The Lions threw to OT Penei Sewell on the biggest moment of the season, and it worked

The Lions iced their biggest win yet by throwing to OT Penei Sewell for a key first down.

Penei Sewell is an elite athlete for a right tackle, and it’s a big reason why the Detroit Lions selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Lions’ rebuild is slowly starting to show progress, and in Week 14, Detroit used Sewell in a surprising way to ice their biggest win of the season.

Up by one score against the Minnesota Vikings with two minutes remaining, the Lions lined Sewell up at wide receiver, put him in motion, and threw to him to pick up a critical 3rd and 7 that essentially iced the game. Detroit ended its drive with a field, and took home a massive 34-23 win over Minnesota. Watch Sewell’s big first down reception here:

That’s a 6’5, 335-pound receiver coming at you. Good luck trying to stop him from getting a first down when he’s got a head of steam and a few yards of open field in front of him.

The Lions have now won five of their last six games, and suddenly sit at 6-7 overall. Detroit started this season at 1-6, but head coach Dan Campbell is pushing all the right buttons lately. This call to Sewell is a premium example of it.

The Lions kept their playoff hopes alive with this win. FiveThirtyEight has them with a 21 percent chance of making the postseason, but that’s pretty shocking considering their horrendous start. Beating the Vikings was such a huge win for Detroit. With their season on the line, it was a throw to an offensive tackle that kept the Lions’ momentum rolling.