{"id":1350,"date":"2016-09-12T12:30:06","date_gmt":"2016-09-12T16:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=1350"},"modified":"2016-09-12T12:30:06","modified_gmt":"2016-09-12T16:30:06","slug":"detroit-lions-week-one-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2016\/09\/12\/detroit-lions-week-one-takeaways\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit Lions Week One Takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Detroit Lions<\/strong> opened the 2016 season with a much needed win. The game against the Indianapolis Colts<\/strong> was a toss-up game for Detroit.\u00a0The Lions\u00a0revealed and proved many different aspects of their team while still raising questions.\u00a0Below are\u00a0the Detroit Lions Week one\u00a0takeaways from the matchup on Sunday\u00a0with the Colts.<\/p>\n

Detroit Lions Week One Takeaways<\/h2>\n

Offensive Line<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Rookie Taylor Decker<\/strong> played safe and turned in a very nice performance on Sunday. He adapted and didn\u2019t let Matthew Stafford<\/strong> <\/a>see a ton of pressure. In the\u00a0first quarter, Decker showed mobility, switching on blitzes. Decker, and the Lions overall,\u00a0showed good containment, allowing only six\u00a0quarterback\u00a0hits and one sack. The Colts don\u2019t have a strong front seven, ranking 26th in last year\u2019s Pro Football Focus’ defense rankings. Regardless, Sunday was a great confidence builder for the young line. Detroit plays the Tennessee Titans<\/strong> in Week 2,\u00a0which, due to the Titans underwhelming defense,\u00a0should give the Lions\u00a0offensive line a chance to continue to gain momentum. <\/span><\/p>\n

Kerry Hyder<\/strong> <\/span><\/h3>\n

Kerry Hyder<\/strong><\/a>, the defensive lineman from Texas Tech<\/strong> made local news in the preseason after he stated that he couldn\u2019t afford to pay a fine of $17,000. But Hyder made\u00a0his name known\u00a0on the field on Sunday,\u00a0recording 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\u00a0sack specialist\u00a0Ezekiel Ansah <\/strong><\/a>more space to do what he does\u00a0best. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick Are Viable Receiving Threats<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Running backs very well could be the top targets for Stafford.\u00a0Running backs\u00a0caught 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ameer Abdullah<\/strong> <\/a>looked like the player he was at Nebraska<\/strong>, hitting blocking holes and showing dazzling agility. Theo Riddick<\/strong> <\/a>was unstoppable after the catch,\u00a0and he showed\u00a0incredible emotion after he scored his second touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Could\u00a0utilizing Abdullah and Riddick catching passes out of the backfield\u00a0be Detroit\u2019s 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\u2019s a substantial weight off offensive coordinator\u00a0Jim Bob Cooter<\/strong>\u2019s shoulders. <\/span><\/p>\n

Anquan Boldin<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Anquan Boldin<\/strong> <\/a>has a defined, but small role with the Lions. But the role he plays is an\u00a0important one.\u00a0Boldin\u00a0caught only\u00a0three passes for 35 yards on Sunday which doesn\u2019t 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\u00a0the former Florida State<\/strong> Seminoles’\u00a0yards 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.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Matthew Stafford’s Evolution<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Stafford really shined on Sunday.\u00a0The former University of Georgia Bulldog\u00a0<\/strong>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 \u201cshort-throws-let-the-playmakers-make-plays\u201d offensive scheme. <\/span><\/p>\n

Stafford\u00a0only had\u00a0eight incompletions out of 39 attempts,\u00a0and threw for\u00a0340 yards and\u00a0three touchdowns, with no interceptions. Stafford didn’t commit\u00a0any 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\u00a0believe Stafford will\u00a0continue to perform better with more help around him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Secondary Still Has Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The worldly introduction of a ferocious Lions defense was halted by the Colts. Andrew Luck<\/strong> <\/a>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\u00a0there are\u00a0a few explanations for the performance. The Colts were unsuccessful on the ground and their backs rushed for only\u00a061 yards. Indianapolis played behind the entire game, only leading once. Luck had to throw almost 50 passes to keep his team alive.\u00a0The former Stanford<\/strong> Cardinal\u00a0went into comeback king mode and elevated his play late in the game.<\/p>\n

It almost didn\u2019t 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<\/strong> <\/a>and Nevin Lawson<\/strong> <\/a>can produce quality defense while in zone coverage. The secondary has to correct their play calling to help\u00a0prevent\u00a0mistakes later\u00a0in the season when the Lions defense faces quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers<\/strong> <\/a>and Drew Brees<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

\n
Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n