Through two weeks this season, the Lions have been electric offensively. In week one, they put up 35 points against a very good eagles defense, and put up 36 in week two against the Commanders. While they are 2nd in the league in points scored at 71, they have not been good defensively. SO far, the Lions have conceded 65 points, which is 2nd worst in the NFL.
Let’s start with the offense, which has been firing on all cylinders. Running back D’andre Swift absolutely exploded in week one and had a very solid outing in week two despite a limited amount of snaps. Swift has 20 carries for 200 yards on the ground, and if you do the math, that amounts to an outstanding 10 yards per carry. Swift has also chipped in with 62 receiving yards and two total touchdowns. Another key contributor has been wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has been dominant on both the ground and through the air. St. Brown has 180 receiving yards, which is 10th best in the NFL, and three receiving touchdowns, good for 2nd in the league. He has also gotten 68 rushing yards on just two carries. The Lions have also gotten solid quarterback play from Jared Goff, who has 471 yards with 6 touchdowns to only 1 pick, and achieved a very respectable QB rating of 100.1. The Lions have been wildly successful offensively even without key players. In week 2, the Lions were missing their entire interior offensive line and wide receiver Jameson Williams. If injuries don’t get out of hand and Goff keeps playing at this level, there is no reason why the Lions shouldn’t have a top 5 offense throughout the season.
The Lions defense, however, has been underwhelming. The defense allowed 31 points in week one (pick 6 by Goff gave the eagles a TD) and 27 in week two, which will simply not get the job done. The Lions defense has been good in spurts, as we saw against Washington. In the first half, the Lions defense was absolutely dominant, giving up zero points due to stellar pass rush and secondary play. However, they got torn apart by Carson Wentz and company in the second half, which allowed Washington to claw themselves back into the game. We saw more of the same in week one except the defense was stellar in the 4th quarter but terrible the rest of the game. Despite the poor defensive play, there have been bright spots. Rookie Aidan Hutchinson exploded against Washington, racking up 3 sacks in the first half. Charles Harris also contributed with a huge strip sack which resulted in a safety. The Lions have also gotten solid play from Jeff Okudah and Tracy Walker so far. This defense has potential and is stellar in spurts, but they have to play a complete game in order to win games.
Through two weeks, Lions fans should be optimistic. The defense has struggled, but that was expected. The offense being as good as it has been is a treat to watch for Lions fans to watch, and hopefully we see more of the same throughout the season.
