By Mark Halpern
If the first five weeks tell us anything, it starts to showcase the Division leaders and potential winners. The Detroit Lions have been one of the most complete teams, along with the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Miami Dolphins as the potential Super Bowl Candidates. While the season is still young, the Lions are making their ROAR heard.
I have spoken enough about what Jared Goff is doing, so let’s shift the focus to the significant offense contributors expected for this game. David Montgomery has been lights out over the past three weeks. He has averaged better than 17 rushes per game, rushing for an average of over a hundred yards and at least one score per game. Montgomery has proven why he was traded; he is just one essential part. He will have to step up again as Jahmyr Gibbs is out again. The Wide Receivers mostly have exceeded their expectations. St. Brown has been the #1 for a good reason, as he leaders the team in targets and receptions, but it isn’t just a one-man show. Sam LaPorta is becoming that safety target for Goff, and they are working together like Witten and Romo. La Porta, a second-round pick, is playing better than any previous rookie TE drafted over the last three years. Veteran Josh Reynolds has stepped up in light of the St. Brown injury (he is not on the injury report this week), showed his veteran experience, and has given Goff a solid target to work with. The Offensive line deserves the most prominent credit here. They have opened highway-sized holes for Montgomery and Gibbs to run through and given Goff an average of 3.37 seconds to get rid of the ball. That’s above average for any team.
What has to happen this week? The Defense has to pressure Baker because he is one of the worst QBs when flushed out of the pocket. If the Lions could do just that, then taking Evans and Goodwin out of this game, the Lions should have no problem moving on to an impressive 5-1 on the season.
The Sports Insanity Network 