If the Lions win with Tim Boyle, will there be a quarterback controversy?
By Robert Jones
If Tim Boyle leads the Lions to a win on Sunday, will there be a quarterback controversy?
After an unimpressive tie in Pittsburgh in Week 10, the Detroit Lions will try to get into the win column Sunday on the road against the Cleveland Browns. “The Dog Pound” will not be friendly, but it’s not as if the Lions are road warriors anyway.
The biggest plotline for the Lions on Sunday is under center. With Jared Goff (oblique) out, Tim Boyle, who is freshly back from the injured reserve, will get his first career NFL start.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell didn’t take Goff out of the game against the Steelers last week because he felt like Goff gave the Lions the best opportunity to win. This week there will be no such controversy.
Boyle and the Lions are big underdogs for good reason. Even with the Browns not playing at the level they did last year, they still have a good defense and a pounding run game. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is very dinged up, but with Detroit registering zero sacks in their last two games and just one over their last three it may not make a difference.
For the Lions to have any chance to win, the defense repeating their effort in Pittsburgh will be crucial. They will also need to score some points with Boyle guiding the offense.
Nobody knows if Boyle will lead the offense to any success. However, one thing seems to be certain–the Lions’ offense will look different without Goff. It may not take long to see the difference
While Goff has continued his recent trend of checking down, Boyle has a strong arm and may be willing to take some chances.
That threat alone should create more opportunities for the Lions’ offense. The question is whether Boyle can capitalize on them. If he does and the Lions find a way to win, would Detroit have a quarterback controversy?
Could Tim Boyle create a quarterback controversy for the Lions?
In theory, Goff gives the Lions the best chance to win. But his refusal to thrown downfield gives the defense an advantage. They can stack the box and clog up throwing lanes for short passes without fear. In turn, that creates more opportunities to create turnovers.
Granted, the Lions receivers aren’t going to set defenses on fire. But an incompletion deep means more to opposing defenses than an incomplete pass within spitting distance of the line of scrimmage. It sends the message that the offense isn’t afraid to attack every blade of grass on the field, and the defense better cover it.
Goff will likely watch a different style of play from Boyle on Sunday. The results are to be determined at this point. But one way or another, for the first time since last season, the Lions may actually attack an opposing secondary beyond 10 yards downfield. If it leads to a victory over the Browns, the Lions will have a quarterback controversy once Goff is healthy enough to play.