed practice today with lingering issues form those injuries. Kerby Joseph also popped up late last week with a knee, and played the whole game, but he was a limited participant today. The good news is that two special teams stalwarts, Sione Vaki and Trevor Nowaske were Full Participants after missing the first two weeks of the season.

The Lions just hung 52 points on Chicago, but was it genuine coordinator brilliance or just beating up on a bad Bears team? Join LIVE tonight at 7pm est to chop it up with us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qDSIXgDbIQ Episode 002 of Lions Grey Manes digs past the celebration to examine what John Morton's play-action revolution and Kelvin Shepard's pressure packages actually reveal about Detroit's post-Ben Johnson identity. We break down the realistic timeline for coordinator development, the specific metrics that matter, and why next week's Ravens test will show whether this offensive explosion was sustainable progress or just a mirage against inferior competition.

THIS WAS UPDATED on 9/18/25 with addition of DJ Reed to Lions report with a knee injury With the Lions and ravens slated for a Monday Night Football battle, the injury reports are delayed once day during the week.  Today is the official report and it had pretty much who you would expect from both teams on it based on prior week’s status and new injuries from the Week 2 games. Ravens Wednesday: The Ravens are running a bit thin in their front seven, as starting LB Kyle Van Noy and DL Nnamdi Madubuike along with backup NT John Jenkins all missed practice today. Three other starters, CB Nate Wiggins (LP), CB Marlon Humphrey (FP) and FB Patrick Ricard (NP) also showed up on the report. Harbaugh indicated in his presser today that he hoped that Wiggins would be good enough to practice tomorrow. Backup TE and RB Isiah Likely and Rasheen Ali were both Limited today. Lions Wednesday: As expected, the big name was EDGE Marcus Davenport, who left the Bears game with a chest injury and didn’t return did not practice today. Dan Campbell mentioned they are still waiting on test results, and may not know until later in the week. Two other starters that played the entire game on Sunday, but came in injured, were Jack Campbell and Taylor Decker. Both missed practice today with lingering issues form those injuries. Kerby Joseph also popped up late last week with a knee, and played the whole game, but he was a limited participant today. The good news is that two special teams stalwarts, Sione Vaki and Trevor Nowaske were Full Participants after missing the first two weeks of the season. Couple other notes, Dan Skipper, who doesn’t officially show on the practice report as a practice squad member practiced today for the first time in a few weeks. Also, Shane Zylstra was put on Injured Reserve after leaving the Bears game without returning, so he won’t be eligible to come bac until 10/14/25.

Detroit is fresh off one of the most dominating performances by their offense in several years and will be travelling next Monday night to Baltimore for a nationally televised game on Monday Night Football against the Ravens. The teams have an eerily similar start to 2025, both being 1-2, have similar Offense and Defensive rankings and both having played a Great Team and a Mediocre team.  Above anything, expect the game to be a wild shootout with both teams’ defenses nicked up and Ravens having two 40+ pt. games and the Lions a 50+ pt. game under their belts. Time:  8:00pm  Location:  M&T Bank Stadium - Baltimore, MD  Field Surface:  Bermuda Grass – Installed Oct 2023  TV:  ESPN/ABC; ESPN 2/ESPN+ Broadcast Crew:  Joe Buck & Troy Aikman; Peyton and ELI Manning (Manning Cast) Radio:  Lions Radio Network Crew:  Dan Miller, Lomas Brown, TJ Lang  Streaming:  ESPN App, ESPN+  Referee:   Bill Vinovich

