The Detroit Lions Look Elite Ahead Of Week 4

Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, together known as Sonic and Knuckles, continued where they left off from Week Two by torching the Ravens defense on Monday night. They combined for 218 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns (two each), as Montgomery set a career high of 151 yards rushing in the process. That total also included a 72-yard rush that ended up shifting the momentum in the Lions’ favor for good.

Gibbs struggled early on, having only 12 yards on his first seven carries, so Detroit turned to the bruiser, Montgomery, to begin the second quarter. His physical running attack helped lead to a 98-yard touchdown drive, and also opened things up for Gibbs later on. This duo has always been able to lean on one another if either of them struggles, and good luck stopping this offense if they both get it going!

Jared Goff Did What Was Needed

The final numbers were not eye-popping (202 passing yards and one TD), but Jared Goff did what he needed to do, when he needed to do it, during this Lions victory. Before Montgomery ultimately took over, it was Goff who stepped up during Gibbs’ early struggles. On Detroit’s opening TD drive, Goff had a 19-yard completion on third and six to Jameson Williams, and a seven-yarder to Amon-Ra St. Brown on fourth and three.

Goff had a total of 55 passing yards on that drive to begin the game, and continued making clutch plays even when the rushing attack took over. In the fourth quarter, with just under two minutes left, Goff had another fourth-down conversion, hitting St. Brown down the right side for 20 yards despite defensive holding. That led to the second Montgomery rushing TD and effectively sealed the contest.

The Lions Could Be Going Streaking

Looking ahead, the Lions’ schedule is more favorable than it looked before the season began. Up next is a matchup against a Cleveland Browns team that is scrappy, but Detroit should be able to handle them fairly easily at home. The Lions then have two away games against a Cincinnati Bengals team without Joe Burrow and a Kansas City Chiefs squad that’s been struggling offensively. They are without their number one receiver, Rashee Rice, who will miss the game due to suspension.

Detroit could very well be on a five-game winning streak heading into the last game before the bye week, a home matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the Bucs are undefeated, their point differential is only at a plus-six. They’ve narrowly escaped in all three contests and needed a last-second field goal to defeat a now 0-3 New York Jets squad.

Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin should be back for Week Four, but now veteran receiver Mike Evans will likely miss multiple weeks with a hamstring injury. A 6-1 record heading into the bye week is more than attainable. From there, the focus would be on not losing that potential momentum during the off week.

End Of My Detroit Lions Rant

Things can change quickly in the NFL. Two weeks ago, many Lions fans were worried and questioned whether the offense could function at the highest level without Ben Johnson. Now, there isn’t a team in the conference that you can definitively say is better than Detroit, in my opinion.

Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles are undefeated, but they have looked nowhere near the juggernaut they were during last year’s Super Bowl run. The San Francisco 49ers are the third remaining NFC team with a flawless record, but they just lost their All-Pro pass rusher, Nick Bosa, for the year with a torn ACL. I don’t have to explain to Lions fans the devastation of losing your best pass rusher.

Hopefully, Detroit won’t have to deal with an avalanche of injuries again and can go on to fully reach its potential. This was a team that had Super Bowl aspirations last season, and now the Lions look right back in the thick of the action three weeks into the 2025 campaign.