Pride of Detroit
No team had a bigger turnaround from week one to week two than the Detroit Lions. After a lackluster performance against Green Bay, Detroit bounced back against the Chicago Bears they and looked like themselves. This week, the Lions had to travel to Baltimore to play one of the top teams in the AFC, the Ravens, and do so in primetime on “Monday Night Football”. This game could have been a possible Super Bowl preview matchup, and it’s even who I predicted playing in the game in February.
This was an offensive shootout with each team trading scores, with neither team ever having a lead more than a touchdown until Detroit scored a touchdown with less than two minutes left to go. The Lions’ defensive line came up huge, sacking Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson seven times, tied for the most he’s ever been sacked in a game before. The Lions’ offense kept their quarterback, Jared Goff, clean, and the ground game was the way Detroit won this game.
Lots to digest and go over, so let me break it down for you as I give you my six takeaways from the Lions’ 38-30 win over the Ravens.
If you listened to Morgan, Meko, and me on the “Before the Roar” podcast, one thing I mentioned was that the Lions needed to control the time of possession and rely on running back David Montgomery to plow through the Ravens’ defense. On the Lions’ second touchdown drive, they went 98 and a half yards on 18 plays in 10 minutes and 48 seconds. 13 of those plays were running plays that got Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, and even Goff involved.
Of the 13 runs, seven were by Montgomery, who was physical up the gut and also made a few people miss with his moves. Montgomery even got involved in the passing game as he caught a pass, and with tight end Sam LaPorta’s help, Montgomery turned and ran his way to a 13-yard gain. Overall, the drive reminded me of the overtime drive the Lions did against the Los Angeles Rams to start the season last year. While it wasn’t all running, the Lions still were just more physical than the Ravens and overcame the adversity with their backs against the wall near their own end zone.
Later in the game, the ground game continued to work for Detroit. Montgomery had a monster 72-yard run in the third quarter, and it would set up the touchdown by Gibbs to start the fourth quarter. Then, when the Lions went for it on fourth down and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown made a clutch 20-yard catch, the next play Montgomery ran for a 31-yard touchdown run to ice the game and put the Lions up 38-24 with just under two minutes to play. Overall, Detroit finished with 38 carries for 224 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
I was...