What a difference a week can make, as last week at this time Lions fans and the Staff here at The Grey Manes was licking our wounds after getting tossed out of Lambeau. Now, we are celebrating the first of hopefully many, Dan Campbell teaching Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears that the games are won on the field and in the Front Office. In our ongoing quest to see who the best picker is, Brent has moved into the lead based on the tiebreaker by being only four points off from the Lions total cumulative score for the season. However, this week brings a split-guesstimate form the staff, as both Dan and Brent continue to drink that blue Kool-Aid, while Mike and Chris have gone the route of Benedict Johnson and bet against the Lions, seeing a Ravens win. Mike After a big home win for the Lions, they will be excited to play one of the best teams in the NFL with MVP candidate Lamar Jackson at QB for the Ravens. The Ravens have a very dynamic offense and can run the ball with the best of the NFL; they do have a few Wide Receiver threats and 2 exceptional TE's. It will be a great test for the Lions and Defensive Coordinator Kelvin Shepard. The Ravens are not their typical Defense first team this year. They have a few key players not active this week which may help the Lions. I feel like the Ravens have a little bit of an edge here being at home and the very creative Jackson at QB, and let's not forget Derrick Henry running the ball. I am going to get kicked out of the Grey Manes with this pick. Ravens 31, Lions 24 Brent The Detroit Lions go into this week's game in Baltimore as -4.5 point underdogs. NFL seasons are long and there are many ebbs and flows. Teams that start fast can fade late and vice versa. These are not two teams that will do anything other than be consistent over the course of the season. The best thing that could have happened to both teams was an opening road loss to rivals. Detroit lost in Green Bay and didn’t play well and the Ravens lost in Buffalo on a late game collapse. Baltimore is a tough place to play and what makes playing there even tougher is Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. The Ravens will do all they can to take the air out of the football and extend drives to limit the number of possessions the Detroit Lions will have. Defensively, the Lions must stop the run. The Ravens have the 11th rated offense and the fifth rated rushing attack gaining 141.5 yards per game. The Lions have the 15th rated rush defense allowing 106.0 yards per game. Other than late in Green Bay and four runs against the Bears, the Lions rush defense has been stout. Against the Ravens, expect the Ravens to be more balanced than to line up and run the ball early in the game. Expect play action with the Ravens using a similar game plan to the one they used two years ago. If the Lions force the Ravens to third down and mid-to-longs, they have a chance to be competitive. The key in those scenarios is tight man-to-man coverage with TE Andrews being a big target for Lamar Jackson. The key to this game for the Lions is to get off the field on third downs. Offensively, the Lions are fifth in the NFL in total yards. The Ravens have allowed a 31st rated pass defense with 298.5 yards per game. How much of this is they had a large lead in Cleveland and led by two touchdowns against Buffalo, will be a key to the game. The Detroit Lions have weapons all over the offensive side of the football. They must continue to use a heavy dosage of play-action to keep the linebacking corps of the Ravens committed to stopping the run. If the offensive line holds up in the passing game, expect the Lions to score. If communications issues rear their ugly head again in the tough environment, expect a long night. I don’t expect the communications issues again. John Harbaugh always has great defenses and special teams. The Lions must continue to improve in the coverage game and made big strides between week one and week two. In the end, this game comes down to a battle of two top-tier NFL teams. MCDC will have the Lions ready this week and will get revenge against the home team. Lions get just enough stops and pull it out 34-31 in Baltimore. Lions 34, Ravens 31 Chris After dismantling Chicago, we're all feeling better about ourselves, but let's pump the brakes. Beating up on bad teams is what good teams do. This one is a great early season barometer for the Lions. The question is whether we can hang with elite competition when the lights get brightest. Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium will test everything we think we know about this Lions squad. Can our DBs survive extended coverage when Lamar Jackson turns every play into backyard football? Will our communication hold up when 70,000 Ravens fans are losing their minds? These are the moments that separate contenders from pretenders. John Morton's offense will put up points because things have normalized on that front, but Shep's defense faces its toughest assignment yet, and Derrick Henry is looking to bounce back from a bad game last week against the Brownies. Jackson's dual-threat ability creates problems our Week 2 success against Caleb Williams simply didn't prepare us for. In a game much like last season’s Thanksgiving loss to Buffalo, this one turns into the shootout everyone expects, but Baltimore's home-field advantage and playoff experience tip the scales just enough. Ravens 41, Lions 34 Dan After two weeks, the Ravens and Lions profiles look like virtual clones of one another from their 1-1 record to their schedule (one bad, one good team) to their stat lines through two games. The two big exceptions are the style of QB play and the ranking of their defenses. Lamar Jackson can beat you with his feet or his arm and is a perennial candidate for NFL MVP. The Ravens have one of the best offenses in the NFL leading the league in points scored, Pass TDs, Yards/Play, Yards/Rush top five in several other categories. The Lions aren't a slouch either, being Top five also in multiple categories and leading the league in passing TDs and Compl. %. Jared Goff won't beat you with his feet, but he leads the NFL is virtually very passing category since 2023 including accuracy, Yards and Wins. Clearly the Ravens Ground game to this point has been better than the Lions, and the Lions passing game better than the Ravens. So it may come down to LB, Nickle and Safety play for both teams trying to limit these explosive offenses. With the Ravens losing Van Noy to a hamstring issue and being beat up at nickel back, the Lions TEs and RBs out of the backfield may be extremely dangerous. For the Defense matchup, in a bit of a twist, the Ravens rank near the bottom of the league in many categories, and the Lions have better overall defensive rankings in everything except Hurries and Pressures. However, while Ravens are sixth in both, that hasn't translated to Sacks, as they only have 3 total on 26 combined Hurries and Pressures, by contrast, the Lions have four sacks on combined 12. Two trends that could impact the game though, Kyle Van Noy, the Ravens best pass rusher is out with a hamstring injury, and the Lions are just seeing Adrian Hutchinson start rounding into form. Both teams' defenses have multiple Pro bowlers at all levels, but this game feels like they will be hard pressed to stop the other team. It may come down to injuries or field conditions and weather, but game time is expected to be 65 degrees with low humidity and virtually no chance of rain. Bottom line, I think the defining factor of the game will come down to the Lions ability to handle the Ravens running game by containing Jackson to the pocket and stuffing Derrick henry before he can get a head of steam. I do expect a shootout, as the Ravens have scored 40+ pts in both games and Lions dropped a 50-spot on the Bears, so there should be lots of fireworks. Lions get the ball last, and Jake Bates becomes the hero for the Lions once again. Lions 38, Ravens 34

