Detroit Lions hope to build on Darrell Bevell’s solid first season

The Detroit Lions are hoping Darrell Bevell’s second season will be even better than his first

Going into the second season under offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, the Detroit Lions appear to have a slight advantage over some other NFL teams. Amidst a worldwide pandemic that forced offseason training activities to become virtual, the Lions aren’t attempting to implement a whole new offensive scheme like they did last year.

Instead, Detroit hopes to build upon the promising start they saw from this unit last season. The Lions posted a 2-1-1 record through the first four weeks of the 2019 regular season, posting early victories over the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. Motown also went toe-to-toe with the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week Four, losing in the final seconds.

Detroit Lions’ offensive growth stunted by injuries in 2019

The Lions’ offense was stunted by injuries last season. Specifically to quarterback Matthew Stafford, who missed the final eight regular-season matchups due to a back injury. Detroit didn’t win a single contest without Stafford under center.

The Lions were also without the services of starting running back Kerryon Johnson for eight games due to a knee injury. While Johnson has struggled to stay healthy during his first two years in the Motor City, he’s also flashed the potential to become the team’s first 1,000-yard rusher in seven years.

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Despite not having their franchise quarterback or starting running back active for half the season, the Lions’ offense still managed to rank 17th in total yards in Bevell’s first season. That was up seven spots from the previous year. Detroit’s passing attack ranked an impressive 10th in the NFL, while the running game ranked 21st.

Here’s what Bevell told The Detroit News recently about the foundation the offense built last season and how he believes it will aid the team in Year Two. And that it’s already made their virtual training sessions go much smoother than he thought they would.

"“ … just going into the second season, with the foundation of what we’re trying to get done under our belt, I think that helps us. Initially, when we talked about this (offseason) going virtually, I wouldn’t have thought that it’d go as well it has gone. I thought it was gonna be a real stale environment to teach in and communicate in, but I think we’ve done well with it.”"

The Detroit Lions certainly hope to build on the solid start they saw from Darrell Bevell and his offense in 2019. While the team has made efforts this offseason to try and provide better depth at key positions, keeping their stars healthy and on the field could ultimately be the deciding factor as to whether Bevell’s second season in Detroit is more successful than his first.