Three and Out: Trench concerns and having big-picture perspective following Lions' dismal Week 1 showing
Allen Park — Here are three observations after a second viewing and a night to ponder the Detroit Lions’ 27-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Pressure to get pressure
It’s a tale as old as the game itself: Football is won in the trenches. The Lions were decidedly beaten on both fronts.
Earlier in the week, when asked about the importance of stopping the run, Lions defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers used a common phrase: “You have to earn the right to rush the passer.”
How do you earn that right? You do your job on first and second down, get the opposition in third-and-long, allowing you to pin your ears back in clear passing situations.
To Detroit’s credit, they achieved that goal, particularly in the first half. It didn’t matter. On the game's opening drive, the Packers faced a third-and-6, third-and-10 and third-and-9 and converted each as part of a 12-play, 83-yard touchdown drive.
Earning the right to rush wasn't the issue. The Lions swallowed up Packers running back Josh Jacobs through three quarters. The right was earned, only to be squandered.
The opening drive was emblematic of what would be a game-long issue: An inability to move Packers quarterback Jordan Love off his spot. No matter what the Lions tried, they weren’t able to pressure the pocket meaningfully. And whether it's Patrick Mahomes or Love, an NFL starting quarterback will make the play more often than not when afforded time to process.
The Lions tried a little bit of everything. They rushed with four, they sent multiple blitzers, they offered muddied looks where they flooded the inside and dropped their edges into coverage. Each time, Love kept his feet planted and delivered to his open receiver for a conversion on the opening series.
Without stopping the run, you don't earn the right to rush the passer. Without generating pressure, your opportunity to rush the passer won't matter.
Even after that performance, I don’t have many concerns with Detroit's edges, despite a lackluster showing against the Packers. Aidan Hutchinson's movement skills are where they need to be. Marcus Davenport's power is going to play most weeks, from a pocket-crushing perspective. Moving forward, two larger concerns stand out.