NFL Week 3 kicks off this Thursday night with another* streaming only game (Miami @ Buffalo) on Amazon and the return of our beloved Detroit Lions returning to Monday Night Football on ABC/ESPN against the Baltimore Ravens. CBS has a single game this week with regional coverage, FOX early game is also regional, with the Fox Late game set for most of the country to get DAL @ CHI with the West Coast getting ARZ @ SF.  NATIONAL BROADCASTS Thursday Night: Miami @ Buffalo (Amazon) Sunday Night: Kansas City @ NY Giants (NBC) Monday Night: Detroit @ Baltimore (ESPN/ABC) *MIA-BUF will be simulcast on WFOR (CBS/4) Miami and WKBW (ABC/7) Buffalo.  CBS Single Game FOX Early Games FOX Late Game All listings are unofficial and subject to change. Check back often for updates.    Courtesy of the folks at 506 Sports

Name:  Bill Vinovich Age:  64 Promoted To Referee:  2001 Graphic form Football Zebras Last Game:  Week 2 2025 DAL @ NYG Last Lions Game:  11/10/24 – DET 26 @ HOU 23 The Detroit Lions committed 4 penalties for 61 yards. They were flagged a total of 4 times The Houston Texans committed 4 penalties for 30 yards. They were flagged a total of 4 times Together there were 8 penalties for 91 yards. There were 8 total flags in this game Notable Vinovich’s Crew through two games this year has thrown the most flags per game at 23 but have had many dismissed (declined/offset) leaving accepted flags per game at 18.5. The total is a bit elevated due to the sloppy OT game between the Cowboys and Giants last week, where the crew had 26 penalties accepted, pushing their per game season avg to a virtually even split between the Home (9.5) and Away (9) teams.  The Lions will need to be mindful of keeping their composure, and the OL will have to battle a hostile crowd to avoid this Crew’s top penalties called so far this year. 2025 Most Called Penalties  (2 games) 6 - Unnecessary Roughness 6 - False Start 6 - Offensive Holding 5 - Delay of Game 4 - Defensive Pass Interference  2024 Most Called Penalties  (17 games) 52 - False Start 27 - Offensive Holding  24 - Defensive Pass Interference13 - Neutral Zone Infraction 10 - Unnecessary Roughness

If you are a card collector and an NFL fan, the folks over at Panini have a cool product called "Panini Instant". It is a limited run, print-to-otder card that captures key moments during the NFL season. The Lions Rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa provided Panini with an opportunity with his 1st TD catch against Green Bay in Week 1, and that has been immortalized on a card for a very short time . The Front of the TeSlaa Panini Instant You can purchase the card for $9.99 plus the usual shipping and tax on the Panini website through this morning but move quickly as it appears availability ends at 3:00pm EST today (9/17/25). The back of the TeSlaa Panini Instant