The Lions started off their 2023 campaign with a bang, by beating the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Yet, Dan Campbell's team didn't play its best brand of football.
With that said, several members of Detroit's roster are due for bounce-back performances Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Let's take a look at three of those players now, leading into the Lions' home opener.
WR Marvin Jones Jr.
It was far from the start envisioned by Detroit in Jones' return to the Motor City.
The veteran wideout was targeted six times against Kansas City, but recorded just two catches for eight yards. He was also the Lions' lowest-graded offensive player and the team's second-lowest-graded overall player for the week (35.1), per Pro Football Focus.
With Detroit currently lacking a bonafide No. 2 receiver, it is imperative that Jones bounces back against Seattle. If he fails to do so, I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes less and less of a focal point in Ben Johnson's offense.
TE James Mitchell
Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta stole Mitchell's thunder in Week 1. He out-snapped Mitchell, 58-6, and came down with five catches for 39 yards.
Meanwhile, Mitchell – a second-year pro out of Virginia Tech – received zero targets, and earned a measly PFF grade of 59.5.
In the season opener, reserve tight end Brock Wright also logged more snaps (27) than Mitchell.
Right now, LaPorta is clearly Detroit's No. 1 tight end, and I expect that to stay that way.
Yet, I project that Mitchell will receive more and more reps as the season progresses, and will eventually become a bigger part of the Lions' weekly offensive gameplan than Wright.
CB Cam Sutton
Sutton, a free-agent acquisition of the Lions this past offseason, experienced his fair share of struggles against the Chiefs. The former Steelers defensive back was targeted just five times, but he allowed two catches and was flagged for a 41-yard, pass-interference penalty in the third quarter. It helped set up a field goal for Kansas City, which broke up a 14-14 tie at the time.
For his efforts, the veteran cornerback earned a 57.9 overall mark from PFF, including a 56.4 pass-coverage grade.
It was far from an optimal debut in Honolulu Blue for Sutton. However, I don't expect the performance to become the norm for the 28-year-old in 2023.
In fact, I believe Sutton will bounce back with a solid showing Sunday against the Seahawks.
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