By Roy J. Akers-www.skyviewsports.net
The Detroit Lions won the hard way with a last second win against Houston and then blew out Jacksonville last weekend. This week, the Lions play a (5-6) Indianapolis Colts team that has returned QB Anthony Richardson to the starting role and he played well last week. The Lions have NEVER been great at stopping running quarterbacks, and with Alex Anzalone on the IR, it is imperative they keep him contained and get the Colts offense off of the field. We will address this in our preview
Terrion Arnold… It’s time
In the NFL, wide receivers… and defensive backs tend to attract divas to the position. That is the case with the Lions rookie Terrion Arnold. After being one of the NFL leaders in pass interference and holding penalties the first month of the season, Arnold is improving his play. He said this, this week.
“When my picks come, they’re gonna come in bunches,” Arnold said, according to Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket. “So I don’t really worry about it. I just worry about being in the right position, being in the run fit. Even if the quarterback looks my way, he’s scared to pull it, he pulls back off, and then it forces a sack, I’m fine with that. I know at the end of the day, when I come in here, what my job is.
“And I ain’t ever been one to seek validation from others. Some people glorify stuff like that, they’re like, ‘If people ain’t giving me my praise, then I ain’t doing it right.’ I know what I’m doing. I know when I’m on the backside, by myself, it’s locked up.”
Lions fans would love to see a key pass breakup or two or an interception this week OOPS, Arnold is not playing this week due to injury.
Three Keys to the Game
Key One
Detroit is once again on the road, so get off to an early start. The Lions were 7-7 starting the game with long and ball control drives against Jacksonville last week. More of the same is in order. Detroit will use the running game duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery and a short passing game to keep the Colts off of the field. Detroit already has beaten three teams by 38 or more points building their 8-1 record. Since 2000, Only 10 teams have scored more points through their first 10 games than the Lions (336); that list includes teams quarterbacked by Hall of Famers (Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner), future Hall of Famers (Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers) and active MVPs (Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson).
The Lions’ +159 point differential is fifth-best over the first 10 games of a season in the last 25 years; they’re just the fourth team in NFL history to win at least three games by 38 points in a single season.
Key Two
Anthony Richardson is a juggernaut physically. This second year QB was lost early in his rookie season due to injury and he lost his job for several weeks this season. He will play Sunday and he knows what he is in for. “We know we’re getting ready to play a physical team, so they’re going to bring it to us,” quarterback Anthony Richardson said. “We got to bring it to them.” Richardson is completing less than 50-percent (48,4%) and has more interceptions than TD’s.
The Colts know Detroit is looking to takeaway the football. The biggest challenge will be facing a Lions defense that enters Week 10 with the fifth-most takeaways (19) in the NFL, a number propped up by 14 interceptions, second-most in the league behind the Minnesota Vikings. Most of the Lions picks have between throws of 10-19 yards. Richardson has a big arm but will face a Detroit team looking to contain him in the pocket.
Key Three
Detroit will use ball control early and then air it out. That has been the Lions trend in 2024. We explored the offense in Key one and to go a little more in depth… A hallmark of Detroit’s season has been throwing exploratory jabs in the first quarter, then landing haymakers in the second and third quarters:
| Quarter | Scoring drive % (NFL rank) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 26.9% (20th) |
| 2 | 65.7% (1st) |
| 3 | 48.3% (4th) |
| 4 | 29.4% (23rd) |
The Lions have scored 147 points in the second quarter (no other team has scored more than 112) and 92 points in the third quarter (behind only the Cincinnati Bengals, who’ve played one more game).
Detroit’s offense is powered by a top-level offensive line and a run game that’s both efficient (with David Montgomery) and explosive (with Jahmyr Gibbs). The Lions’ passing offense has been lethal playing off the run game – quarterback Jared Goff leads the NFL with 1,218 passing yards on play action; he’s averaging four more yards per completion on play action versus straight drop backs.
“Their offense is obviously elite right now,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said. “I mean, they’re scoring 33 points a game. Quarterback is playing at a high level. The two wideouts (Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams) are legit. The two backs are legit. The offensive line is legit.”
In a league where any team can beat just about anyone on “Any Given Sunday,” Detroit has too much talent for the Colts. My pick. Detroit 33-Indy 17.
Roy J. Akers is a multi-media reporter and covers several sports for www.skyviewsports.net