The Lions have won the three biggest blowouts of this NFL season, the biggest of which was Sunday’s 52-6 victory over the Jaguars. Backup quarterback Hendon Hooker has played at the end of those three bursts, but he has completed just nine passes so far this season.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson says throwing the ball more in a game situation could be valuable for Hooker, especially after not playing at all as a rookie last season. But for sportsmanship reasons, Johnson also doesn’t want to make too many passes after the game has already been played.
“I think it’s invaluable for him to go out there, the lights are on you, people are watching you, it’s not a practice environment,” Johnson said of Hooker playing in games. “Now we’re at a point where he’s been able to get a few in games this year, and the challenge for me is that I want to give him some passes, but I also don’t want to be disrespectful to the opponent, so it’s kind of balancing act when it comes down to it.”
As Lions head coach Dan Campbell said this week, deciding how to handle big wins is a matter of decision a good problem to have. And it’s an issue that no coaching staff in the NFL has had to think about as much as the Lions.
