Quarterbacks:
I've previously stated that Matthew Stafford's accuracy would be the biggest turning point for the Lions this year and after game 1, so far so good. Stafford was 28/43 for a 65% completion percentage, which is right in line with his completion percentage from 2011 when the Lions won 10 games and made the playoffs. If you take away the four drops, the four passes batted down at the line and the two balls that were intentionally thrown away, Stafford's line is 32/37, that's 86%. Stafford did a great job spreading the ball around as eight different players caught at least one pass, he took what the Minnesota defense gave him and didn't force anything. I doubt, however, we will see much more read option this year from Matthew.
Running Backs:
Reggie bush was good in New Orleans, but it never felt like he was comfortable there. He was good in Miami but the Dolphins weren't a very good team and he was a somewhat forgotten man as he was being misused as a feature back. After one game in Detroit it feels like a perfect match for both player and team. The Lions implement a scheme which best takes advantage of Reggie's ability to run between the tackles, bounce it outside, or catch the ball in space and make things happen. He did a little bit of all those things to the tune of 191 yards and a touchdown, which could have easily been three had his knee not hit the turf while extending the ball inside the 1 yard line two separate times during the contest. It will be interesting to see how teams adjust to the dual threat weapon the lions now possess. Joique Bell played well in Bush's stead. He was most effective as a check down receiver and short yardage back.
Wide Receivers:
This group had a lot of question marks coming out of the preseason but overall they were solid. Calvin Johnson changes everything, evidenced by how deep the Minnesota safeties lineup on nearly every snap. That obviously opens up space for Burleson, Edwards, and Durham to run free underneath and make plays. Burleson was impressive and looked fresh, coming off a preseason where he looked old and slow. Still Johnson is the straw that stirs the drink and though his official stat line wasn't overly impressive, 4 catches for 37 yards, he really controlled the game as Minnesota rolled 2-3 people his way nearly every play. Had CJ actually hauled in the two passes in the end zone that were inches away from being scores, his line looks much more Calvin like. It was surprising that Broyles was on the inactive list, he should help this group upon his return.
Tight Ends:
I said it would happen sooner rather than later this season, it took 28 minutes. Pettigrew's fumble in the 2nd quarter could have been absolutely costly had the Vikings gone down and scored before the half (more on this later). After all the talk about how hard he has worked to fix his short comings this offseason, the preseason did nothing to alleviate the fears that Pettigrew is just not a reliable option in the passing game anymore. Neither is Scheffler, unfortunately. Tony dropped the only pass thrown his way, after beating his defender and getting open inside the 10 yards line, the perfectly thrown ball bounced right off Scheffler's hands on what was most likely a touchdown. These two were big weapons for the Lions during their playoff run two years ago but their collective play has fallen off. Pettigrew is still a plus run blocker at the tight end position but Scheffler's reps look like they could be headed to Joseph Fauria. Fauria actually caught the ball, three times, one for a touchdown. He is a size mismatch, has soft hands and should see his role expand as the season goes on.
Offensive Line:
Another group full of question marks going into the season, with three new starters finding their way against a very strong front 4 for Minnesota and the Lions should walk away ecstatic of the collective play out of the offensive line as the opened up big running lanes, kept Stafford upright for most of the game and all but neutralized Allen and Robison on the outside. Reiff out muscled Allen all game and Warford provided good push for Bush and Bell. Unfortunately, Jason Fox suffered a pulled groin in the first quarter and Corey Hillard had to come in and finish the game but there was no drop off in production from this group. The Lions have the making of a very good group up front going forward.
Defensive Line:
The Lions have built their defense from the line out and for this defense to be successful, they need the line to be very disruptive. For most of the game, they were just that. Outside of the 78 yard scamper to open the game, the Lions held Peterson to just 15 yards on 17 carries! That is an amazing number against the clear cut best running back in the NFL. It mostly due to the lack of any running lanes as the front four penetrated and clogged up the hole all game. The pass rush was solid, though the Lions will tell you they didn't get home as often as the would have liked, but three sacks and six pressures are nothing to sneeze at. We know Ponder is no Manning, but the Lions held him to a 63.1 passer rating, third lowest in the league for week 1. Nick Fairley recorded 1.5 sacks and was a beast up front all game.
Linebackers:
This group was a question mark for me going into the season but, again outside of the long run, this unit played really well. Tulloch's interception was the biggest play of the game in my opinion. After a deflating Pettigrew fumble, the Vikings were driving, leading 14-6 and if they score at touchdown to go up 21-6 at half we are looking at a different ball game completely. Credit to Suh, obviously, for hitting Ponder's arm while he was throwing but Tulloch has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. DeAndre Levy played one of his best games in a Lions uniform. He was everywhere making tackles, keeping Peterson in check and should have had a pick six. Ashlee palmer made a couple nice stops in the backfield and played the run well, the Vikings aren't the type of team that can effectively take advantage of him in the passing game so that still remains to be seen but overall a good game for the collective front seven.
Defensive backs:
Still some issues in the secondary that are going to have to be fixed. Jerome Simpson had a field day and Ponder was able to complete a few deep balls that could have been more problematic then they turned out to be. The defensive backfield will have to be much better with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald and Brandon Marshall on the schedule the next few weeks. Darius Slay had an up and down first start. He gave up a few completions to Simpson but also helped force the interception by Levy. He was ultimately replaced by Rashean Mathis in the 4th quarter as Schwartz decided to go with more experience to finish the game but Slay will more then likely be the starter come next week and just needs more experience, but I liked his competitiveness and physical play. Houston was solid but not spectacular, Delmas was good against the run but had a stupid penalty that a leader simply can not take. Quinn's interception sealed the game but he was quiet otherwise. Bill Bentley dropped an interception that would have most likely gone back for six in the second quarter.
Special Teams:
The coverage units did their job but Martin's hands and leg were mostly the story. First, the good. Martins kickoff's consistently sailed out of the end zone, preventing any threat of a return and his fourth quarter punt was expertly downed at the one yard line by Michael Spurlock. Now the bad, the botched hold on Akers first field goal attempt was most likely nerve related and probably wouldn't have seemed so bad had Peterson not romped for 78 yards 25 seconds later, but for now we will forgive him, since it didn't cost us the game, but that has to be cleaned up. Akers looked good on his two kicks, and Spurlock was average in his five punt returns.
Other Notes:
- Ndomukong Suh's low hit on John Sullivan, which drew a 15 yard penalty, has his status for next weeks game in question as the league looks into the play.
- Lions +2 turnover margin after week 1.
- Ziggy Ansah didn't start but played about half the snaps and helped bottle up Peterson and recorded a half sack in his first game.
- Reggie Bush dislocated his thumb but returned to the game and should start next week.
- Minnesota was tagged for two huge penalties in the 4th quarter, one roughing the passer and one pass interference, leading to Detroit's final touchdown.
On to Arizona for Week 2, check back later this week for a prediction...will the Lions be 2-0?
No comments:
Post a Comment