Most of the week in the lead-up to the Detroit Lions’ Week 3 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens has surrounded Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ explosive offense. I get it. Jackson is a two-time MVP, and the Ravens’ offense has posted at least 40 points in back-to-back weeks. They are one of the most impressive offenses in the league.
But the Lions have a pretty dang impressive offense of their own. The highest-scoring unit of 2024, the Lions offense may have gotten off to a rocky start in Week 1, but they proved they aren’t dead with a 52-point smackdown of the Chicago Bears defense last week.
The Ravens figure to be more of a challenge defensively, and they’ve got a handful of good players on that side of the ball, too. So today’s Question of the Day is:
Which Ravens defender will the Lions need ot account for the most?
My answer: The easy answer is safety Kyle Hamilton. All week, Lions coaches and players have praised the third-year defender for his versatility and playmaking ability.
“He’s a big part of what they do on defense,” Jared Goff said this week. “He’s a great player, obviously, has been for a long time. Plays deep, plays short, plays man, plays zone, tackles well, can get his hands on the ball if you let him, he does kind of a little bit of everything right and is a big part of what they do.”
Already this year, Hamilton has 14 tackles, one for loss, two passes defended, and a forced fumble.
But I’m going to go with a different player: linebacker Roquan Smith. Smith is a do-it-all linebacker who is well familiar with the Lions from his over four years with the Chicago Bears. In his nine career games against the Lions, he’s produced 61 tackles, 5.0 sacks, six tackles for loss, and two passes defended.
What I thought was really interesting was when I asked Amon-Ra St. Brown about how the Ravens secondary will challenge their passing attack, he brought Smith into the conversation.
“Kyle Hamilton’s a beast, Marlon Humphrey, Roquan in the middle… they’ve got a bunch of dawgs over there on defense,” St. Brown said.
Given that the Lions love to attack the middle of the field—where Smith thrives—Detroit will need to keep tabs on the Pro Bowl linebacker.
Which Ravens defensive player are you concerned about against the Lions? Scroll down and share your answer in the comment section below.
