Pride of Detroit
After a disappointing opening week against the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions came home on Sunday for their home opener against the Chicago Bears. Former offensive coordinator turned Bears’ head coach Ben Johnson was met with a loud amount of boos as he returned to Ford Field. It wasn’t just the crowd that made Johnson hear it, as the Lions players showed up and showed out on Sunday afternoon.
The Lions offense started the game with the ball and scored with ease, moving down the field with no trouble. The Bears responded with a similar drive that tied it at seven. The Lions would regain the lead 14-7 and never looked back, keeping the Bears at a distance as they would go up 28-14 at halftime. The second half was much worse for the Bears as they only scored one more time, while the Lions scored 24 points to finish the game, winning this one decisively, 52-21.
There is plenty to discuss after the Lions’ impressive win on Sunday afternoon. Here are my takeaways from the victory against the Bears.
Last week, the Lions’ offensive line looked like it was still a work in progress with two new starters taking over. There were miscommunication issues, no time for quarterback Jared Goff to throw, and no lanes for either running back. This week, Goff had more time to throw the ball and looked comfortable in the pocket for the most part, rebounding with three passing touchdowns. With Goff having time to throw, it gave the wide receivers more chances to make a play and separate from their defender and find the open space.
The play action worked with the success of the running game, opening the offense up to look like it has in the past. No player seemed to struggle like last week, and things looked smooth communication-wise. This was a great bounce-back performance that no unit needed more than the offensive line. When this unit isn’t up to their standards, the whole offense is affected by it, but when they are on it, they are arguably the best offense in the NFL.
Another unit that needed a kick in the pants were the running backs, and while part of their struggles were due to the offensive line last week, part of it was on them for not executing well. Against the Bears, both running backs, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, improved and helped move the ball on the ground. Gibbs had 12 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown, while Montgomery had 11 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown as well. After a slow start in the first half, Gibbs was the one to break out some big runs in the second half.
Both players faced better chances to make a play, but it took some time for those plays to open up. Both players weren’t much of a factor on the...
