Lions Rushing Attack Dominates in 20-13 Win

The Detroit Lions bounced back in solid fashion after a truly frustrating loss in week 2 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although Detroit seemed to put up decent offensive numbers overall last week, it did not translate to a victory. In last week's game, the Lions' rushing attack was somewhat ineffective. Yards were gained, but the trenches were lost. Week 3 was a completely different story. This time, there was an effectively balanced rushing attack that utilized both Lions' backs well.

In the Lions' 20-13 win Sunday against Arizona, The offense again put up some solid numbers across the board. Jared Goff completed 18 of his 23 passes. He did pass for two touchdowns while, unfortunately, throwing an interception again this week. While Goff only threw for 199 passing yards this week, he was much more effective than last week, and if you watched the game, you could tell he looked better overall. While Goff certainly can play at a higher level, seeing a little more confidence on display from the Lions Quarterback was nice. Meanwhile, the balanced rushing attack versus Arizona played a vital role in the Lion's win.                      

A balanced rushing attack, along with the battle in the trenches, is what made the difference in this game. Running the ball against Arizona was smooth sailing for much of the game for the Detroit Lions offensive line. Detroit chose to run early and often. Detroit opted for a much more balanced rushing attack this week, with Jahmyr Gibbs getting 16 carries and Bell-cow back David Montgomery making the absolute most of his 23 rushing attempts. Gibbs ran for 83 yards with a highly effective average of 5.2 yards per carry. 

While Montgomery ran for 105 yards and a Touchdown, one thing is for certain: Detroit sent a message by running the ball dominantly throughout the game. The team saw much more success due to Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson's better offensive game plan, which included a more balanced rushing attack than last week. Another huge reason for the week three win was a great performance by the Lion's defense yet again.

This Lions defense has proved early in the NFL season that it’s fully capable of being a top-five unit. Their front seven is as good as any unit and has proved to be extremely effective in these first three games. At this point, we know that Aidan Hutchinson is a defensive superstar who is fully capable of applying consistent pressure on the quarterback.

Hutchinson regularly sees double teams and even triple teams, and yet he still finds a way to be disruptive. Aidan’s teammates have benefited greatly from all the extra attention he is receiving from opposing offensive lines. This opens the floodgates for guys like Marcus Davenport, James Houston, Alex Anzalone, and others!

We couldn’t talk about the Lions defense without giving proper credit to their gritty secondary. Led by guys like Brian Branch, Carlton Davis and Lions safety Kirby Joseph, this unit has vastly improved from a season ago.  Amik Robertson has played solid and rookie corner Terrion Arnold is holding his own out there.

Each week Arnold has shown improvement. He had the 1 on 1 assignment against Cardinals Star Studded Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. this week. Harrison was contained to only 5 catches for 64 yards and a score. Although he had 5 catches, he was targeted 11 times, meaning Arnold and company did their job.

 No matter how you slice it, holding an opposing NFL team to 13 points and less than 300 total yards is an excellent defensive performance. This team has the tools to make it incredibly far this year. If the defense consistently can play at a level similar to this, Detroit will make history. If the team continues to utilize a balanced rushing attack like this week, watch out NFL!

 The Lions will get better as the weeks go by. As the offense catches up with the defense, this team will be the deadliest unit in the NFC. The Lions look to improve to 3-1 on the season as they face off against Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football on September 30th at Ford Field.