Two of the biggest concerns going into Week 1 for the Detroit Lions were the center position and the secondary.
The secondary left much to be desired, especially in the second half. However, fans can exhale knowing that among the other issues surrounding the Lions' 31-30 overtime win against the New Orleans Saints the center position was not one of them.
Juice Scruggs had an outstanding debut, grading out as the highest-graded offensive player on the Lions on Pro Football Focus (77.5) after playing all 77 offensive snaps. His pass-blocking (79.6) was graded higher than his run-blocking (75.0), but not by much. PFF had Scruggs down for one pressure and one quarterback hit given up.
Per Pride of Detroit's Al Karsten, Scruggs was the second highest-graded C among qualified Cs so far in Week 1. Compared to last season for the Lions, Scrugg's grade was higher than all but one game at the position.
Of course, PFF grades should always be taken with a grain of salt, as they're not without their bizarre assessments from time to time, but Scruggs passed the eye test, too. It was evident that his performance had a positive ripple effect across the O-line, which had an overall strong first outing, especially compared to last season's Week 1 disaster class.
The Lions' O-line gave up only one sack on Sunday, for just two yards. Quarterback Jared Goff had a mostly clean day, throwing for 206 passing yards, completing two thirds of his passes, with two touchdowns and no (official) turnovers.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs had a career day in his first game as the bell cow RB, rushing for a league-high 29 times for a league-leading 156 yards on the ground to go two TDs of his own.
There was some definite sloppiness customary to Week 1, but it's easy to walk away from this game encouraged by the O-line against a good defense in the Saints.
Will Scruggs remain at center when Cade Mays returns?
Scruggs, who was acquired in the David Montgomery trade, was expected to compete for the left guard spot upon joining the team. Yet, Cade Mays' wrist injury vaulted the veteran to the starting C role, where he played a small handful of games with the Houston Texans.
With Mays expected back in a matter of weeks, it'll be interesting to see how the Lions approach this sudden competition at C. Do they immediately slot Mays back at starting C, how they always intended him to be when they signed him in free agency? Or do they ride what could be a hot hand with Scruggs, and give Mays reps at LG, where he has some experience?
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Far and away the likely outcome is moving Scruggs back to LG, where he has more experience than Mays and received reps there throughout training camp. LG has never been Scruggs' strong suit during in time in Houston, but the need is there and getting more dire after starting LG Christian Mahogany was injured early on in Sunday's game.
LG was far from settled entering the season, with the initial Week 1 plan being a platoon between Mahogany and Ben Bartch. If Scruggs can prove that his play at C so far translates to LG, and if Mays can play to expectations upon his return, the O-line could genuinely be figured out across the board, depth included.
Scruggs and the rest of the O-line will be tested again, with a short turnaround before Thursday's game against the Buffalo Bills. Goff, Gibbs, and the rest of the offense might need to keep up with Josh Allen and the Bills, and to do so, Scruggs and the O-line need to prove Week 1 wasn't an aberration.
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