The Detroit Lions opened the 2016 season with a much needed win. The game against the Indianapolis Colts was a toss-up game for Detroit. The Lions revealed and proved many different aspects of their team while still raising questions. Below are the Detroit Lions Week one takeaways from the matchup on Sunday with the Colts.
Detroit Lions Week One Takeaways
Offensive Line
Rookie Taylor Decker played safe and turned in a very nice performance on Sunday. He adapted and didn’t let Matthew Stafford see a ton of pressure. In the first quarter, Decker showed mobility, switching on blitzes. Decker, and the Lions overall, showed good containment, allowing only six quarterback hits and one sack. The Colts don’t have a strong front seven, ranking 26th in last year’s Pro Football Focus’ defense rankings. Regardless, Sunday was a great confidence builder for the young line. Detroit plays the Tennessee Titans in Week 2, which, due to the Titans underwhelming defense, should give the Lions offensive line a chance to continue to gain momentum.
Kerry Hyder
Kerry Hyder, the defensive lineman from Texas Tech made local news in the preseason after he stated that he couldn’t afford to pay a fine of $17,000. But Hyder made his name known on the field on Sunday, recording a game high two sacks, leaving fans and broadcasters stunned. Hyder lost almost 40 pounds en route to making the roster, putting him at 265 with interior lineman strength. The possibility of another pass rushing presence will help give sack specialist Ezekiel Ansah more space to do what he does best.
Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick Are Viable Receiving Threats
Running backs very well could be the top targets for Stafford. Running backs caught every pass thrown their way on Sunday, and produced a combined stat line of 10 receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns. The shifty backs put together their best work under the new system designed to complement their skill set.
Ameer Abdullah looked like the player he was at Nebraska, hitting blocking holes and showing dazzling agility. Theo Riddick was unstoppable after the catch, and he showed incredible emotion after he scored his second touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Could utilizing Abdullah and Riddick catching passes out of the backfield be Detroit’s secret weapon to offensive success? For at least one game it was successful. The offense the Lions implemented on Sunday worked, as Stafford completed passes to eight different receivers, and that’s a substantial weight off offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter’s shoulders.
Anquan Boldin
Anquan Boldin has a defined, but small role with the Lions. But the role he plays is an important one. Boldin caught only three passes for 35 yards on Sunday which doesn’t exactly jump off a stat sheet. But Detroit went to Boldin early in the game to convert third downs that turned into points. All of the former Florida State Seminoles’ yards were hard earned and with purpose. Boldin provides a physical power that is under represented in the Lions offense and it is likely he will see more looks on crucial downs throughout the season.
Matthew Stafford’s Evolution
Stafford really shined on Sunday. The former University of Georgia Bulldog owes a big thank you to his offensive line, but Stafford truly was in great form against the Colts. A lot of that has to do with the new “short-throws-let-the-playmakers-make-plays” offensive scheme.
Stafford only had eight incompletions out of 39 attempts, and threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. Stafford didn’t commit any of the mistakes that have plagued him at times: No side arm passes, no rocket passes into tight spaces, and not many deep ball attempts. This certainly is different than anything he has ever worked with before. But Stafford looked comfortable within this system. His new found pocket presence and running game will both help him continue to develop. There is reason to believe Stafford will continue to perform better with more help around him.
Secondary Still Has Questions
The worldly introduction of a ferocious Lions defense was halted by the Colts. Andrew Luck went 31/47 for 385 yards and four touchdowns and earned a passer rating of 119.5. This was certainly a shocking game for the secondary, but there are a few explanations for the performance. The Colts were unsuccessful on the ground and their backs rushed for only 61 yards. Indianapolis played behind the entire game, only leading once. Luck had to throw almost 50 passes to keep his team alive. The former Stanford Cardinal went into comeback king mode and elevated his play late in the game.
It almost didn’t look like Detroit was playing poorly, just that Luck was playing out of his mind. He was doing everything he could to keep Indianapolis afloat. Luck is also one of the best quarterbacks that Detroit will face all season, certainly a tough one to start with. There still are concerns whether corners Darius Slay and Nevin Lawson can produce quality defense while in zone coverage. The secondary has to correct their play calling to help prevent mistakes later in the season when the Lions defense faces quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.
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