The Detroit Lions defense did a really nice job in containing All-Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the explosive Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. Mahomes managed just one touchdown throw and the Chiefs scored only 20 total points in Detroit’s road win.
A lot of the credit should go to the overhauled Lions secondary. Spearheaded by new safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson and rookie Brian Branch, the Lions coverage played well most of the night. Mahomes conpleted only 21 of his 39 pass attempts, netting 226 yards and one touchdown. Branch also scored a touchdown on a tip-drill pick-six.
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It was a good performance, but it could have been better. That’s the message from head coach Dan Campbell to his secondary. Correctable mistakes were a big theme of Campbell’s press conference earlier this week.
“Listen, it’s all correctable,” Campbell said of the coverage issues that did arise in Kansas City. “It’s all correctable because defensively, look, especially on the road, those guys can hear and this is just a matter of those guys playing together. We had a couple of things in the safety position, nickel, and (Lions DB Brian) Branch is new to the party, (Lions DB) C.J. (Gardner-Johnson) working back there with (Lions S) Kerby (Joseph) man, all correctable and so those things will – I’m not even, honestly, I’m not even sweating it.”
Campbell concluded with sincere optimism,
“I know we’ll be just fine. We’ll be great and we’ll be better this week, which is encouraging.”
The Lions draw the talented Seattle Seahawks and WRs D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in Ford Field in Week 2.