The Detroit Lions are 1-6 and just shipped off one of their better weapons on offense in tight end T.J. Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings.
This week, they take on another disappointing team in the Green Bay Packers, losers of four consecutive games. Their offense has sputtered due to injuries and underperformance. They have a perfect opportunity to right the ship against the league’s worst defense.
Getting a win against a division rival would be nice for both the team and the fans. Here are five things to watch ahead of Sunday’s matchup.
Will the secondary improve following firing?
Dan Campbell made a change to the coaching staff by letting go of defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant, who was well liked by players. Campbell clearly felt like he needed to do something in the wake of a 1-6 start and the secondary’s poor performance.
Now under the guidance of defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, safeties coach Brian Duker and quality-control coach Addison Lynch, the secondary will hope to improve, even just a little. Glenn will help coach the DBs, something he previously did with the Saints and they always had a good secondary with Glenn at the helm.
How will the offense perform without Hockenson?
Hockenson was the Lions’ leading receiver with 395 yards, and now he’s gone. Who will step up in his absence? Brock Wright and rookie James Mitchell are set to get more reps. Hopefully Amon-Ra St. Brown can get going again as well. Kalif Raymond has had a couple of nice games the past couple of weeks, which is good to see.
Josh Reynolds really needs to get it going. He hasn’t been as reliable as he was down the stretch last year. He’s also banged up, which isn’t helping. And who knows what’s going on with D’Andre Swift anymore? Somebody needs to step up, because the offense can’t get shut out in the second half again.
Watching Swift
The Lions have been monitoring Swift all week, and will continue to watch him on Sunday. He’s still dealing with a sore shoulder, as Campbell said he wasn’t 100% last Sunday against Miami, which explains why he only got 10 touches. There is a slight correlation between him being in the lineup and the offense’s production. In Week 4 against Seattle, they put up 45 points, but were kept out of the end zone each of the next two games.
He got most of his touches in the first half last week when the Lions put up 27 points, but when he wasn’t on the field much in the second half, they were shut out. Swift is clearly a huge part of the offense and his presence on the field is clearly something to watch not just this week, but going forward as well.
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Is it tank season again?
By trading away a very good tight end in Hockenson for a couple of Day 2 picks, it sure seems like the Lions are punting on the 2022 season. At 1-6, it’s hard to blame them, even if Hockenson wasn’t going to sign a long-term deal with Detroit. The questions now becomes, it is draft pick watching season again? Would it be in the best interest of the team to continue to lose?
Some fans are tired of that mentality, but it may very well be where the team is at once again. The players and coaches surely feel quite differently, as they’re here to win games and make sure they still have a job next season. The NFL is weird, though, so you never know. Let’s see where the team is at by Thanksgiving. On the flip side…
How badly does this team need a win?
The Lions have lost five in a row and all already seems lost. However, getting just one win could change that, especially for the players. Remembering what it feels like to win a game could wash the bad taste of this losing streak right out of their mouths. Questions have been raised about the culture of the organization and whether it’s sustainable. There’s one sure-fire way to answer those questions: win games.
Matthew Scheidel is a freelance writer.