Three Detroit Lions Takeaways After Week 2

After losing to the Green Bay Packers in a game that was never close, it almost felt like it was time for the Lions to hit the panic button already. Then, the Packers also shut down Jayden Daniels and a good Washington Commanders team. That, combined with how dominant Detroit looked against the Chicago Bears, makes it feel like the Week One result was more about how great Green Bay is, instead of the Lions falling off.

This result was one that somewhat should have been expected. The Lions have two new starting guards and a center in Graham Glasgow, who moved over from left guard to replace the retired Frank Ragnow. On the other side was a Packers squad that finished sixth in yards allowed last season, and then added arguably the best pass rusher in football in Micah Parsons.

Goff Is Goff For Better Or Worse

The story of Jared Goff has always been about him being a quarterback you can win with, but not necessarily because of him. That has proven to be true in the first two weeks of the season. The Lions’ rushing attack was shut down in the opener, meaning that if they were going to win, Goff would need to put the team on his back. He was only able to muster up 225 yards on 39 attempts with one touchdown and one interception.

Fast forward to Week Two, where Detroit was able to have a much more balanced attack offensively, and Goff was able to rip the Bears apart for 334 yards and five touchdowns. Some of that is probably due to how bad the Bears are defensively, but at the end of the day, 52 points is 52 points. The Lions faced significant criticism for their appearance in Week One, so the level of praise for their Week Two dominance should be the same.

The Truth Is Somewhere In The Middle

The Lions obviously aren’t as bad as that first week suggested, but looking like The Greatest Show On Turf from this point forward probably won’t be the case either. Detroit is averaging 32.5 points per game through the two weeks, which is nearly the exact average from last season (33.2). The same is true for Goff’s stat line, as his performance last week increased his passing yard average to 279.5 (seven more than last season).

There will likely be some ups and downs throughout the season, especially considering the level of competition that is upcoming. Overall, however, the expectations for the Lions should be the same as they were a year ago, contending for a Super Bowl.

End Of My Detroit Lions Rant

The NFL season is still extremely young, and this Lions team needs time to gel. They lost both coordinators and had to reshuffle the interior of the offensive line, so there were going to be inconsistencies on both sides of the ball to start the year. There is also a glaring hole in the middle of the defensive line, as Alim McNeill is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered late last season.

With the above factors in mind, don’t expect this Detroit team to hit its stride until mid-season or so. That is around the time they should have the entire squad back (barring injuries) and finish with the part of the schedule that will probably be the most difficult. Speaking of which, up next is the team that may be the toughest the Lions will face all season, in Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.