ClutchPoints
The Detroit Lions look just fine after Week 2. Detroit silence its doubters, and embarrassed Ben Johnson’s new team, in a 52-21 smackdown at Ford Field. The Lions were firing on all cylinders on offense and their defense finally started looking like it did early in the 2024 season. Optimism is back in Detroit.
But the Lions have no time to celebrate. They face an absolutely huge game against the Ravens in Week 3. This game is important for a few reasons.
For one, it is an important measuring stick game. If the Lions fancy themselves Super Bowl favorites, they’ll have to take care of business against elite teams like the Ravens. So the pressure will be on Detroit to do that, especially in hostile territory.
Beyond that, Detroit has rarely been able to handle Baltimore. They’ll want to make that right, and doing so in front of a national audience would be even better.
The Lions failed that test in 2023, losing 38-6 in a lopsided game. Side note, the Lions have only beat the Ravens one time in franchise history.
So how will the Lions do against the Ravens this time? And which players will need to have big games to get a win?
Below we will explore three Lions bold predictions ahead of their huge Monday Night Football matchup against the Ravens.
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Detroit’s offense goes through Jahmyr Gibbs.
The Packers proved in Week 1 that slowing down Gibbs is a great way to short-circuit the Lions’ offense.
But there’s also another lesson to be learned from that ugly Week 1 matchup. Detroit will make sure Gibbs gets the ball, no matter what, if they need explosive plays in a game.
Gibbs had a whopping 10 receptions in Week 1, which he turned into just 31 receiving yards.
I’m not convinced that Detroit will use Gibbs in exactly the same way in Baltimore. But I still see a huge role for Sonic in the receiving game.
I will predict at least eight receptions for Gibbs on Monday Night Football.
Both the Lions and Ravens love to run the ball.
Detroit has its dynamic duo of Sonic and Knuckles, while Baltimore has the legendary Derrick Henry along with Lamar Jackson.
And as much as these teams love to run, each coaching staff prioritizes stopping the run on defense.
So why am I so convinced that Monday Night Football is going to be a rush-heavy game?
First, I believe both teams simply want the game to play out that way.
For the Lions, they know that their run defense is much better than their coverage unit. They can play well in each facet of the game, but it is no contest when comparing the two.
While Detroit may not want to pray for 20+ Derrick Henry carries...
