“When it rains, it pours” is the best quote to describe how the Lions lost to the Packers on Monday night.
For three-quarters, Dan Campbell’s team resembled one that fans could get behind. They appeared to have some fight left in the tank after their finish against the 49ers. Whether it was a great week of practice or feeling themselves in the new all-white uniforms, the Lions seemed prepared.
Jared Goff came to play.
T.J. Hockenson came to play.
Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift came to play.
However, the Lions’ defense did not.
Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, and the rest of the Packers cooked the Lions like a well-done steak from start to finish. For the second week in a row, an opponent exposed the Lions’ defense, headed by Aaron Glenn.
And yes, I know, that’s a ton of Aaron’s to keep up track of, but stick with me. For starters, let’s examine Rodgers. Here’s a guy whom national media was ready to write off after his abysmal showing in Week 1 vs. the Saints. It didn’t make any sense because even the greatest quarterback will have bad games now and then.
But one thing people forgot is that Rodgers owns the Lions.
After dismantling Detroit through the air with four touchdowns, he improved to 18-5, all-time, against the Lions with 50 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. And what’s so shocking about that number of touchdowns is that it seems low for him against the Lions.
Now let’s get to Aaron Jones.
Of Rodgers’ four touchdown passes, Jones was the recipient of three. He’s the first Packers’ running back with three touchdown receptions in a game since Andy Uram. And Uram accomplished that feat in 1942. Jones ran one in himself along with the three TD grabs, giving himself four TDs for the night, just like Rodgers. Along with that, he became the first player to get four touchdowns on a Monday Night Football game since Marshall Faulk did it back in 2000 against the Bucs.
The Packers whipped the Lions so bad that Davante Adams was just a footnote on the night. And he caught eight passes for 121 yards.
Aaron Glenn and Aubrey Pleasant have their work cut out for them this week. It was an embarrassing showing for Glenn’s defense as a whole and Pleasant’s secondary. Being fair to Pleasant, though, he’s without a lot of bodies. The Lions are extremely thin at cornerback.
They lost Quinton Dunbar before the season started due to personal issues, releasing him after his training camp absence. In Week 1, they lost Jeff Okudah for the entire season after he ruptured his Achilles. And during the Packers game, rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu had to exit due to a hamstring injury. Not to mention, a young secondary had to face one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. So it was a tough test for the secondary.
However, the linebackers did not get the job done. Their efforts against the run for the second week in a row have been laughable at best. Aaron Jones had nine carries for 49 yards in the first half, averaging 5.4 yards per rush. The Packers run game was so effective that it appeared Aaron Rodgers took the night off.
Now 0-2, the Lions will need to figure many things out as Lamar Jackson and the Ravens head to town because they couldn’t figure out how to stop the run vs. 49ers or the Packers. And trying to get that together in less than a week to face a dynamic runner like Jackson will be an arduous task.
Follow Kory Woods on Twitter at KoryEWoods.
