Battle Red Blog
Ryan Mathews of Pride of Detroit joins BRB for five questions
Very rarely does a prime time matchup live up to advanced billing. The NFL got a good one on Thursday night when the Baltimore Ravens narrowly defeated the Cincinnati Bengals. The brass is hoping for another one tonight. On paper it looks like they’ll get one as the Detroit Lions come in 7-1 and the hometown Houston Texans at 6-3.
Records can be deceiving though. We brought in Ryan Mathews to talk about the upcoming matchup to see if there is anything we are missing. At first glance it would appear the Lions have a sizable advantage as they run through the league piling up victories left and right. We started on the offensive side of the ball as the Lions have the best offense in the NFL according to most metrics.
Battle Red Blog: The Lions have the best statistical offense in football. What have been the keys to the significant jump in production?
Ryan Mathews: The Lions’ jump in offensive production has been driven by an effective mix of factors: a dynamic ground game led by Sonic and Knuckles, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. These two talented running backs are virtually interchangeable and their effectiveness lasts all game long in a really unique way due to the team’s ability to balance their usage. Of course, the offensive line excels in both pass protection and run blocking, it’s one of if not the best five-man unit in the NFL, but they will be down Taylor Decker in this one. Against a pretty successful Texans edge rush, that’s something to keep an eye on. And lastly, it’s the smart quarterback play from Jared Goff. He’s in control of this offense, and with Ben Johnson’s balanced play-calling keeping defenses guessing, and an emphasis on play-action to tap into one of Goff’s strengths, it’s created big-play opportunities downfield.
BRB: Ben Johnson might be the hottest head coaching candidate in the NFL. How integral is he to the Lions offense?
RM: Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been crucial to the Lions’ success, bringing innovative schemes and maximizing the strengths of his personnel. His play designs emphasize flexibility, and he’s great at sequencing plays that exploit defenses’ tendencies. Given his success and creativity, Johnson is indeed a top head-coaching candidate and a big reason why the offense has reached new heights. He’s arguably the most important piece to this coaching staff as they push for the playoffs and beyond.
BRB: The Lions added Za’Darius Smith at the deadline. What do you see him adding to the defense?
RM: The Detroit Lions addressed what was slowly becoming a serious concern in their defense by acquiring veteran edge rusher Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns. After losing Aidan Hutchinson to a season-ending injury, Detroit needed a strong presence in both run defense and pass-rushing, and Smith’s metrics indicate he’s well-suited to fill this role. Although he won’t play in tonight’s game, he does fit exactly...
