Lions return specialist Jamal Agnew got loose for 71 yards, his longest return of 2020, in Sunday’s loss to Green Bay. That’s the good news. The bad news: he was tackled by a kicker, a cardinal sin in the football community. The 25-year-old had just one man to beat—Mason Crosby—but the crafty Packers veteran nudged him out of bounds, thwarting Agnew’s touchdown hopes in anticlimactic fashion.
While special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs appreciated the effort from Agnew, which gave the Lions a short field to begin their fourth-quarter drive, rules are rules. “I wish we could’ve finished it,” said Coombs via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. “Ag will have to put a couple dollars in the swear jar this week. We don’t get tackled by kickers and punters here. He’ll have to pony up there.”
Agnew has taken it to the house before—the fourth-year pro has contributed four career special teams touchdowns (three punt returns, one kickoff)—but Crosby made sure No. 5 wasn’t happening on his watch, sacrificing his body with a touchdown-saving tackle at the 33-yard-line. Invigorated by Crosby’s dramatic stop, Green Bay’s defense held strong on the ensuing drive, limiting Detroit to a field goal in the Packers’ 31-24 victory.
You’d think Agnew, who blazed a 4.34 at his San Diego Pro Day in 2017, would be able to outrun a 36-year-old kicker, but that’s just the kind of year it’s been for the 5-8 Lions, who face another daunting challenge with Tom Brady and the high-powered Bucs paying Detroit a visit in Week 15.
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