The Detroit Lions offense must start strong in Arizona

The Detroit Lions offense needs a strong and convincing start to the 2019 season, and an opening bout against the Cardinals may just be what they need…

The Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals will kick off their 2019 campaigns on September 8th in Arizona. With a tough schedule ahead of Detroit, they need to start the season out strong in Arizona by recording a win. It can’t be just a win either. This team needs to build up some confidence and momentum fast. The Lions need to win this game in a big and convincing way.

There is a perfect opportunity ahead of the Lions against the Cardinals to start the season off on a very strong note. The Cardinals are basically starting from scratch in 2019. They have a rookie quarterback starting for them, a rookie head coach, and their secondary has been depleted by a suspension to starting cornerback Patrick Peterson and an injury to fellow starting defensive back Robert Alford.

This game should be in star quarterback Matthew Stafford’s hands all the way. I’m sure that the Lions will get the run game going in Arizona, but this Detroit Lions team should be using that to stretch the field in the passing game and attack the Cardinals holes in the secondary.

Detroit is still learning a new offensive scheme and playbook under new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, but the starting offense looked quite sharp in their only preseason game this year against the Buffalo Bills. Stafford went 12-19 for 137 yards, one touchdown, and a quarterback rating of 102.3 in this game. The starting offense was on point.

Reports on offensive lineman Frank Ragnow state that he has been practicing and will likely play against the Cardinals. Although I think that his snap count may be limited as a precaution. No matter, Detroit should win this game with or without their starting center.

With corners Patrick Peterson and Robert Alford out, this Detroit Lions offense should be able to absolutely shred this secondary. I expect Lions’ tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Jesse James will be used in the middle of the field frequently to get Detroit’s receivers open on the outside. Look for wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones to each have a big game in Arizona.

The defense should be fine for Detroit. I foresee this defense winning some games for the Detroit Lions in 2019 as the offense is still learning. The Lions defense is severely underrated across the nation, but don’t buy into all that. I’m quite sure that Detroit’s defense will be in the top-five this season, top-ten at the lowest.

The Detroit Lions offense definitely needs to get off to a hot start. This team has a nasty stretch at the beginning of their schedule this season and they are going to need all the confidence and momentum they can get in order to truly compete against some of these defenses they will be facing this campaign.

The Detroit Lions 2019 playoff push starts on September 8th in Arizona. If this team is going to be a winning team this year, it all hinges on how successful the offense is against the Cardinals and I figure them to go out and take command of the game early. Detroit’s defense is much better than Arizona’s offense, so the Lions have an opportunity here to keep that Cardinals defense on the field for an extended amount of time, which will help the Lions offense in return.

Regardless of what the popular belief is, I think the Detroit Lions can absolutely win the NFC North this season. It all starts in Arizona versus the Cardinals. I just feel that if this Detroit team goes out and puts on an offensive show, it only makes the following games a bit easier on them.

The Detroit Lions are far better than anyone is ready to give them credit for, so I fully expect Detroit to go out and take that respect forcefully. That respect may not come from this game, but when that momentum rolls into next week and Detroit knocks off the Chargers, it is going to turn some heads.

What do you think? Is this game as important as I think it is for Detroit’s offense? Can the Lions really claw their way out of the NFC North basement in year-two under head coach Matt Patricia like I believe they can? Let me know what you think in the comments section below!