Detroit Lions Show Strength In Run Game As Swift Dazzles

DETROIT — Even though the Lions struggled to contain Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver A.J. Brown in Sunday's 38-35 loss at Ford Field, the Lions showed promise in the ground game, something that could be an essential building block going forward.

There's no question the strength of this Lions team is the ground game behind a stacked offensive line that proved they're one of the best in the league in yesterday's loss. The Lions have an emerging star in running back D'Andre Swift, and the line held up well against a star-studded Eagles defensive front, allowing Swift to dazzle for 144 years and touchdown.

Although Lions quarterback Jared Goff played like, well Jared Goff, he was sacked only one time behind that offensive line, and that was primarily due to a bad snap, something you almost never see from center Frank Ragnow.

Now of course the Lions have some things they need to clean up on the offensive side of the ball, starting with Goff, who's second quarter pick-six put the team in a 14-point hole. It wasn't until late in the third quarter when Goff stepped up in a well-protected pocket and deliver a downfield strike. That confidence seemed to stick with him during the rest of the Lions' second-half rally that ultimately came up short.

"I think we found a little bit of our identity there in the second half of who we wanted to be and what we want to do," Goff said after the game.

Mixing in some play-action passes behind a solid run game and pass protection could allow Goff to spin the ball downfield for big plays. But of course that calls for more aggressive play-calling, something Lions coaches seem hesitant on before a fair amount of conservative plays, like short-passes.

While the Lions had trouble bringing Eagles quarterback Hurts to the ground, they certainly got after him, forcing him to improvise and create plays. And give credit where credit is due, as the elusive Hurts made numerous Lions tacklers miss Sunday afternoon for big plays.

The Lions brought Hurts down just once, and highly touted rookie pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson had opportunities for numerous big plays, but came up a bit short, something that's destined for rookies, especially early on.

But make no mistake about it, the Lions defensive front got after him, which is a significant upgrade from last year when they had trouble getting after any quarterback. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn's second-half corner blitz was a great call to contain Hurts, despite being just one of the few times.

Glenn also debuted a new rush package with multiple speed rushers rushing the quarterback, a scheme that looked good and showed promise, especially early on, but began losing luster in front of a very good Eagles offensive line.

Hurts simply beat them, completing 18 of 32 passes for 243 yards and avoiding Lions tacklers for another 90 yards on the ground. He completed ten of those passes to newly acquired receiver A.J. Brown, who overpowered Lions defenders for 155 yards.

"We struggled with their quarterback. Hurts hurt us. So, he's a good player, but we got to be able to respond to those things," Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell said.

The Lions secondary did, however, shut down Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith, holding him to zero catches. The Eagles are very high on Smith and consider him an integral part of their offense.

The Lions lost another close one, but showed improvement, considering the Eagles destroyed them 44-6 last season and only got better during the off-season, as well as the favorites to win the NFC East.