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5 Detroit Lions who must step up their games after the bye week

By Brad Berreman

Oct 9, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) looks to pass the ball during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) looks to pass the ball during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports /

4. DE Charles Harris

Harris missed Week 5 after popping up during the practice week with a groin injury, so there’s that. But the Lions’ sack leader from last year has just one sack in the four games he has played, with few impactful plays for a pass rush that has been deficient again so far this year.

The double-teams Aidan Hutchinson has been seeing on the other edge should be helpful to Harris, but it hasn’t come to fruition. Getting healthy over the bye week should be a good thing. But he has to start turning it around, or 2021 will be quickly seen as a flash-in-the-pan in a first-round bust’s career.

3. QB Jared Goff

After a fantastic start to the season, leading the league with 11 touchdown passes through Week 4, the Patriots’ game was a resounding dud for Goff–and dud is probably too small a word to describe it. He may just have to petition the league to never be scheduled to play against Bill Belichick ever again in his career.

The post-bye week three-game stretch against the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers will be a significant test for Goff. All three teams have tough defenses that get after the quarterback, so protecting him adequately will be vital as we know what happens when he’s under heavy pressure.

But it will also be on Goff to see the field well, get the ball out of his hands efficiently and generally play with better composure than he did against New England–during that aforementioned three-game stretch and beyond.

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