Is this how you had Lions v Eagles playing out? Be honest.

We all love the prediction exercise. As I wrote about in my debut series here at The Warm Take, predictions were all over the map in regards to the Detroit Lions this season. The “Same Old Lions” honks out there threw out their 3-13s and 4-12s, citing the tough schedule and general Lions-y stuff that would sink this team hard and fast. Even the “Joey Blue-Skies” dreamers out there, whose flickers of hope haven’t yet been extinguished by this franchise, couldn’t go higher than 10-6 without risking being carried away in a straight-jacket.

No matter which camp you belong to, one thing is for certain…NO ONE had this one as a win for the Lions when the schedules came out. If you did, you are “wacky prediction guy”, so you don’t matter. And I hate you. 

All things in perspective, being undefeated through the first three games is a huge accomplishment for this team. The schedule is front-loaded and only gets harder from here, so in a way, they are playing with some early season house money. If they lose the next two, which they should (KC, @GB), the Lions will still be in fine position once the storm clears and the games get easier. 

That being said, there are some items that need to be discussed about this game, and some of it ain’t pretty. Since this was a win I’ll get the negative out of the way first. 

Broadcast bum = Thom Brennaman

The reason I want the Lions to be good, more than any other? So we can upgrade our announce crews. I’m fine with Chris Spielman. I used to tear it up with him in Tecmo Super Bowl in 1993.

Thom Brennaman, on the other hand? Shameful performance in Week 3. 

Go figure, all of the things this guy was botching made the Lions look bad…

1) He said the Lions need to make it a two-score game…while leading by 10.

2) Being uber-critical of the Lions for settling for field goals. As if it’s that easy to score a touchdown on every drive, on the road, as an underdog, against the team that won the Super Bowl two seasons ago. Did I mention it’s the Lions? Lay off, would ya?

3) Having the nerve to commend the Eagles for “hanging tough” against the Lions, despite all their injuries. Yes, a heroic effort indeed. I feel bad that the Lions won, quite frankly. It truly wasn’t a fair fight. The Lions lost Darius Slay and Mike Daniels in this game, by the way. Two former Pro-Bowlers. But still, mad props to the Eagles. Shrines will be erected for your courage on this day.

“Snacks” is wack

And I ain’t takin’ that back, though I may catch some flack. A sense of humor, I do not lack. For clever wordplay, I have a knack. My rhyming skills lead the pack. The Fugees covered Roberta Flack. Rest in peace Robert Stack. I’m doing this for you, not me. You need this.

I gently floated my early season concerns for the slightly disappointing defensive line out there last week.  I also cited “Snacks” Harrison’s snap count as a sign that he may be showing the effects of skipping his offseason workouts and minicamp in search of a contract extension. Well, the water felt nice, so I’m now going all-in with this take. 

Harrison only participated in 50% of the defensive plays in this game. Which is fine, as long as those are quality snaps, filled with the signature run stuffs that made him Pro Football Focus’ Run Defender of the Year for four consecutive seasons. I didn’t see them. It is painful to watch this man pick himself off the ground and waddle to the sidelines. He simply doesn’t look conditioned to stay on the field for consecutive plays. Philadelphia ran an uptempo drive early in this game and Harrison was on the sidelines for nearly all of it, only entering when the pace slowed near the goal line. 

The Lions are allowing 125 rushing yards per game this season, including 137 against Philadelphia. This despite the fact that Detroit nearly led this game wire-to-wire, and led by multiple scores for a good chunk of it, putting the Eagles in a passing game script. The Lions allowed 92 rushing yards per game last season after acquiring Harrison.

The Lions have a Week 5 bye looming. The other day in a Kroger parking lot a guy handed me a flyer for a free trial to Burn Fitness. I know someone who could use it. Now that’s a burn.

Where art thou, running lanes?

