The Detroit Lions are continuing preparations for their Week 2 matchup against the Washington Commanders following Sunday’s disappointing setback against the Philadelphia Eagles by a 38-35 final score, dropping them to 0-1 so far in 2022. However, there remains good reason for optimism that they can return to the .500 mark with a win this weekend, and head coach Dan Campbell explained as much after the loss to the Eagles.
“There was a lot of encouraging things on tape,” he said during his postgame media remarks. “I’ll be honest with you, after watching the tape it was better than I felt after the game, so that’s always a good thing.”
Quarterback Play
Lions quarterback Jared Goff didn’t enjoy his best outing, going 11-for-23 with a touchdown and a costly interception. However, the good news is that he seemed to find a rhythm as the game progressed. He’ll certainly have his hands full trying to avoid the likes of defensive tackle Daron Payne, whose clutch sack on Trevor Lawrence set the stage for Washington’s victory.
Meanwhile, his future counterpart in Carson Wentz enjoyed an incredibly productive debut with the Commanders, throwing 313 yards and four touchdowns as part of a 28-22 comeback win over the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, propelling his team to a 1-0 start.
In order to prevent a repeat performance from Wentz and prevent Washington from moving to 2-0, the Lions will need more out of 2nd overall pick Aidan Hutchinson, who didn’t exactly enjoy the greatest of NFL debuts. However, despite the setback, Detroit’s offense was still able to produce 35 points.
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The Lions were led by Amon-Ra St. Brown, who hauled in eight receptions for a total of 64 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, D.J. Chark found the end zone in his first game as a Lion. D’Andre Swift led the way for Detroit’s ground attack with 144 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown, while Jamaal Williams racked up 28 yards with two touchdowns. Lions fans should have reasonable expectations of a repeat performance against Washington, whose defense ranked in the bottom ten of NFL teams last season. Cornerback William Jackson III led the way with nine tackles, while Darrick Forrest was right behind with five. A bit of good news for Detroit is that the Commanders will be without DT Phidarian Mathis, who suffered a season-ending injury.
On the other side of things, it was Washington’s Antonio Gibson leading the way on the ground with 14 carries for a total of 58 yards. He also hauled in seven receptions for 72 yards against Jacksonville, while Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel each had touchdowns of their own.
Commanders kicker Joey Slye will have to wait until this weekend for his first field goal attempt, as will Detroit’s Austin Seibert. The Lions will also be hoping to use punter Jack Fox less, who averaged 46.3 yards on his four attempts.
Advanced Stats for Washington Commanders v. Detroit Lions
Rushing
Detroit: 28 ATT, 181 YDS, 9 first downs
Washington: 28 ATT, 85 YDS, 7 first downs
Passing
Detroit: 205 YDS (21 of 37, 5.4 YPP), 80.4 RTG
Washington: 305 YDS (27 of 41, 7.6 YPP), 101.o RTG
Detroit Lions Key Offensive Stats
Yards/Play: 5.8
Points/Play: .530
Rush Play %: 42.42%
Pass Play %: 57.58%
Completion %: 56.76%
Third Down Conv %: 64.29%
Red Zone Scoring %:100.00%
Washington Commanders Key Offensive Stats
Yards/Play: 5.6
Points/Play: 0.400
Rush Play %: 40.00%
Pass Play %: 60.00%
Completion %: 65.85%
Third down Conv %: 70.00%
Red Zone Scoring %: 100.00%
The Detroit Lions welcome the Washington Commanders to Ford Field this Sunday for a 1:00 PM kickoff, with television coverage on Fox and radio coverage on 97.1 The Ticket.
