After an injury-riddled start to Detroit’s 2022 campaign, the Lions are finally starting to get healthy. Players who haven’t seen the field all season are arriving just in time to reinforce this squad to make an unlikely playoff push.
Through the Lions’ 1-6 start, nearly every piece of their dominant offensive line missed time in some capacity, with starting G Halapoulivaati Vaitai finding himself on IR for the remainder of the year. Detroit’s two primary playmakers in D’andre Swift and Amon-ra St. Brown also missed time and have had production issues when on the field due to the plethora of injuries elsewhere. Many factors played into this team’s slow start but injuries prevented them from playing to their fullest potential until more recently.
Around Week 9, key pieces start to return to the roster as the injury report shrinks with every week. The coaches were then able to open up the playbook and take advantage of opportunities they simply didn’t have in previous weeks. Week 13 against the Jaguars saw the return of every starting Lions wide receiver to the lineup for the first time since Week 3. In addition, Detroit’s rookie first-round receiver, Jameson Williams, played his first snaps since being selected with the 12th overall pick. In games where the Lions have had access to all of their options on offense, they average 36 ppg as opposed to just 20 ppg where they don’t.
As seen over this prolonged stretch of strong Lions’ showings; this offense has league-best potential when healthy. With a game breaker like Jameson Williams entering the picture, it is exhilarating to think about how much more dangerous this passing attack can get. With five games left in the season, the Lions may be able to fight for their playoff lives if guys stay on the field.
