Marcus Davenport was everything the Lions hoped he could be in Week 1

At this point, the exact numbers don't matter. It's well-known that the Detroit Lions' pass rush was Aidan Hutchinson and little else last season. In terms of edge rushing prowess, it was him and basically nothing else.

In an effort to fix that situation, the Lions took a free agency flier on Marcus Davenport in March. The ongoing caveat with the former first-round pick is "if he's healthy", but his raw ability has never really been in question.

Hutchinson had a fantastic night against the Rams in Week 1, registering 11 pressures, six hurries, four quarterback hits and one sack (according to Pro Football Focus). But it was not a one-man show. Davenport combined with Levi Onwuzurike for a sack of Matthew Stafford, with six pressures, three hurries and two quarterback hits himself (according to PFF). His pass rush win rate in "true pass sets" (per PFF) was 40 percent.

Marcus Davenport was what Dan Campbell envisioned he'd be opposite Aidan Hutchinson

After the game Sunday night, via Lions Wire, Lions' head coach Dan Campbell praised Davenport.

"This is what we knew we were going to get when we got Davenport and we felt really good about the production Hutch is bringing, brought last year, and what he was going to be able to bring this year. Then just the thought of somebody who can crush the can over there, crush the can and send him his way a little bit, or vice versa, and that’s what Davenport can do.”

...He’s long, he’s physical, he’s strong, he’s a big man. So, that showed up today, it showed up. We were able to hem him up a few times in there and so those, it’s good for him. It’s going to be good for Hutch and it’s going to be good for Davenport.”

Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports has a nice film review of Davenport's performance against the Rams, highlighting a handful of particularly impactful plays.

Outside of James Houston's surge late in the 2022 season, and even that was in a very limited role, the Lions have never had a capable running mate for Hutchinson off the edge.

It's scary to think what Hutchinson could do if someone was able to step up and produce consistently opposite him, and Davenport showed what that can look like in the season opener. Hopefully he'll be able to stay healthy and bring it the way he did against the Rams on a regular basis.