5 Detroit Lions who must be at the top of their game in Week 3 vs. Atlanta Falcons
The high of the Detroit Lions Week 1 win over the Kansas City Chiefs was followed by the disappointment of an overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. A second straight home game is coming in Week 3, against the 2-0 Atlanta Falcons.
The Lions emerged from last Sunday's loss with a long list of injuries, with varying degrees of seriousness. That means opportunity will knock for some guys who have not had any or much of any role thus far, and their performances stand to be important moving forward.
That said, head coach Dan Campbell had some pointed comments this week about players who have not performed well needing to step up their games.
"The other thing I think, just defensively, we need our most reliable players to be reliable. That was a big thing that came out of that game. But, look, it certainly looks and tastes a lot worse when you lose that game. But, ultimately you could argue we spotted them 14 points on offense, and that's hard on your defense."
"I just expect more," Campbell later said. "I expect more reliability out of those guys. They know who they are, and we hold them to high standards."
Campbell focused on the defense, but offensive tackle Penei Sewell seemed to see himself in those words from the head coach.
In any case, no matter who Campbell was calling out, these five Lions must be on top of their games if the team is going to leave Sunday's game with a 2-1 record.