Notebook: Will Detroit Lions Michael Badgley Deliver in Postseason?

Late in the regular season, the Detroit Lions elected to make a change at kicker. 

Michael Badgley earned the job over Riley Patterson beginning in Week 15 as a result of a weeks-long kicking competition. Since taking over, Badgley is perfect on field goal attempts but has missed two extra points.

Given the urgent nature of the postseason, point-after attempts are must-haves in close games such as what the Lions could encounter beginning with their showdown with the Rams on Sunday. 

However, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp explained that he remains confident in Badgley due to his consistency in practice. As for his missed extra point against the Vikings, he chalked it up to a poorly struck kick.

"Yeah, for me it's just seeing him every day. That miss, he had a bad, he miss hit the ball. It wasn't a good strike on the ball by him obviously," Fipp said. "I definitely don't like that. But I would be more concerned if it was something that I saw repeating itself over and over. Then I'd be much more concerned about it. One thing about him, and it's really why we went with him, is he's been so consistent. How he strikes the ball, practice, game, all that stuff for us."

Slowing down Kupp, Nacua

The Lions will have to account for a number of threats posed by the Rams.

Much has been made about the personal connections headlining this game, but the Rams have numerous weapons outside of quarterback Matthew Stafford that will pose problems. 

For starters, the Rams boast two talented wideouts in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Kupp is an elite veteran who has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards twice in his career and has a Super Bowl MVP honor to his name. 

Nacua, meanwhile, is in his first year and set new NFL records for receiving yards and receptions by a rookie. 

"Well they have two good players. When you're a good player, you don't really see the drop off as much," Glenn said. "He's here to stay, and we have to deal with it, which we will. That's with all those guys, and that's just what it is. Listen, we've played against good players throughout this season. It's no different than these guys. So we're gonna attack them the way we attack them and let the chips fall where they may."

Kyren Williams is another young player who has become a breakout star for the Rams. The running back surpassed 1,100 yards in his second season and has showcased and ability to shed tacklers. 

As a result, the Lions are focusing on making him run through multiple bodies and swarming to the football with the entire defensive unit. 

"For him, himself, I've actually showed a couple clips of it to our defense. Even though he's a guy that some people say is small in stature, he's not just a small guy. He does a really good job of breaking tackles," Glenn said. "That's why we have to be the best tackling team throughout this playoffs because of that. 

"Every team that you're playing is a team that does a really good job of breaking tackles," Glenn continued. "But this team in particular, with their receivers and their running back and we've got to do a good job. He's tough, he's powerful, he has a stiff arm that's effective. We've got to understand that, so we have to make sure that we wrap up and have population to the ball with this player."

Preparing for Aaron Donald

On the defensive side of the ball, Aaron Donald is the standout that the Lions will have to account for. 

Donald's resume speaks for itself, as a seven-time All-Pro and a three-time defensive player of the year. While the Lions have faced a plethora of top defensive talents, Donald's ability to maneuver about the line and play on the interior presents a new challenge.

This season, he's added a running mate in rookie Kobie Turner, who has nine sacks and eight tackles for loss. The tandem of him and Donald is one that has caused nightmares for opposing teams. 

"Yeah, so this one is different because most of the guys we face this year that were super dynamic, like Donald, were edge guys that would sometimes line up inside. And then this week, certainly he's at a three-technique quite a bit," Ben Johnson said. "Third down, they’ll move him around. But the combination of him with this rookie (Kobie Turner) has been probably the best defensive tackle tandem we faced all year. So it is it's different. 

"Feel good about the plan that we have going in right now. And listen, you try to minimize his opportunities to get one on ones but it's hard. It's hard," Johnson continued. "I think he feasts almost every week by getting one-on-one matchups and beating the guy across from him. So we will be very much aware of where he is on the field and try to adjust accordingly."

Options at returner

As Kalif Raymond's status for Sunday remains in doubt, the Lions are weighing their options at punt returner. Raymond has handled all punts this season. 

With the potential of needing a new return man for the postseason opener, Fipp offered multiple candidates who could fit the bill.

"It'll be the best player for our football team that we have available to us that we think can also manage the role," Fipp explained. "So guys like St. Brown, could he do that? It's possible. He's been an emergency returner for us all season long. Obviously we've got Donovan, who did it in Cleveland, so that could be an option. And then we've got Mo Alexander on the practice squad if we're able to get him up, he'd be a great option. He's a great player."