The good news for Lions fans (and Thanksgiving Day football fans) is that Detroit’s offense should be eminently watchable this year.
Matthew Stafford led the Lions’ starters to scores on all four of his drives against the Broncos on Saturday night. He threw for 130 yards and a touchdown in 18 attempts. Calvin Johnson made another spectacular touchdown catch look routine, and rookie running back Jahvid Best looks like the real deal.
Best rushed eight times for 49 yards and caught two passes in one half of work. He’s an electric back to watch and has shown an early ability to make NFL starters miss. He ran between the tackles and lined up as a wideout. The Lions’ starters scored 16 first half points despite stalling around the ten-yard line three times.
The bad news for Lions fans is that the team’s defense doesn’t look any better. For the second straight week, Detroit’s secondary looked as bad on the field as it does on paper.
Kyle Orton carved up the Lions to the tune of 16-of-22 passes for 177 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in one half of work.
Lions coach Jim Schwartz is hoping that a rebuilt defensive line can cover up his team’s problems in the back seven, but his defensive line is unlikely to be that good.