With a massive overtime win over Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1, the Detroit Lions are rolling into Week 2 with plenty of momentum, even more to build upon, and seemingly the entirety of D-Town rooting for them to win, with that energy on full display on Saturday Night Football.
And the best part? Jared Goff and company have a chance to do it all again in Week 2, as they’ll welcome Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Buccaneers to town for an afternoon fight at Ford Field.
While this game isn’t a shoo-in for the Lions, if they lean into their strengths, exploit the Buccaneers’ weaknesses, and continue to dominate the confidence game, things could shake out exceptionally well in Detroit’s favor.
1. David Montgomery dominates on the ground, again
In Week 1, David Montgomery was arguably the MVP of the Lions’ win over the Rams.
Sure, Goff did exactly what he was supposed to do through the air, the defense gave Stafford fits, and Jameson Williams had a pretty incredible debut in his third professional season, but when the game went to overtime, Campbell put the ball in Montgomery’s hands and was not disappointed, with the Iowa State product picking up 45 yards on the ground on the way to a game-winning touchdown.
Now granted, before Montgomery went berserk in overtime, his production was more-or-less on par with what his backfield mate, Jahmyr Gibbs, was producing, with the former putting up 45 yards versus 40 for his Alabama product. But when Campbell needed someone to really hold down the fort and secure Detroit the win, Montgomery’s number was called over and over again to winning results.
And in Week 2, Montgomery should be able to do it again, as the Buccaneers surrendered 138 yards on the ground in Week 1 – albeit with Jayden Daniels running the ball 16 times for 88 yards – and may give up even more yards against a top-5 RBs room rushing behind one of the best lines in the NFL.
With the Lions’ passing game still their calling card at this stage of the season, even if a quarter of Goff’s production came on a single deep ball to Williams that practically broke Tre’Davious White’s ankles, Detroit could use Week 2 as a chance to really establish themselves as one of the elite rushing offenses in the NFL, with two of the best back in the league, an elite offensive line and enough options in the passing game to make opposing DCs play them honestly.
In 2023, the Lions ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing yards; with a big game against the Buccaneers this weekend, there’s little reason to see why they won’t be in that elite statistical echelon again by the end of the weekend.
2. Aidan Hutchinson puts pressure on Baker Mayfield
NFL MVP Baker Mayfield?
While the idea of that statement sounded crazy even one year ago, when he was a journeyman on a one-year contract worth up to $8.5 million who bounced around the NFL after flaming out with the Cleveland Browns, it was openly discussed – ironically and seriously – all over social media after the Oklahoma product threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns on the way to a dominant 37-20 win over the Commanders.
Now granted, the Commanders are the Commanders, a team who, despite hiring Dan Quinn as their new head coach this offseason, really didn’t have the tools to compete with a pretty good team in 2024, but the Buccaneers still checked all the boxes of being a respectable offense in Week 1 and should win the NFC South despite the Saints putting up 47 points against the Panthers.
Fortunately, Mayfield isn’t the sort of unflappable signal caller who can dominate the field on his own but instead a quarterback who can make mistakes when he’s under pressure, which, considering the Lions have one of the most dominant rushers in the NFL right now in Aiden Hutchenson, could happen early and often on Sunday.
Against the Rams, Hutchenson recorded a sack, three hurries, three QB hits, and seven pressures over 70 defensive snaps; while the Buccaneers have a better offensive line than the Rams, as frankly, every team has a better offensive line than the unit Sean McVay had to throw together mid-game down four usual starters, they still won’t be able to slow down Hutch and company if Campbell comes correct with the right strategy to give the 29-year-old quarterback fits all afternoon long.
3. The Lions remain undefeated
After having to take things to overtime to secure the win in Week 1, the Lions find themselves facing off against another team with a strong-armed quarterback, an effective defense, and enough weapons around the field to remain potent even when their foe takes away a top option or two.Fortunately for the Lions, Mayfield isn’t Stafford, and while his efforts in Week 1 looked fantastic, he’s still more of a gunslinger than a truly elite passer who can overcome the odds, stay calm under pressure, and deliver passes where they need to go when he knows he’s about to get popped in the mouth. Unless the Lions succumb to a similar fate to the Rams in Week 2, losing a lineman on this play and then a Pro Bowl wide receiver on the next, it’s safe to assume that Detroit will come out of the game with a 2-0 record, with a chance to bring that record up to 3-0 and even 4-0 before they take a Week 5 bye to close out September.
