The Lions’ offense still needs to be refined, but the pass rush is running at full speed
Analysis of the Lions’ 26-20 overtime win against the Rams in the opening game
Nolan Bianchi, John Niyo and Richard Silva of the Detroit News analyze the Detroit Lions’ 26-20 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Detroit — The Lions were so efficient on their game-winning drive in overtime that you wondered why they didn’t shoot as hard all night. But it wasn’t always that easy.
In overtime, David Montgomery had just 46 yards on 12 carries (3.8 average) and Jahmyr Gibbs had 10 carries for 37 yards (3.7). Aside from a big spectacular play for Jameson Williams’ touchdown, the passing game wasn’t great either. Quarterback Jared Goff finished the game with 18 of 28 passes for 217 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Lions escaped with a 26-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and tight end Sam LaPorta, who combined for 2,404 receiving yards last season, had a quiet evening, totaling just seven catches for 58 yards.
It’s nothing to worry about. The Lions’ core players didn’t get any time together in the preseason, so Sunday night was their first game. But against a young Rams defense, it was reasonable to expect a more consistent performance in regulation time, especially after they jumped out to a 17-3 lead early in the second half.
Head coach Dan Campbell said the rust in Sunday’s game was no different than the first two games he saw over the weekend.
“I just watched the first two games, the Thursday night game Baltimore-KC and then Green Bay-Philly … and some of those mistakes are coming up,” Campbell said. “It’s inevitable, it’s every year, and that’s really it. It’s the first game and those who can just play the best fundamental football — the blocking, the tackling, the targeting, the communication, the ball protection, the smart use of it, the checkdown — are the ones who win.”
Goff’s fourth-quarter interception of John Johnson was a cracking play that ended with a miraculous catch of sorts, but he got off scot-free on Detroit’s next drive when Rams cornerback Cobie Durant dropped an easy interception in Detroit territory with just over four minutes left.
Goff said it reminded him of the Lions’ season-opening win over the Kansas City Chiefs last year, when they “didn’t play their best game and still won.”
“A lot of stuff that needs to be fixed, a lot of things I need to get better at,” Goff said.
Monday Drive takes a look at some other key takeaways from Detroit’s win over the Rams in Week 1:
Hutchinson moves forward
Matthew Stafford did everything he could to get revenge on his former team, and Campbell summed up the most important lesson from his performance best: “It’s almost like you don’t want to beat him, because I think when you beat him, he plays better.”
That theory is correct. According to Pro Football Focus, the Lions’ pass rush generated a whopping 27 pressures and nine quarterback hits, while Stafford completed 34 of 49 passes for 317 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But in the end, the Rams’ beleaguered offensive line was defeated.
Aidan Hutchinson recorded 11 pressures (tied with the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons for the most in the league in Week 1) and a sack, Marcus Davenport recorded six pressures and a half-sack, and Levi Onwuzurike recorded five pressures with a half-sack.
As for the outside tandem of Hutchinson and Davenport – who the Lions signed as free agents for one year – Campbell said: “That was our vision all along.”
“That’s what we knew when we got Davenport, and we’ve been really happy with the production that Hutch brings,” Campbell said. “Then just the thought of someone that can smash the can over there … and send it his way a little bit, or vice versa, that’s what Davenport can do.
“He is tall, he is physically strong, he is a big man. We saw that today.”
The crowd at Ford Field roars
The 66,530 fans at Ford Field did not disappoint in a highly anticipated prime-time showdown. As far as I know, no decibel records were broken, but the Lions’ loyal fans played a big part in the performance.
Lions freshman Terrion Arnold thought he had seen the craziest crowds for SEC games in college, but no. He said Ford Field was “a lot louder” Sunday night than Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium and Texas A&M’s Kyle Field, both of which hold over 100,000.
“When I felt my ears actually shaking, I thought, ‘Oh, wow. This is incredible,'” Arnold said. “It felt like an out-of-body experience.”
Slippery lawn
On Sunday, players slipped and slid on the turf at Ford Field, which almost cost the Lions a heavy price.
Montgomery blamed himself, saying he just didn’t walk properly, but Williams – who actually stayed upright – speculated it might have something to do with the fact that most of the regulars were playing on artificial turf for the first time after training on grass all training camp.
“I don’t know. I didn’t slip,” Williams said.
Around the NFC North
Three of the four NFC North teams picked up wins in their season openers last weekend, with the lone loss coming to Green Bay. The Packers’ frustration was compounded when quarterback Jordan Love, who received a massive contract extension in the offseason, suffered a knee injury that is expected to keep him out of action for at least three or four weeks.
It’s unclear how the Packers will fill the temporary void at the center position. They have Malik Willis and Sean Clifford, neither of whom inspire much confidence. Fortunately for the Packers, the upcoming schedule — at home against Indianapolis, at Tennessee and at home against Minnesota — could be their easiest stretch of the season, but it will take an overall team effort to ensure they don’t fall into a massive hole in the race for the division.
Minnesota, meanwhile, beat the New York Giants 28-6 thanks to a rock-solid performance from quarterback Sam Darnold. He completed 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Granted, it’s just the Giants – who seem headed for the basement – but it was undoubtedly a successful debut in the post-Kirk Cousins era. I’m intrigued by Darnold’s potential under Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, and there’s no reason to believe they can’t have a similar season to what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield had a year ago.
In Chicago, the Bears pulled out a win despite a disappointing NFL debut from No. 1 overall pick quarterback Caleb Williams, who completed 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards and posted a passer rating of 55.7. The Bears got by because all 24 points came on defense and special teams, but that doesn’t seem like a sustainable approach at this point.
While it’s still very early, all indications are that the NFC North will once again be the Lions’ losing division.
@nolanbianchi
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