Week 3 brought a return for Tracy Walker, and a side of redemption for Ifeatu Melifonwu. Pressed into duty in an injury-riddled secondary, the two safeties rose to the occasion in the Lions' 20-6 win over the Falcons.
"On a personal level," said Melifonwu, "it definitely felt good."
About a month ago, it wasn't even clear if Melifonwu would make the team. It would have been difficult for Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell to cut a third-round pick entering his third season, and maybe it was Melifonwu's pedigree that saved him. He hadn't given the Lions many reasons to keep him around, partly because he hadn't been able to: he lost a season's worth of games his first two years to quad, hamstring and ankle injuries.
And partly because he hadn't earned more time when healthy. Last year, in the midst of a position switch from corner to safety, Melifonwu wasn't good enough to get significant snaps in one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. Then he injured his knee this summer and was playing with the third-team defense at times toward the end of camp.
On Sunday against the Falcons, Melifonwu was flying around like the Lions always envisioned. He and Walker stepped in confidently and capably for C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Kerby Joseph, helping hold Atlanta to just 2.8 yards per play. With weapons galore, the Falcons failed to find the end zone. It was a statement game for a defense that had been humbled the week prior by the Seahawks.
"Top to bottom, the defense played really well. I feel like we had something to prove and we wanted to get back to what our identity was," said Melifonwu. "The last game left a bad taste in our mouth."
It was also a statement game for Melifonwu, the 24-year-old who showed up to Ford Field wearing a black, short-sleeve workman's shirt with a patch on the chest that said HIM. He, too, had something to prove.
"100 percent," he said. "Since I’ve been here, I’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs with injuries and a position change, but I feel like this year is just a different me. I definitely wanted to prove that today and play well and show I can be a good safety."
He looked the part. When Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder swung a pass to big tight end Jonnu Smith early in the second quarter, Melifonwu charged downhill and dropped Smith for a three-yard loss. When Ridder tried to hit receiver Mack Hollins on third down in the third quarter, Melifonwu blew it up with a perfectly-timed hit. The play prior, Walker had erased another pass by laying the hammer on Smith.
Walker would agree later that it felt like his welcome-back moment. ("Yeah, it was a great play by me," he smiled with typical Tracy bravado.) The game felt like more of an overdue arrival for Melifonwu, who looked natural playing most of his 48 defensive snaps at free safety.
"What feels different is just my knowledge at safety, first of all," he said. "Last year I got moved to it and I was kind of learning it, but now I feel like I know safety. I feel like I just know the defense and I'm playing faster, more physical and more aggressive."
Melifonwu's length has always been one of his best assets. And maybe he was always destined to play safety. Indeed, his NFL.com draft profile noted Melifonwu "has the size and toughness of a starting safety" and called him -- or is it HIM? -- "a physical, aggressive striker who ends the catch quickly as a tackler." Holmes and the Lions thought he was a steal in the third round, and many pundits agreed. It felt like Sunday was the first time Melifonwu's "elite package of traits" came together.
"I think length is definitely an advantage for me, and Tracy as well," he said. "It just allows us to make some plays that other guys might not be able to make, so feel like I used it to my advantage today."
The catch to all this is that Melifonwu might be headed back to the bench. While Walker will likely keep playing in place of Gardner-Johnson, who could be done for the season with a torn pec, Joseph's hip injury shouldn't keep him out much longer. He'll immediately return to the starting lineup when he's ready. In the meantime, Melifonwu can keep making a statement that he deserves to be on the field.
Campbell called his performance against the Falcons "encouraging," noting that "he’s really never played very much at safety." Melifonwu called it solid, adding he'll never be satisfied. He wanted to wear the HIM shirt last Sunday, he said, "but it only made sense for me to wear the Barry Sanders hoodie" on the weekend that the Lions had revealed Sanders' statue. On this Sunday, the shirt fit better.