The Detroit Lions are staring down Week 3 needing a serious bounce-back, especially after getting thoroughly beaten by the Buffalo Bills. Heading into the season, their matchup against the New York Jets, a team that limped to a 3-14 finish last year, looked like an absolute cakewalk. But Aaron Glenn has done something wild, because the Jets are now sitting at a shocking 2-0. Is this an early-season mirage, or are we about to see a seriously formidable Jets squad? We gotta break it down, because this isn’t just another game for Detroit.
Goff’s Arm Is Hot, But The Protection Is Shaking
Jared Goff and the Lions’ passing offense finally started looking like themselves in the second half of that Bills game. After a modest 204 passing yards and a 96.7 passer rating against the Saints in Week 1, they cranked it up to 289 yards and a 130.0 passer rating against Buffalo in Week 2. That’s a good sign, right? The team currently ranks fifth in passer rating with 113.2 and fifth in dropback EPA at 0.270. They’re tenth in dropback success rate too, sitting at 49.4%. It certainly feels like this unit can be a top-10 passing attack again, but there’s a giant red flag waving:
The pass protection is ROUGH. Last week, the Bills brought a relentless rush, generating a massive 29 pressures and sacking Goff four times on just 42 dropbacks. PFF now has Detroit ranked 27th in pass blocking grade. Yeah, ESPN’s pass block win rate says they’re eighth, which is a weird split, but 29 pressures? That’s not a fluke. The biggest culprits were backups: right tackle Larry Borom gave up 11 pressures, and left guard Ben Bartch wasn’t far behind with six. The good news for Lions fans is that Blake Miller and Christian Mahogany are expected back this week, hopefully pushing Borom and Bartch back to the bench. They need that help, and fast.
The Jets’ Defense: Bottom Feeder To Top Tier?
Now, let’s talk about these Jets. Last year, their pass defense was straight up awful. They ranked 32nd in passer rating allowed (110.9), 25th in yards per attempt (7.5), and 32nd in DVOA. Basically, if you wanted to throw the ball, the Jets were your guys. But this year? Things are looking incredibly different. They’ve allowed just 127 passing yards and an 80.2 passer rating in Week 1 against the Titans, and 136 passing yards with a 91.9 passer rating in Week 2 against the Packers. Those are impressive stats on the surface, moving them to fourth in pass defense DVOA this year!
But you gotta ask yourself: who did they play? A Titans passing offense that was bottom three last year, and a Packers team that was battling rain and had no offensive line. So, is their impressive start legit, or are they just feasting on weak matchups? This Sunday is going to give us some real answers. For the Lions to get their season back on track, Goff needs protection, and that O-line needs to hold up against a surprisingly good Jets pass defense. Everything is on the line for Detroit as they try to avoid a deeper hole.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pride of Detroit.
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