Pride of Detroit
Sometimes all it takes is a game at home to get back on the right path. After not playing how they wanted to during their Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions rebounded nicely in Week 2, running over the Chicago Bears to the tune of a 52-21 beatdown inside of Ford Field. The offense got just about everything they wanted on the afternoon, and a big reason for that was the play of their two young guards—second-year left guard Christian Mahogany and rookie right guard Tate Ratledge.
In this film breakdown, we are going to take a look at how the two performed against Chicago and why Lions fans should be excited about the potential for the pair moving forward.
Imposing their will
To kick this film study off, we jump to just under three minutes to play in the first quarter with the Lions in a first-and-goal after a big completion to All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. At times in years past, we have seen Detroit keep things simple in the low red. Hand the ball off to one of your ultra-talented running backs in Jahmyr Gibbs or David Montgomery, and have them run behind All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell. And when the Lions drafted Ratledge in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, I figured we would get more of the same in the near future.
Watch below as the Lions are in 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) with quarterback Jared Goff under center. The Bears’ defensive tackle is lined up at the three-technique (outside shoulder of the guard) and is unable to fight off the Sewell-Ratledge double team, resulting in a relatively easy score for Montgomery.
Next up, we have what appears to be a zone blocking concept from the third quarter, where Montgomery works back to his right after the line does a great job of washing defenders down the line of scrimmage. Another excellent rep from Mahogany and Glasgow as they displace the Bears’ nose tackle, giving Montgomery the opportunity to hit a jump cut and run off Sewell’s hip.
Passing off stunts/games
One thing the Lions struggled with up front in Week 1 was communication. It was loud in Green Bay, and the inexperience at the NFL level for the guard duo appeared to have played a part in some of the missed assignments.
However, the Ford Field crowd knows to hush while the Lions’ offense is on the field. I only charted one miscommunication on the day along the offensive line, with most of the clips looking like the next one below. This third-down pass falls incomplete, but watch as Ratledge and veteran center Graham Glasgow pass this twist between the defensive tackles off perfectly. Similar to rapport being built in a defensive secondary, it takes time and live reps for an offensive line to really gel together.
Executing
For the next section, I will present a five-play sequence from late in the first...