Kerryon Johnson received a career-high 20 carries against Philadelphia, and turned that into a meager 36 yards. I’m pinning that mostly on the offensive line, as Johnson ran hard and didn’t leave many yards out there. Kerryon converted at the goal line as well as on 3rd and short, running violently forward and not wasting time dancing in the backfield. These are the situations that C.J. Anderson (and LeGarrett Blount in 2018) failed to deliver, and it was a breath of fresh air to see Kerryon prove that you don’t always have to give it to your biggest RB in these situations. Give it to the best player.  

That being said, there has been far too much money and premium draft picks spent on the offensive line for this to be an acceptable result. The Lions have spent a large portion of the season playing with a lead, currently sit at 2-0-1, and yet have been outrushed this season by nearly 100 yards. Rushing yards and wins are generally positively correlated, so it’s only a matter of time before a lack of balance bites the Lions.

*This just in: Frank Ragnow has been graded as the 2nd best Center (#1 run blocking) in the NFL through the first three weeks by Pro Football Focus. The line as a unit comes in at 11th overall. Quite the gap. Looks like we will have to keep an eye on the rest of this group to find who isn’t pulling their weight in the run game. 

Road to redemption: Jamal Agnew and Taylor Decker

Bounce-back performances from these two when they needed it most. Particularly for Agnew, who I was surprised to see tasked with the return duties after his abysmal performances to start the season. Agnew wasted no time making up for the damage he caused in the first two games by taking the Lions’ opening kickoff to the house. I was just as impressed with his 24-yard 4th quarter punt return, where he fielded the ball with plenty of open space in the middle of the field and took every last yard available to him. Agnew was routinely brought down after trying to do too much in the first two games, so this was a welcome sight.

Decker gets the microscope off of him after this performance, in which he kept Matthew Stafford upright and mostly pressure-free. He allowed two sacks, a league-high seven pressures, and committed four penalties in Week 1. He then followed it up with a DNP in Week 2, while his replacement, Tyrell Crosby, kept Stafford clean. This wasn’t a special performance from Decker, just one in which he did what he is expected to do on a weekly basis. ‘Pac tells me not to trust him just yet though… 

Studs = Sure-handed receivers

So this is what it looks like when the other team drops all the passes. Nearly every player who caught a pass for the Lions chipped in with a high degree-of-difficulty catch. Even non-WRs like Kerryon Johnson and Logan Thomas put their stamp on this one. 

This is quickly becoming a “spread the wealth” situation on offense. It seems every week it could be a different player who has the big numbers. Week 1 was the Hockenson and Amendola game. Week 2 saw Kenny Golladay go for over 100 yards. This one was Marvin Jones’ coming out party. This is a far cry from the “Golladay or bust” offense from the second half of 2018.

Almost studs = Linebackers (again)

This group has impressed me in every game this season. They jump off the screen in a way that I expected the defensive line to, but hasn’t yet. From the red-hot start of Jahlani Tavai’s career, to the stat sheet stuffing ways of Devon Kennard, this position has been a pleasant surprise thus far.

Some 4th quarter blown coverages from Christian Jones and a late personal foul from Jarrad Davis forced me to revoke full stud status for this game. Sorry boys, I know that’s what you play for. Use it as motivation for next week.

Almost stud 2.0 = Sam Martin

Do I need to reevaluate my life choices if I’m waxing poetically about a Detroit Lions Week 3 punting performance? Probably, but I press on. Unreturnable, booming directional punts by Sam Martin flipped the field for the Lions repeatedly in this game. Full stud status was within Martin’s grasp, until his two 4th quarter touchbacks netted a total of 58 yards. I guess you can say he “punted” away his award.

A win is a win

Sometimes the easiest path to victory is to let your opponent beat themselves. Philadelphia made mistake after back-breaking mistake, and the Lions capitalized. Year-after-year the Lions find themselves on the opposite end of this equation, the team that shoots themselves in the foot. 

But not on this day.

Subscribe to receive the latest articles straight to your inbox

https://www.facebook.com/thewarmtake/

@TheWarmTake on Twitter