Detroit Lions vs. New York Jets: 2014 Week 4 Recap

Game story

In Week 4 of the 2014 NFL season on 2014-09-28, the Detroit Lions took care of business against the New York Jets, pulling away with a 24–17 final that stayed a one-score game deep into the second half.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 14 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

M. Stafford (Detroit Lions) paced the passing game, with +10.43 total EPA, and +5.0% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, M. Stafford (Detroit Lions) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +10.43 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+21.1% win probability) landed in the second quarter when Detroit Lions changed the game: (6:29) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep right to 12-J.Ross for 59 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 M. Stafford · Detroit Lions · Passing · +10.43 total EPA · 39 snaps · +0.27 EPA/play
2. 2 G. Tate · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +9.81 total EPA · 10 snaps · +0.98 EPA/play
3. 3 J. Ross · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +5.48 total EPA · 2 snaps · +2.74 EPA/play
4. 4 G. Salas · New York Jets · Receiving · +4.16 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.04 EPA/play
5. 5 E. Ebron · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +3.58 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.90 EPA/play
6. 6 J. Amaro · New York Jets · Receiving · +3.03 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.61 EPA/play
7. 7 C. Johnson · New York Jets · Rushing · +1.68 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.28 EPA/play
8. 8 C. Ivory · New York Jets · Rushing · +1.35 total EPA · 18 snaps · +0.08 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Detroit Lions — J. Ross (M. Stafford pass) (Q2 36:29)
• Detroit Lions — E. Ebron (M. Stafford pass) (Q2 30:27)
• New York Jets — E. Decker (G. Smith pass) (Q3 22:32)
• Detroit Lions — M. Stafford (Q4 15:00)
• New York Jets — C. Johnson (Q4 7:06)

Field goals

• New York Jets — N. Folk (Q1 53:40)
• Detroit Lions — A. Henery (Q1 50:08)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: The quarter finished even at 3–3. New York Jets connected on a field goal from the DET 9 (Q1 53:40) — (8:40) 2-N.Folk 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-T.Purdum, Holder-4-R.Quigley.; Detroit Lions connected on a field goal from the NYJ 33 (Q1 50:08) — (5:08) 5-A.Henery 51 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin..

The second quarter: Detroit Lions won the period 14–0. Detroit Lions found the end zone from the NYJ 59 (Q2 36:29) — (6:29) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep right to 12-J.Ross for 59 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the NYJ 2 (Q2 36:19) — 5-A.Henery extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.; Detroit Lions found the end zone from the NYJ 16 (Q2 30:27) — (:27) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep middle to 85-E.Ebron for 16 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the NYJ 2 (Q2 30:22) — 5-A.Henery extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin..

The third quarter: New York Jets won the period 7–0. New York Jets found the end zone from the DET 11 (Q3 22:32) — (7:32) (Shotgun) 7-G.Smith pass short left to 87-E.Decker for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New York Jets added 1 points from the DET 2 (Q3 22:26) — 2-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Purdum, Holder-4-R.Quigley..

