The Detroit Lions are coming off a disappointing Week 2 loss that left many fans frustrated with their offensive output. If you look a little deeper it’s easy to see not everything is lost. The Lions rank second in the NFL in total offense, which might be surprising to some. Obviously the red zone efficiency of 1-for-7 from last week isn’t something that can continue, but this offense isn’t as far away from success as some might think.
Expect the Lions to work more on their running game this week and don’t look for Jared Goff to air it out 55 times like he did in Week 2. Perhaps some more play-action passing and looking for Sam LaPorta to be more involved.
Arizona’s offense, on the other hand, comes into the game red hot after their 41-10 thumping of the Rams in Week 2. Kyler Murray finished with a perfect quarterback rating and Marvin Harrison Jr. showed why he was such a high draft pick. Slowing down Murray won’t be easy for the Lions, but then again it hasn’t been easy for anyone this year.
While the Lions defense might not be getting major praise right now, it ranks 14th in yards allowed and 12th in points allowed-not bad numbers. Especially for a team with multiple new moving parts and some younger guys in the secondary. Expect the defense to get better as the season progresses and they have more time together.
The Lions are fourth in rush defense right now and that could play a huge factor in making the Cardinals rethink their offensive attack if the running game doesn’t get going early for them. With Murray’s scrambling ability, he will keep the Lions defense on their toes every second of the play until the whistle is blown. Murray isn’t just a threat to run, but throws on the move well.
On this week's episode of the "Not The Same Old Lions Podcast, we preview the Week 3 matchup against the Cardinals.
Not The Same Old Lions Podcast is on Spotify, Apple and other major podcast platforms, including YouTube. Or you can find the show link here.