The Lions went out into Arrowhead and shocked the world by defeating the reigning Superbowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. While there were many great things done in this game, there were also some aspects of the game that the Lions need to work on. So while Lions fans are still Celebrating this incredible victory, let’s break down what went well for Detroit and what needs to be worked on for future weeks.
The Lions’ Offensive Stars and Struggles
The first star that needs to be talked about is Jared Goff, he was making incredible reads throughout the game and was placing the ball where it needed to be. Unlike last year he didn’t need to force the ball to his number-one receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown, he was able to spread the ball around and get it to whoever was open with ease. The Lions faced immense pressure all game and Goff was able to handle it very well, he stepped up in the pocket better than he has ever before, and he even scrambled away from pressure when needed. If he can continue this play, the Lions will have no problem being a top offense again.
The second star would have to be the whole receiver core, primarily Amon-Ra St. Brown, but almost everyone showed out tonight. Amon-Ra St. Brown did what he is known for doing and just got open all game, it seemed any time Detroit needed a big play Amon-Ra St. Brown was there to make it. Josh Reynolds also played fantastically, not only leading the team in receiving yards but had maybe the biggest catch of the game, which set up the David Montgomery touchdown. Sam LaPorta had an amazing rookie debut as well proving how well of a safety belt he can be for Goff to get those short first downs, or chunk yardage in tough situations.
The first struggle on the offensive side of the ball was the playcalling from Ben Johnson. Maybe the oddest thing during this game, since Ben Johnson was considered one of the best coordinators in football last year, it seemed Johnson was calling plays like he was new to it. He didn’t utilize Jahmyr Gibbs nearly as much as he said or anyone expected, and he called some extremely questionable plays in important situations. Other than that the only other complaint on the offensive side of the ball was Marvin Jones, one of Detroit’s bigger signings this off-season struggled badly with hanging on to the ball today, once resulting in a game-changing fumble.
The Lions’ Defensive Stars and Struggles
The biggest star on the defensive side of the ball was the rookies, Jack Campbell and Brian Branch. Jack Campbell had a fantastic outing in the pass coverage and in run support, not letting up almost anything across the middle, and had one of the most impressive pass breakups of the game. Following Jack Campbell’s pass breakup, we saw Brian Branch change the game by getting a tip-drill interception bringing it back for six to tie up the game. These rookie performances helped the Lions’ defense beyond belief and brought even more hype for the future.
The second star has to be Aidan Hutchinson, he showed up when no one else would on the defensive line. Hutchinson was put at a severe disadvantage when Chiefs tackle Jawaan Taylor was taking advantage of the terrible officiating and starting early every play, and yet Hutchinson still brought a lot of pressure Mahomes’ way. When he would line up on the inside it was almost a guarantee that he would get in Mahomes’ face and force him to throw the ball away. Once Hutchinson faces a real tackle, and his teammates step up, he is going to have a monster year.
The main struggle of this game was the defensive line outside of Aidan Hutchinson. The Chiefs have a lackluster offensive line and Mahomes had seemingly all day to throw the ball, and once Hutchinson would get to him the middle of the field would be wide open for him to run the football. While it was the other edge rushers too, the interior defensive line was a major problem throughout the entire game, it almost looked like they didn’t want to be there. Because of the lack of pressure, allowed the Chiefs’ wide receivers to run away from Detroit’s corners since they can’t cover all day, luckily for them the Chiefs’ wide receivers had a huge struggle at hanging onto the ball.
