Detroit Lions: 6 players who must be better Sunday night
The Detroit Lions face an uphill battle against the Patriots in Week Three. They’ll need better performances from these six players to pull out an upset.
The Detroit Lions face a tough task Sunday night. They’ll be matched up against the New England Patriots in Week Three. But the Lions do have an ace up their collective sleeves in new head coach Matt Patricia, the Pats’ former defensive coordinator.
No one knows the Patriots better than Patricia, and the football genius should be able to devise a scheme to beat them. But he’ll need his players in Detroit to perform at their best. Here are six Lions in particular that need to be better Sunday night.
Matthew Stafford, QB
The 30-year old quarterback has looked rusty through his first two games of the regular season. The Lions will need a more consistent performance from Stafford if they are going to compete against the Patriots. You know it’s only a matter of time before he gets hot.
Frank Ragnow, LG
Touted as possibly Bob Quinn’s best first round selection ever in the offseason, Ragnow has shockingly struggled through his first two professional starts. It makes you wonder if we what we saw from the rookie throughout training camp and in the preseason was a mirage or the real deal. You have to believe since we’ve already seen him play well recently that he’ll get back there soon.
Marvin Jones Jr., WR
Currently, Jones’ catch rate is under 50%. This is a player many believe could become Detroit’s top receiving target this season, but he’s playing with the inconsistency we saw from him during his first year in Motown. Jones will need to start converting on more of his targets if Detroit is going to get over on New England in primetime.
Jarrad Davis, LB
Although he’s tied for the lead in total tackles on the team, Davis should have racked up more than just six tackles in Week Two against the San Francisco 49ers. The former first rounder struggled at times against the Niners due to some poor tackling and pursuit angles. His 2.0 sacks were huge, and I fully expect to see the 23-year old pile on better performances as he adjusts to the new defensive scheme.
Teez Tabor, CB
With the status of Pro Bowler cornerback Darius Slay (concussion) up in the air, the onus will once again be on Tabor to perform in limited snaps. Pro Football Focus gave the former second rounder the lowest defensive grade of the entire defense through two games at an embarrassing 30.7. Tabor’s poor play may be the biggest reason Detroit re-signed DeShawn Shead.
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Ricky Jean-Francois, DT
The Lions currently possess the worst rushing defense in the NFL through the first two weeks of the regular season. And those issues start up front with Jean-Francois. The veteran defensive tackle must do a better job of being disruptive along the interior of opposing offensive lines and clogging up those interior rushing lanes.