Detroit Lions Week 2 Recap and Review

The Detroit Lions responded to the criticisms from Week 1 in dramatic fashion in Week 2. The Lions defeated the Chicago Bears 52-21. Dan Campbell promised this team would always fight back in his introductory press conference, and last week, he suggested that everything would be fine. Jared Goff also indicated that the team would be okay: “Yeah, we will move forward fine. We will. We have good players. We have good coaches. We will be fine." The Lions proved Goff and Campbell right this week.

The team always bounces back, and some of the Week 1 struggles should be attributed to transitioning to two new coordinators, three new offensive linemen, and a defense with two edge rushers returning from long-term injuries. The problem in Week 1 was never that the team wasn't good; it was simply a highlighting of every concern fans and media had going into the season.

Photo by Dave Adamson on Unsplash

The New Coordinators

This concern has been overplayed all offseason and especially last week. Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn are great coaches and could find success in Chicago and New York, but the Lions replaced them with John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard, who are also good coaches familiar with the system. The Lions have a plethora of talent on offense and defense. Campbell is a players' coach, letting them make their own mark on the organization. Campbell's people skills may sometimes create short-term lulls in production, but he has proven time and again that his belief in people brings out the best in them in the long run.

The Offensive Line and Its Fruits

The offensive line played much better and cohesively in Week 2. The concerns in Week 1 centered on communication, as noted by Taylor Decker: "That challenges communication, especially when we have a lot of kills and audibles in our offense." The Lions' two young starters, Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge, played better. Graham Glasgow also played much better.

Goff helped them, too. He played "off script," extending plays and using his arm to collect first downs. There were a few sequences that were particularly impressive. If Goff is able to grow in this area of his game, the Lions offense will be even better. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams both crossed the 100-yard mark and combined for four touchdowns. Isaac TeSlaa had another incredible highlight catch. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for over 150 yards rushing, and each had a touchdown.

The Defense and Pass Rush

Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are the best safety duo in the NFL. Joseph had an interception, and Branch caused a fumble (recovered by Jack Campbell). The Lions also had two fourth-down stops. The turnovers helped the Lions turn a solid lead into a blowout. Once the Lions pulled ahead by two scores, the Bears' offense entered obvious passing situations, and the Lions no longer had to protect against the run.

Aidan Hutchinson got his first sack this season, his first since his injury in October of last year. Branch also added a sack, along with Al-Quadin Muhammad (a name to watch this year), and Marcus Davenport. Davenport left the game twice with injuries. There should be an update on his status soon. He's a good player. Hopefully, he can stay on the field. Tyleik Williams had two pass deflections, and the rookie could headline another strong draft class for the Lions.

The Detroit Lions Week 2 Verdict

The Detroit Lions' Week 2 success came from answering many of the Week 1 questions. How would Mahogany and Ratledge play? Is Davenport the answer on the other side? How long will it take Hutchinson to return to form? The improvements from Week 1 to Week 2 were impressive.

But to avoid another week of overreactions, consider the difference between Green Bay and Chicago. The Packers look good, with two wins over playoff teams (Detroit and Washington). The team is somewhere in between the two performances they've shown so far. Don't expect the sloppiness of Week 1 and don't expect the dominance of Week 2. The Lions have played well in "revenge" games in the last few seasons. Last year, it was against the Dallas Cowboys (a controversial call) and the San Francisco 49ers (a playoff loss). The narratives surrounding their underperformance likely only added fuel to the fire in a game against former OC Ben Johnson, who had made comments about Goff's mobility in a presser.

The Lions have games against the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in four out of the next five weeks. The Chiefs have started 0-2, and the Bengals have lost their starting quarterback, Joe Burrow. This adversity could make them more dangerous. There are no breaks in this schedule (the other game in that stretch is the Cleveland Browns, whose defense looks strong). Don't expect blowouts. The Lions are a solid football team, but fans should expect some dogfights coming up.

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