The fourth quarter: The quarter finished even at 7–7. Detroit Lions found the end zone from the NYJ 1 (Q4 15:00); Detroit Lions added 1 points from the NYJ 2 (Q4 14:54) — 5-A.Henery extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.; New York Jets found the end zone from the DET 35 (Q4 7:06) — (7:06) (Shotgun) 21-C.Johnson up the middle for 35 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New York Jets added 1 points from the DET 2 (Q4 6:58) — 2-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Purdum, Holder-4-R.Quigley..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Detroit Lions (Q2 36:29) — (6:29) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep right to 12-J.Ross for 59 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +21.1% · EPA +6.15]
• Detroit Lions (Q1 52:16) — (7:16) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass short middle to 15-G.Tate to NYJ 39 for 35 yards (39-A.Allen). [WPA +12.5% · EPA +3.43]
• New York Jets (Q3 23:59) — (8:59) (Shotgun) 7-G.Smith pass short left to 17-G.Salas to DET 14 for 32 yards (32-J.Ihedigbo). [WPA +7.5% · EPA +3.07]
• New York Jets (Q2 35:19) — (5:19) (Shotgun) 7-G.Smith FUMBLES (Aborted) at NYJ 8, and recovers at NYJ 8. 7-G.Smith to NYJ 8 for no gain (94-E.Ansah). [WPA -7.5% · EPA -2.27]
• Detroit Lions (Q1 47:25) — (2:25) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass short middle to 15-G.Tate to DET 48 for 23 yards (52-D.Harris). [WPA +7.5% · EPA +2.50]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Detroit Lions (Q2 36:29) — (6:29) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep right to 12-J.Ross for 59 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +21.1% · EPA +6.15]
• New York Jets (Q4 13:15) — (13:15) (Shotgun) 7-G.Smith pass deep middle intended for 87-E.Decker INTERCEPTED by 23-D.Slay [94-E.Ansah] at DET 26. 23-D.Slay to NYJ 34 for 40 yards (29-B.Powell). [WPA -5.9% · EPA -5.77]
• New York Jets (Q4 10:41) — (10:41) (Shotgun) 7-G.Smith sacked at DET 42 for -7 yards (32-J.Ihedigbo). FUMBLES (32-J.Ihedigbo) [32-J.Ihedigbo], RECOVERED by DET-52-D.Tapp at DET 38. 52-D.Tapp to DET 38 for no gain (74-N.Mangold) [WPA -5.1% · EPA -5.39]
• New York Jets (Q4 7:06) — (7:06) (Shotgun) 21-C.Johnson up the middle for 35 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +4.8% · EPA +3.56]

Quarterback report card

M.Stafford led all passers in efficiency for Detroit Lions, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• M.Stafford (Detroit Lions) · 39 dropbacks · 61.5% completion · +5.0% CPOE · +0.27 EPA/play · +10.43 total EPA
• G.Smith (New York Jets) · 37 dropbacks · 45.9% completion · -13.4% CPOE · -0.12 EPA/play · -4.35 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, Detroit Lions generated the better offensive EPA per play (+0.03 vs -0.08), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• Detroit Lions: 12 drives, +2.40 total EPA, 4 scoring drives
• New York Jets: 12 drives, -6.74 total EPA, 3 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Detroit Lions leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• M. Stafford (Detroit Lions) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• M. Stafford (DET) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.
• G. Smith (NYJ) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. New York Jets FG (+3) — Q1 53:40 · DET 9 · Score 0-3
   (8:40) 2-N.Folk 27 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-T.Purdum, Holder-4-R.Quigley.
2. Detroit Lions FG (+3) — Q1 50:08 · NYJ 33 · Score 3-3
   (5:08) 5-A.Henery 51 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.
3. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q2 36:29 · NYJ 59 · Score 9-3
   (6:29) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep right to 12-J.Ross for 59 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
4. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q2 36:19 · NYJ 2 · Score 10-3
   5-A.Henery extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.
5. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q2 30:27 · NYJ 16 · Score 16-3
   (:27) (Shotgun) 9-M.Stafford pass deep middle to 85-E.Ebron for 16 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
6. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q2 30:22 · NYJ 2 · Score 17-3
   5-A.Henery extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.
7. New York Jets TD (+6) — Q3 22:32 · DET 11 · Score 17-9
   (7:32) (Shotgun) 7-G.Smith pass short left to 87-E.Decker for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
8. New York Jets XP (+1) — Q3 22:26 · DET 2 · Score 17-10
   2-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Purdum, Holder-4-R.Quigley.
9. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q4 15:00 · NYJ 1 · Score 23-10
   (15:00) 9-M.Stafford scrambles right end for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. The Replay Official challenged the runner broke the plane ruling, and the play was Upheld. The r
10. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q4 14:54 · NYJ 2 · Score 24-10
    5-A.Henery extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-6-S.Martin.
11. New York Jets TD (+6) — Q4 7:06 · DET 35 · Score 24-16
    (7:06) (Shotgun) 21-C.Johnson up the middle for 35 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
12. New York Jets XP (+1) — Q4 6:58 · DET 2 · Score 24-17
    2-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Purdum, Holder-4-R.Quigley.