It’s been a pretty common lament from Lions fans in the wake of Detroit’s Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams. For all the pressures the Lions got on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, playing behind backup offensive tackles, Detroit’s defense managed just two sacks.
The Lions did indeed put tremendous pressure on Stafford. Between Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport and friends, the Lions hit Stafford 12 times–the third-most of any defense in the NFL in Week 1, per NextGen Stats. However, the Rams offensive scheme prevented those pressures from becoming sacks very effectively.
Between Matthew Stafford’s quick release and an offensive game plan that got the ball out very quickly, Stafford already had the ball out before the hit could become a sack. Or, as Dan Campbell said on Tuesday,
“You could put two high school tackles out there, and we weren’t going to get to the quarterback as fast as he was throwing this ball,” Campbell told the 97.1 The Ticket hosts during his weekly appearance.
Stafford had an average time to throw of 2.32 seconds in the first half, which would have led the NFL in quickness of getting the ball out in Week 1. In the second half, that number rose up to finish at 2.72, which ties for 13th. That was a function of the Lions changing the defense to limit more of the shorter throws and also the Rams looking to strike downfield more.