On Saturday, we discussed the Kansas City Chiefs players whom the Detroit Lions may have to be most concerned with on Sunday night. Now, let’s flip the tables.
The Lions are talented all over their roster. As soon as you try to shut down one player, another one can pop off in their place. Want to take away Jameson Williams over the top? Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta can just dominate the middle of the field. Hoping to neutralize Aidan Hutchinson with double teams and chips? Well, Al-Quadin Muhammad has been having a fantastic start to the year, tallying 3.5 sacks and, per PFF, 17 pressures (t-26th) and a 20.8 win rate (13th).
But games are all about matchups. The Chiefs may be more equipped to take away one player than another. So today’s Question of the Day is:
Which Lions player is the biggest key to victory over the Chiefs?
My answer: One of the first names to come to mind is Dan Skipper. Expected to start at left tackle this week, Skipper could be Detroit’s key to pass protection this week. While the Chiefs don’t have a ton of great pass rushers, both George Karlaftis and Chris Jones are tough matchups. If the Lions can neutralize both, their passing attack should be lethal. While the Chiefs have a strong secondary to contend with the Lions’ receivers, Detroit currently ranks second in yards per pass (7.5) and ninth in EPA/pass on plays where the quarterback has at least 2.5 seconds to throw.
Defensively, it’s hard to know who is even going to play in the secondary, so the key for Detroit will be to generate pressure quicker than ever before to help the back end. Quick pressure is not exactly the Lions’ forte on defense (opposing quarterbacks average a league-high 2.98 seconds to throw), and it’s a risky proposition against a quarterback as mobile as Patrick Mahomes. But if Aidan Hutchinson can beat the guy in front of him while maintaining lane discipline, it could be literally game-changing. If Hutchinson draws double teams and chips, as expected, Detroit will need more pass rushing juice out of the likes of Muhammad, Tyleik Williams, and Tyler Lacy.
Which Lions players do you think are key to a victory over the Chiefs? Explain your answers in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
