Lions fans expecting big things from Za’Darius Smith’s debut

The results from our latest SB Nation Reacts Survey are in and Lions fans are expecting Za’Darius to come out the gate hot.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Detroit Lions fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

In this week’s SB Nation Reacts surveys, we asked Lions fans two questions:

1. Are you confident the Lions are headed in the right direction? (weekly poll)
2. What are your expectations for Za’Darius Smith’s Lions debut?

Fans confidence in the direction of the Lions (8-1) has landed between 96 and 99% over the last seven weeks (all wins). Following a comeback win over the Houston Texans on “Sunday Night Football,” fans voted again and there was no dip in confidence, as 99% keeps the Lions at the top of the league.

For our second question, we asked fans what their expectations were for newly acquired edge rusher Za’Darius Smith for his Lions debut, and gave voters three choices to pick from based on his statistical averages.

The results from that survey are also in and are also not overly surprising:

Smith averages three pressures and a half-sack per game, but I’m sure many fans picked the largest option because we all hope Smith rapidly acclimates to the Lions’ scheme and explodes onto the scene.

That being said, it is worth noting that Smith has already faced the Jaguars, back in Week 2 when he was with the Browns. In that game, he squared off against Jaguars right tackle Anton Harrison, and Smith came away with two pressures.

Could Smith have more production the second time around? That’s hard to say for certain, but it is worth pointing out that Smith was in a groove before the Lions acquired him, registering 17 of his 27 pressures in the three games leading up to the trade.

So, is expecting Smith to register three pressures and a sack a case of fans hoping for something to happen? In my opinion, based on how he has been playing of late, and his energy level being elevated, I think those stats are entirely reasonable to achieve.

To get a closer look into the minds of Lions fans, here are a few of the explanations from the comment section of the original article, lightly edited for length and clarity:

• dustinrharvey: “I think he’s going to come out and play with some extra motivation to show Lions fans what he’s all about […] he’ll have a good amount of pressures that are going to lead to big plays on D. Go Lions!!!!”
• PDSX3: “Going all in — 3 pressures and 1 sack”
• Bishop West: “And a fumble recovery for a TD.”
• 40-year-fan: “We’ve been spoiled so I suggested 3+ pressures and 1 sack!”
• King of Pontus: “He is playing against a Mac Jones lead Jaguar team. I think he will have fun.”

In addition to our team-specific polls, SB Nation also ran a couple of national polls involving the Lions this week, the first asking if the Lions could cover the 13.5-point spread set by the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook. And despite the large number, 78% of NFL fans believe the Lions can clear that number. Whew.

I guess those results shouldn’t be overly surprising because when NFL fans were also asked to power rank the top 10 teams in the NFL, the Lions were firmly at the top: