After Jared Goff passed the ball 55 times in a Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell had this to say about the offensive game plan.
"I think what we were, we really wanted to open up the run game with the pass game. There again, the run game — it was somewhat a mirror image — Ben and I were talking this morning. It was somewhat a mirror image of the playoff game a little bit once we got to the fourth. And that’s where we just couldn’t quite get our run game going in the fourth."
It's safe to say the core offensive identity for the Lions is the run game, and everything else comes from that. Any divergence from that better be game script-driven, as in facing a deficit and that forcing more passing.
It's also safe to say Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals was going to bring a concerted effort to re-establish the run game. The Lions wasted no time doing so.
Lions re-establish their offensive identity right off the bat vs. Cardinals
The Lions got the ball first on Sunday. The first play was a 11-yard run by David Montgomery, followed by two more runs by Montgomery that netted four yards. Then came three straight passes to tight ends for 31 yards (two to No. 2 tight end Brock Wright).
Montgomery then had a nine-yard run, and he nearly scored on a 14-yard run to follow that. He naturally got the 1st-and-goal carry, and punched it in.
O-Line and David Montgomery going to work early 💪#DETvsAZ | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/Src4k4TeNm
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 22, 2024
Nine plays, 70 yards. 4:44 off the clock. Six carries for 39 yards by Montgomery, punctuated by the touchdown. All three pass targets (and completions) to tight ends. No targets to a wide receiver.
Yep, the Lions clearly wanted to re-establish their identity as an offense that can and will impose their physical will early on Sunday, with Campbell surely telling offensive coordinator Ben Johnson that was the plan. Mission accomplished.