Pride of Detroit
The Detroit Lions got their season back on track last week with a win over the Chicago Bears, but the celebration didn’t last long. Brian Branch earned a game ball from Dan Campbell for his efforts against the Bears, which included a forced fumble, a sack, a pass defended, two tackles for loss, and posting six solo tackles. But in the Lions locker room, surrounded by his teammates and coaches, Branch was quick to point out in his impromptu speech that a matchup with the Baltimore Ravens was right around the corner.
So we’re back for another installment of “5 Questions,” this time with Nikhil Mehta—Baltimore Beatdown’s newly appointed Site Manager—and some of their other writers on staff (Zach Canter, Dustin Cox) to give us some insight into this week’s matchup with the Ravens.
1. The Baltimore Ravens are the exact kind of football team built to give the Lions a run for their money. We saw the Ravens make short work of them in 2023 when the game felt over before halftime. It’s the last honest-to-goodness, had-no-chance beating Campbell’s Lions have taken.
It starts on offense with arguably the best quarterback in the world, in Lamar Jackson. What
about Lamar’s game continues to be so impressive, and how is he continuing to be this dynamic
as both a passer and a runner in his eighth (!) NFL season?
“Jackson’s growth can’t be understated. He was an MVP quarterback by his second season and has since added several more tools to his toolbox to become virtually unguardable. Just look at throws he’s made to new teammate DeAndre Hopkins this year; he wasn’t making those in 2018 and 2019, though that was partially due to a less reliable receiving corps. He’s also made significant strides commanding the offense at the line of scrimmage with offensive coordinator Todd Monken empowering his quarterback to make his own calls, checks, and adjustments. Put that all together with his electric skills as a ballcarrier and unreal ability to evade pressure and extend plays, and you have arguably the most talented quarterback the NFL has ever seen.
Jackson is only 28, coming into the physical prime of a quarterback with seven years of experience under his belt. Quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers didn’t hit their peaks until they were nearly 30 with their mental and physical abilities reaching a meeting point. Impossibly, Lamar Jackson could still continue to get better.” (Zach Canter)
2. Derrick Henry was a perfect fit for this Ravens football team, and he looked every bit like the same guy who ran for over 2,000 yards five years ago. If a defense is going to be successful against this Ravens offense, where does that team need to beat them up front against their offensive line–and how much of that can end up not mattering because they have a guy like Henry carrying the ball?
*“The place to attack Baltimore’s offensive line is definitely along the interior, specifically...
