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As he helped the Detroit Lions cruise to a blowout victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, wide receiver Kalif Raymond also earned a new place in NFL history.
Raymond made a big impact in two phases of the game, returning a punt for a 90-yard touchdown on special teams and catching a touchdown pass from Jared Goff on offense. As Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire noted, Raymond became the first player in league history to return a punt for a touchdown and catch a touchdown pass in the same game.
After the game, Raymond said he felt ready for the big moment.
“I’ve been ready for that feeling too many times,” Raymond told reporters. “It’s kind of surreal, it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, oh, it’s happening, it’s happening,’ saying, ‘Don’t mess up, don’t mess up.’ But, no when you got guys like that – I’ve been saying it the past 30-45 minutes – when you got defensive guys who will go play three snaps, force a punt, and then go block on the punt, it’s incredible.”
Kalif Raymond Earned the Game Ball
Raymond’s two touchdowns were the icing on top of a huge win for the Lions as they dominated the Titans and won 52-14. The veteran receiver opened the second-half scoring with his 90-yard punt return, then scored again close to six minutes later on a six-yard pass from Goff.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after the win that Raymond earned the game ball. Campbell also recalled how he and general manager Brad Holmes first came across Raymond while about to hit free agency with the Tennessee Titans, seeing big potential.
“Sure did. I told the team, you know, (Kalif) ‘Leaf’ (Raymond) got a game ball in there, obviously, and I told, kind of, just the story of (General Manager) Brad (Holmes) coming into my office in 2021,” Campell said. “And early spring, we were fresh on the job, and he said, ‘Hey, take a peek at this guy from Tennessee. He’s really a returner, kind of gadget. You think there’s a place for him on offense?’ And, I watched about 10 plays, and I was like, ‘Yeah. Absolutely there is, you know. Take this guy in a heartbeat,’ and it’s been a blessing ever since to get Leaf here.”
Campbell said Raymond has been a professional, consistent in his preparation and versatile enough to slide into different positions.
Still Room for Improvement
Despite the blowout victory, Campbell said after the game there were still some areas in need of improvement, especially in the passing game. But he said the strong effort from special teams more than made up for it.
“When we play, because we play with three units here, and when a couple of them are cooking at the right time, it can bail out one of your units,” Campbell said. “And when you get them all three playing at the right time, I think you’re very hard to beat. So, I like where we’re at, we’re in a good place. It’s win number six, it’s a perfect setup. We get to go to Lambeau this week, I’m already excited. I know the guys are, and so it was good. That’s a good win.”
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