The Lions just know how to get the job done. Forget about last week’s lost, because the team won this week with a pretty heavily depleted offensive line and key pieces on defense missing. Getting back in the win column after beating the Atlanta Falcons 20-6 is exactly what this team needed, especially with a short week of rest in store.

I really don’t think that there is a better place to play than Ford Field. It was so loud and electric that I could feel like I was there through the TV screen. And rightfully so, seeing as this was a chance for us to get a glimpse at the two top RB’s of this past draft, Bijan Robinson of Atlanta and Jahmyr Gibbs for Detroit, battling it out on the gridiron.

So let’s get into the meat and potatoes the game. Despite not scoring, Gibbs notched 80 yards on 17 carries compared to a measly 33 yards and no touchdowns on 10 carries by Robinson. The Lions’ offense had me a little worried with an unconventional way of getting into the endzone last Sunday. Jared Goff got his first rushing touchdown in a Lions uniform and Sam LaPorta got his first NFL score. We didn’t see much from Kalif Raymond, but Amon-Ra St. Brown reached 106 all purpose yards despite suffering a toe injury last week.

Here is the question though, should we be worried about Jared Goff? He ended his snap streak of 359 snaps without an interception last week and added another one against the Falcons. 2022 was his first year that he didn’t throw more than seven in a season, so was last season just a fluke or will he clean it up quick?

Okay, enough of the offense talk because what really stood out this game was the Lions’ defense. Aidan Hutchinson and the defensive front finally showed up with a whopping seven sacks, and Hutchinson pulled out what I can only say was the worst sack celebration that I have ever seen with the stanky leg, it was gross.

The Lions’ secondary was okay, I guess. Even without Kerby Joseph for the Lions, Falcons QB, Desmond Ridder went 21/38 for 201 yards which for Ridder is pretty much his average, so that gets a thumbs up from me. Anytime I see a defense, regardless of who it is, hold a team to only field goals, you know that the guys in the trenches were doing the work.

Coming into this game, Lions had a lot of guys on the IR, and most of them were ones that you couldn’t afford to be hurt, like Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Taylor Decker. I liked the decision by Head Coach Dan Campbell to sit most of these guys, since most of the injuries weren’t anything season ending. However, with week 4 being a short turn around with the game on Thursday, it’s best to let those guys recover a few extra days and have them ready to go for kickoff against the Green Bay Packers.

Speaking of the Packers, they lost to the Falcons in week 3 by a margin of one point, 24-25, so it gives us a good glimpse as to the competition that we’ll see. But remember, the Lions went into Lambeau last year and eliminated the Packers from the playoffs for the last game of the year, so is revenge on the Packers’ mind? It will for sure be.

As long as the defense can replicate the pressure that they had against the Falcons, and Goff can shake off his previous passing errors, I think you’re going to see the beginnings of what people can call a little winning streak.

It’ll be a house divided for me this week as my dad is a Packers fan. So find your favorite recliner, crack open a beverage, toss the chili in the crock pot, and bear witness to one of the best rivalries, in my opinion, that the NFL has to offer.

 

Lions head to Green Bay Thursday night for TNF.

Listen on WBRN 1460am, 107.7fm, and 96.5fm.

 

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