Despite the Washington Commanders’ season-opening victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, sportsbooks seem skeptical this team is for real. For their Week 2 matchup, they made the Detroit Lions a favorite for the first time in a span of 24 games, a stretch that goes all the way back to early in the 2020 season.
Detroit lost at home last week to the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35. But momentum seems to be building around the Lions. This year’s edition of the HBO series “Hard Knocks” spotlighted the rebuilding franchise, featuring relentlessly intense coach Dan Campbell and Detroit’s talent in the trenches, including right tackle Penei Sewell (No. 7 overall pick in 2021) and edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (No 2 picks in 2022). Ford Field was sold out in Week 1 and could be again this week.
“This is going to be a very vibrant, exciting atmosphere,” Commanders Coach Ron Rivera said. “I understand it’s going to be real close to last week in terms of the fan participation. So… how do we handle that? We had a home crowd [last week], and we fed off that energy. Now we’re going to have a group that’s going to try and suck the energy out of us. How do we respond?”
Here’s what to watch as Washington starts its road slate against the Lions on Sunday (1 pm, Fox).
Washington must withstand Detroit’s aggression. Under Campbell, the Lions, who have not won a playoff game in 30 years, have tried to change their reputation as perennial losers by compensating for a lack of elite talent with audacity. Last week’s matchup with the Eagles provided a good example.
Down 10 in the third quarter, he called for an onside kick. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn had his unit blitz 45.5 percent of the time, the second-highest rate in the league in Week 1.
Sometimes, the Lions’ boldness backfired. Before halftime, the Eagles hit a big play and kicked a field goal after Campbell called timeout in an attempt to squeeze out one more possession; the onside kick failed and yielded a short-field touchdown; Glenn’s blitzes hardly deterred quarterback Jalen Hurts, who passed for 243 yards and added another 90 with a touchdown on the ground.
But for a team such as Washington, prone to its own mistakes, matching aggression can be dangerous. If the Commanders open the door for an opponent to get back in the game as they did last week with ill-timed interceptions or coverage busts, the Lions won’t shy away from taking a shot to maximize the opportunity.
Spotlight on linebacker Jamin Davis. Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said the 2021 first-round pick “didn’t play very well” in the opener, which surprised him after Davis’s strong preseason. Rivera echoed Del Rio by saying Davis needed to play with better technique and be more aware of the scheme so he could complement his teammates.
Jacksonville consistently targeted Davis when passing. Detroit has similar pass-catching talents on offense — running back D’Andre Swift, tight end TJ Hockenson and slot receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown — which could heighten the importance of Davis’s performance.
“The expectations are higher [in Year 2],” Rivera said.
Might have been surprised to hear Del Rio be so publicly critical of Jamin Davis, but Davis did struggle. Here’s two examples of the issues he had in coverage. Both times matched up on RB out of the backfield, got beat far too easily on both occasions. pic.twitter.com/X8eHgoxDbG
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) September 15, 2022
Washington needs to slow down Swift and St. Brown. While the Lions’ offense is led by Jared Goff — who went first overall in the 2016 draft, one slot ahead of Carson Wentz — most of their production comes from a few playmakers.
Chief among them is Swift, the 5-foot-9, 211-pound, dual-threat out of Georgia. Last week, the third-year back racked up 144 yards and a touchdown on 15 rushing attempts and added three catches for 31 yards and another score.
“As talented a player is in the league at that position,” Del Rio said. “He’s a very, very good runner. Excellent contact balance, good speed. Understands how to set up blocks. He can make people miss, he can run away from people. I have a lot of respect for him.”
St. Brown isn’t an athletic marvel at 6-foot and 202 pounds — the Lions have bigger targets in DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds — but is an integral part of the offense, often catching routes underneath.
If he has at least eight catches on Sunday, he’ll become the third player in NFL history with that many or more in eight straight games, joining Antonio Brown (eight in 2014) and Michael Thomas (eight in 2019).
Both teams could be more physical because of the referee. Bill Vinovich, a 17-year veteran, seems to believe in letting players play. Last season, Vinovich and his crew called 9.06 penalties for 75 yards per game, both the fewest in the NFL, according to Sharp Football Stats. They also called zero roughing the passer penalties.
Vinovich has referred seven games in which Rivera has been a head coach and called only 28 penalties, 16 of which were presnap, according to TruMedia. In 258 passing snaps among those games, he has called pass interference once for 14 yards.
Injury report: Washington listed starting safety Kam Curl (thumb) and guard Wes Schweitzer (hamstring) as questionable for the game. Middle linebacker Cole Holcomb (quad) was limited in practice on Thursday and Friday but deemed good to go.
Detroit ruled out starting center Frank Ragnow (groin/foot) and listed four players as questionable: Swift (ankle), guard Jonah Jackson (finger), safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (hamstring) and cornerback Amani Oruwariye (hamstring).
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