Not much went right in the Detroit Lions’ season opener against the Green Bay Packers. It took an outrageously impressive catch from Isaac TeSlaa in the final minutes for the offense to finally find the end zone. The defense gave up 17 points on the opening three drives. Special teams produced more flags than impressive plays.
The offensive line was a massive disappointment, the pass rush was non-existent, and Detroit’s one impressive unit—their run defense—even saw some signs of fatigue at the end of the game.
Some of the Lions’ problems were almost certainly the result of rust and building chemistry. Others, even by the team’s own admission, were self-imposed by poor decision-making and strategy.
But Week 2 is the time for adjustments and growth. So today’s Question of the Day is:
What is the biggest change the Lions should make in Week 2 vs. the Bears?
My answer: I would like to see Aidan Hutchinson lined up on the interior more, particularly on pass rushing downs.
Against the Packers, Hutchinson played on both the left and right edges, but he rarely moved inside. That left him vulnerable to tight end and running back chips, which Green Bay used early and often. There were very few times in which Hutchinson was not double-teamed in one way or the other.
Now, obviously, in the interior, Hutchinson could see plenty of double teams, too. Any combination of tackles, guards, and the center could make his life much harder. But if he’s right in the middle of the line, at the very least, he could occupy a couple of blockers to free other players up.
The even better part of Hutchinson playing in the middle is that he’d be going up against the most vulnerable part of the Chicago Bears’ offensive line. Much like Detroit, Chicago is going through a completely retooled interior offensive line, and even though that includes a potential future Hall of Famer in Joe Thuney, the group is going through some early struggles. Per NextGenStats:
“In their Vikings debut, Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen generated six pressures each, with Hargrave also recording two sacks and two quick pressures (under 2.5 seconds).
“They did so despite being double-teamed at 41.9% and 47.1% rates, respectively. All three of the Bears’ newly acquired interior linemen (Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson) yielded at least four pressures to the duo alone.”
So let’s see Hutchinson give that trio another headache on Sunday.
What would you like to see the Lions do differently on Sunday vs. the Bears? Scroll down to the bottom of the page to share your ideas.
