Veteran edge rusher Za'Darius Smith appeared in his third game for the Detroit Lions in Week 13 after he was acquired ahead of the trade deadline and there's no question the three-time Pro Bowler came up with the biggest play of his short Lions tenure.
Smith had just a half of a sack over his first two games with the Lions, but he was able to surpass that total and then some on Thursday in the 23-20 win over the Chicago Bears at Ford Field.
Smith finished with 1.5 sacks, with his biggest quarterback takedown coming at a pivotal time in the game.
Late in the fourth quarter with the Bears in field goal range and in position to tie the game to send it to overtime, Smith sacks Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, which led to a loss of six yards that pushed Chicago back to the 41-yard line.
Z-Man got 'em and that'll do it!#DefendTheDen#CHIvsDET | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/a8j91rhpCJ
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 28, 2024
Then, with around 30 seconds left, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus shockingly decided not to call a timeout in the wake of Smith's sack and attempted to get another play off instead. The result was the Bears only getting one more play before time ran out, which sealed Detroit's victory.
Through three games, Smith now has two sacks, five QB hits and five tackles. Smith is making exactly the kind of impact the Lions hoped he would.
Like just about everyone else on the Lions' defense, Smith battled through injury over the course of the game, exiting a few times. Thankfully, he was able to return and make a huge impact to seal the Lions' 11th victory of the 2024 campaign.
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