The Detroit Lions have their bye in Week 5, but the four opponents they've played so far this season have seemingly felt the impact of playing them. Almost a hangover effect, to put an exact term on it.
Last week on "The Rich Eisen Show", safety Kerby Joseph reflected head coach Dan Campbell's prior sentiment about the Lions' status as the "hunted" coming off last year's trip to the NFC Championship Game.
"I was just going to say that. Coach Campbell said that, and that’s a great phrase to say. We’re not hunters no more, now we’re getting hunted", Joseph said. "I feel like we still don’t care. We’re still gonna play our game. We’re not worried about that. We know who we are, we know what we’re coming to do. We’ve just got to play our game.”
The 'Detroit Lions hangover' appears to be a real thing
On Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks were upset at home by the New York Giants. The 29-20 score was not totally indicative of how one-sided it was, with Seattle scoring a defensive touchdown on a 102-yard fumble return when the Giants nearly scored. A two-score game could have been a lot worse.
For what it's worth, it was a short week for the Seahawks coming off a Monday night game. But that doesn't explain what happened to the Lions' opponents before Week 4.
In Week 1, the Lions beat Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. In Week 2, they lost to the Arizona Cardinals 41-10.
In Week 2, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Lions. In Week 3, they lost 26-7 to the Denver Broncos.
In Week 3, the Lions beat the Arizona Cardinals. In Week 4, the Cardinals lost 42-14 to the Washington Commanders.
That's a combined score of 109-31 for those three teams in the game after they played the Lions. It's worth noting some key injuries from the game against the Lions hurt the Rams and the Cardinals. And all three generally looked a lot better and won "the game after, the game after" they played the Lions.
Memorable introductory press conference words aside, Campbell has instilled a physical brand of football in the Lions since he took over. So far this season, it doesn't feel coincidental opposing teams feel the effects in their next game.