It may not have been pretty but the Detroit Lions won their first game of the season last week against the Los Angeles Rams. Yes, the Lions did lose their grasp of a 17-3 lead but fortunately, they had a good enough drive to get to overtime and an even better drive in overtime.
Outside of their run game, the Lions offense looked like they were shaking off some of the rust in Week 1. But they had big performances from David Montgomery and Jameson Williams. Meanwhile, the Lions defense had a bend-but-do-n’t-break type of game.
At times, they would get torched by Rams quarterback Mathew Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp. That connection felt automatic in that game. Fortunately, the Lions were able to make two stops in the final four minutes of regulation. From there, the Lions offense handled their business and did what was needed to get points on the board and win the game.
Now we move to Week 2 and it’s another home game for Detroit. This time, they welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I expect to see receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown with a big game on Sunday, and I do believe the Lions rushing attack will do its thing, per usual. With that, I do have six total players to watch for in the Lions and Buccaneers game on Sunday.
CB Terrion Arnold
Starting with the Detroit Lions, eyes should be on cornerback Terrion Arnold this week. In his first career start, he did give up eight catches for 57 yards and did get hit with two pass interference calls. Despite giving up a high percentage of passes against one of the best quarterbacks in the game, Arnold was physical and around the football in week one.
That’s all Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions could ask for to be honest. Arnold finished with 8 tackles and closed quickly to the football. While he was matched up against one of the best receivers in football with Rams receiver Cooper Kupp, there was reassurance from head coach Dan Campbell.
Speaking to the media after their win, Campbell said, “He’s [Arnold] gonna be a good corner in this league for a while.” Meanwhile, Cooper Kupp told Arnold that “he’s one of them ones.” So, while the stat line may say one thing, coaches and players are saying another about the Lions’ first-round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft.
Against the Bucs, Arnold will have his hands full against receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Both players should be automatic plays in your fantasy leagues but the hope is for Arnold to have an improved stat line in week two. All eyes should be on him as he tries to come up with some key plays for the Detroit defense this week.
RT PENEI SEWELL
Offensively, all eyes should be on the right tackle this week against the Bucs. Right now, we’re monitoring the ankle injury sustained by right tackle Penei Sewell. He had gotten injured during one of the last practices of the summer and he battled through the injury last week. However, he’s ended up on the injury report this week and it’s unclear if he ends up playing this week.
If Sewell does sit for this game, the Lions will have to decide who they play at right tackle. Do they play Dan Skipper? Or should they activate Colby Sorsdal or Giovanni Manu?
Playing the guessing game, I would have to think the Lions will keep Manu inactive for the second game of the season. It just doesn’t seem like he’s ready to go just yet. But we could see Colby Sorsdal start in place of Sewell.
Last season, Sorsdal played in 253 offensive snaps but he only earned a 41.8 overall grade from PFF. He allowed one sack and had two penalties and started 3 games in 2023. That said, Sorsdal was inactive last week. That leads me to believe that he would need to have one heck of a week in practice to get the nod over Dan Skipper.
It feels like the Lions are confident in playing Skipper when they’re in a pinch. That’s what it feels like it will be this week for the Lions starter at right tackle. Stay updated on the Lions injury report throughout the weekend but I’d expect Skipper to start if Sewell can’t play.
DT DJ Reader
Lastly, we’re finally going to see DJ Reader play for the Lions. It’s unclear how many snaps he’ll play or if he’ll even start for the Lions. However, I’d expect him to start alongside Alim McNeill.
There’s doubt that Marcus Davenport will play against the Bucs and if that’s the case, I’d expect a heavy dosage of Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike starting opposite of Aidan Hutchinson.
Regardless, we could see Reader start and still play in a limited fashion. Whatever happens, he’ll provide experience and spark to the middle of the Lions defense. The key for Reader won’t be to just stop the run or create pressure but essentially, the Lions will want him to come out of this game as healthy as he was coming into the game.