As you all know, the Detroit Lions kicked off their season on Sunday afternoon against the Arizona Cardinals. The start of the game was shaky, and we’ll get to that, but looking at it two days later, the Lions put together one hell of a performance in a game where they were a two-point underdog.
The GOOD:
Defense, defense, and defense. Going into this game, the general consensus was the defense was going to struggle, and they responded with the exact opposite. The pass rush was very effective, as it seemed like Carson Palmer was being hurried every other snap. It doesn’t show on the stat sheet, but the Lions SHOULD’VE had at least two more sacks than the box score shows. The linebacking core still has A LOT of question marks. Rookie Jarrad David did lead the team with 9 tackles, and added a fumble recovery, but Pro Football Focus graded him out to be the second worst linebacker in football during Week 1. Obviously, that grade factors in things such as getting off blocks, and how he held up in pass coverage, but Davis is young and is expected to improve every week as he gains more experience. Also, Tahir Whitehead looked more effective and comfortable as he has moved to outside linebacker. Lastly, the secondary did its job as Tavon Wilson, Miles Killebrew, and Glover Quin all came away with interceptions. Darius Slay wasn’t thrown at much, and Quandre Diggs had an elite performance in the slot. Ultimately, I think Palmer is really bad and he has officially reached “washed” status in his career, so I’m not entirely sold. To add on to Palmer being washed, that Cardinals offensive line is terrible, so again, I need to see the Lions repeat this performance against a higher caliber offensive unit.
Another great sign was Matthew Stafford, as after throwing a pick 6 on his first pass attempt of the year, he put together a very nice game. 29/41, 292 yards, 4 touchdowns, and another comeback in the fourth quarter. I know guys like Stephen A Smith and Nick Wright are very upset he had a nice game, as they were very quick to send off some tweets after the interception. Not much else has to be said there; he’s worth that contract and the Lions lose that football game without him. Golden Tate is this team’s #1 wide receiver, and there’s no argument about it. 10 receptions for 107 yards on 12 targets. Last but not least on the offensive side of the football, Kenny Golladay. He had a rough start, where he dropped a couple of catchable balls, but after what happened in the second half, WHO CARES? 4 receptions, 69 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one of the best catches we’ve seen in Detroit in awhile. The man is going to be a red zone nightmare, and it was great to see him use his size and athleticism to haul in two touchdowns in his first career game.
THE BAD:
Special Teams was pitiful. I don’t know what the hell Dwyane Washington was thinking on that kick return, but that was pathetic. Credit the coaching staff for getting him out of there though, as it now looks like that’s Jamal Agnew’s job to lose.The team’s only punter tears his ACL on his first punt attempt after dropping the snap. I mean, the one bright spot (kind of) was Prater did a decent job punting the football, and he’s still the best kicker in the league. As long as they sign a punter and figure out the kick returning situation, we shouldn’t see another pitiful special teams performance like that again.
Running Game: This was the most disappointing part of the game. They literally could not muster anything in the running game, and you’d think with a new and improved offensive line paired with healthy running backs, they could’ve at least provided something. But, the usual, no running game. Ameer Abdullah led the way with 15 carries, for a total of 30 yards, yikes. Washington has 6 carries for 22 yards, yikes again. The offensive line is a new unit and it might take a little while for them to get used to playing alongside each other.
OVERALL: The Lions ultimately dominated the game and if it wasn’t for the sloppy first quarter, the score might’ve looked even a little better. We’ll find out a lot about this team in New York on Monday Night Football, especially if Odell Beckham Jr suits up.
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