If things continue to go the way they’re going, for both the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions, then someone is going to get run out of Ford Field on Sunday.
And Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero knows that, as he explained the not-so-complex complexity of the Lions’ headstrong run game.
“Yeah, I would say the biggest thing about them is that they do a good job in terms of window-dressin’ things,” he said on Thursday. “There’s gonna be a lot of motions, shifts, things of that nature. They’re really gonna try to distract your eyes before the snap.
“But the core fundamental is that they’re runnin’ the ball. We know there are certain runs that they’re gonna feature, certain runs that they’re gonna be good at and they’re gonna have the play-action pass that’s workin’ off of that.”
Behind the workhorse David Montgomery, Detroit has dialed up the fourth-most rushing attempts (135) en route to the 10th-most rushing yards per contest (136.5). Montgomery himself is fresh off a weighty outing in Green Bay, where he took on 32 carries for 121 yards and three touchdowns.
He and dynamic rookie Jahmyr Gibbs will be facing Carolina’s struggling run defense. The Panthers have allowed the fourth-most yards per attempt (4.7) and the sixth-most yards per game (136.3).
So, Evero is well aware that his defense has to tighten up if they have a chance at knocking off the heavy 3-1 favorites.
“We need to play better,” he said. “I think some of that can be schematic—things that I can do better. And then, we just gotta play the run better. And so, that’s the challenge and it’s gonna be very evident this week.”
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