The Detroit Lions need a win before it’s their dagger time
By Robert Jones
The Lions secondary needs to be competitive
I was watching the game with a friend and when the Bears got their first touchdown to make the score 23-13, I turned to my friend and said, ‘if the Lions don’t score on this next drive, they will be in trouble’.
My friend replied by saying the game was out of reach.
As usual, the Lions proved that no lead is safe for them. They proved that somehow or another they will find a way to blow games.
This brings us to the matchup in Green Bay. If Lions fans are scared, they have good reason to be.
Minnesota still probably has the best defense in the division. Yet Rodgers torched them. The reason; because of the Vikings’ weakness at cornerback.
For everyone clamoring over what the Packers accomplished in Minnesota, it needs to be pointed out that almost all the damage they did was through the air.
Aaron Jones did have 66 yards and averaged 4.1 yards a carry, but the Packers win was all about Aaron Rodgers taking advantage of the Viking cornerbacks. I think everyone expected Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer to find a way to overcome that weakness.
But if he couldn’t, then how will the Lions overcome it? If healthy, then the cornerback position is actually good enough, given a little help from the pass-rush. Yet the rash of injuries they sustained at the position gave the Bears an opportunity and they took advantage of.
If the Lions secondary isn’t competitive, then they will need to generate a pass-rush the likes of which we haven’t seen in Detroit for a long time. Even if the rush is able to pressure Rodgers, the Packers will still put some points on the board and the Lions offense will still need to put up big numbers to have a chance.
Obviously Aaron Rodgers has always been a thorn in the Lions side, but the fact that Packer management decided to draft his heir apparent with their first-round pick last spring and failed to acquire any help at receiver has motivated him to have a big year.
This shouldn’t surprise anyone at all. I think it was expected that he was going to try his best to prove he is still the Packers franchise. It was just a matter of having weapons that can catch the ball.