The first two weeks of the season haven’t gone as Detroit Lions fans hoped.
The Lions played against the same teams they defeated in last year’s playoffs — the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — at Ford Field, which was packed with enthusiastic fans.
This time, they were fortunate to end up with one win and one loss. They lost a 17-3 lead against Matthew Stafford and the Rams in their first game, but managed to come back, send the game to overtime, and win without Stafford getting another chance to play.
On Sunday, Baker Mayfield outperformed Jared Goff, leading the Lions to a 20-16 loss. They are now 1-1 and preparing to play at Arizona, which just had a big win over the Rams with a score of 41-10.
“That ended up being a lopsided score, but that’s the nature of the way that team plays,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Monday. “They are tricky on both sides of the ball — they do a lot of things that are not orthodox.”
Campbell highlighted Kyler Murray’s ability to make plays, especially with Marvin Harrison Jr. now as a target.
“When he gets out and runs around, he’s dangerous,” Campbell said. “Now they’ve got him a weapon to throw to.”
This could be a challenge for a Lions defense that has had trouble against top receivers in the first two games. Cooper Kupp had 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown for the Rams, and Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin had seven receptions for 117 yards. Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold has been flagged three times for pass interference, all within the 5-yard line.
However, the Lions have a strong asset in defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who recorded 4 1/2 sacks against a hurt Tampa Bay offensive line.
“Aidan Hutchinson has no off switch,” Mayfield said.
