The Detroit Lions dropped their season opener to the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 38-35 in a very entertaining contest.
The Detroit Lions took the field in their home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles and went toe-to-toe for most of the game. Ultimately they just didn’t have enough juice to match a very talented Eagles roster.
It was a very entertaining game that had a lot of layers to it by the end. While Detroit had a fair amount of positive moments, there were also plenty of learning experiences this young team can use going forward.
So let’s go unit-by-unit into the report card for the Lions’ 2022 season opener.
Detroit Lions Week 1 report card
Detroit Lions Week 1 report card: Grading the offense
Rush offense: 4/5 stars
Detroit’s ground game started with a pop, as D’Andre Swift took his first carry of the year 51 yards deep into Eagles territory. After that Swift was running well behind the offensive line, with Jamaal Williams scoring twice from a yard out.
The offensive line was able to create holes most of the game and help Detroit post 181 yards on the ground. A very strong start to the year for the ground game.
Pass offense: 3/5 stars
Unlike the ground game, the passing attack took a little bit to get going. Jared Goff and the receivers were out of sync most of the first half. The lowlight of the opening half was a miscommunication between Goff and T.J. Hockenson resulting in a pick-six for the Eagles.
In the second half, things started to click into place. Amon-Ra St. Brown started heating up, as he finished with eight catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. DJ Chark started finding his groove over the middle, and ended his day with a beautiful 22-yard touchdown catch courtesy of a perfect throw from Goff.
Hockenson and Josh Reynolds were involved, but not as much. Reynolds got some downfield targets while Hockenson operated in the intermediate area almost exclusively. Not that either guy had a bad game, there are just a lot of weapons to get the ball to.
Best offensive player: RB D’Andre Swift
Early last season, the Lions’ offense was almost entirely Swift a lot of the time. On Sunday, while the rest of the offense picked up in the second half, Swift was undoubtedly the driving force today. He 15 carries for 144 yards and a touchdown, while adding three catches for 31 yards.
Swift was running more decisively than he showed in the past. He was fighting hard through contact and was breaking a ton of tackles, resulting in plays like this:
D'Andre Swift 25 yard catch and run gives him 144 total yards! #OnePride pic.twitter.com/STwVueJOd7
— Pro Football Culture (@proftblculture) September 11, 2022
It was a very impressive showing for the third-year back. If you were hoping for a breakout campaign this year from Swift, you left this game feeling very encouraged.
Worst offensive player: OG Logan Stenberg
Forced into action due to injuries on the offensive line, Stenberg had a rough game at right guard–particularly in pass protection. The Eagles interior defensive line had their way with Stenberg, exploiting matchups to force Goff off his timing multiple times.
Not that anyone expected the world out of a third-string right guard with four previous offensive line snaps in his career, but Stenberg certainly had a rough opener.