The Detroit Lions have the tough task of tackling Kyler Murray and covering stud rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. with their first road trip of the season in Week 3 action. This post will sift through three burning questions ahead of the Lions-Arizona Cardinals matchup.
Can the Lions contain Cardinals QB Kyler Murray?
Kyler Murray was cooking last weekend. Seriously, go watch some highlights from Arizona’s thrashing of the Los Angeles Rams. Murray was extending plays in the pocket, letting the ball rip and threw only four incompletions on his way to a perfect passer rating.
The Lions struggled with Baker Mayfield’s slipperiness last week in some key spots, so answering the challenge of someone like Murray is vital to success. One thing to watch is Murray and Harrison’s blossoming connection, with the two connecting four times for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Harrison seems to be adjusting to life in the NFL, well, and paired with Murray’s ability to extend plays and let the ball rip downfield, the Lions are aware of what they need to do to get back on track in Arizona.
Related: Lions confident they have pieces to stop surging Cardinals QB and top rookie WR
“And the fact they’ve incorporated under center with it and the heavy runs with boots off of it, really hard action, get him out of the pocket completely, let him see the field, and if it’s not there you see what he can do with his feet,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said earlier this week. “So, I just think it’s good, man, it’s allowed them to really control the game. They can control the game if you let them, and I think it’s been good for him. It’s right up his alley. I mean, he got a perfect quarterback rating. So, I just think it fits him well. I think they’re still using the things that he can create problems out of the gun, the read run, the sone run stuff, but then they can just downhill beat you up if they want.
“I don’t know how many missed sacks, missed tackles he avoided last week, I hadn’t counted them up yet, but that’ll be a project for me tonight because it was unbelievable. I mean, it’s just time after time after time. So, he’s dangerous, man. He’s dangerous.”
Will Aidan Hutchinson feast on another favorable matchup?
Aidan Hutchinson leads the NFL in about every pass-rushing category possible. He has 5.5 sacks, 17 pressures and winning more than 40% of his pass-rushing reps. Hutchinson has feasted on favorable matchups to this point, and he’ll get the chance to do it again out west.
The Cardinals have Jonah Williams and Christian Jones on injured reserve, so Hutchinson is looking at Kelvin Beachum on the right and Paris Johnson Jr. on the left. But it will likely be the right tackle, Beachum, more times than not.
Related: Aidan Hutchinson looks to remain force for Lions against another slippery QB
“It’s all about being in the right place at the right time and timing,” Hutchinson said. “A lot of those were just because the d-line, we were all rushing together as one, too. That always helps. Again, just everybody rushing together is vital in anybody getting sacks, really.
“It’s a culmination of a lot, definitely physically, definitely mentally, just being in the league now, seeing what I’ve seen. Everything just kind of slows down more once you’ve been in the game. Just my development as a player, too, I think all those things, year after year, as those develop, your level of play is only going to rise.”
It can’t get any worse in the red zone, right?
Seriously, though. Scoring just once on seven trips inside the 20-yard line is unacceptable. The Lions know this, and they have been putting in the work this week to adjust that brutal showing. Some of those drives were doomed by tough early-down looks, pushing them to the outskirts of the red zone, but the end-of-half penalty on the field-goal unit and the missed opportunities were killers, no matter how much sugar coating happens on this subject.
“I think that’s uncharacteristic of us, I really do,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff said. “Like you said, we were able to move the ball. We had quite a few yards. I have to do a better job of taking care of the ball in some of those situations and keep us on the field, not put the ball in harm’s way. But overall, we did move the ball pretty well, and I think building off that will be the way we want to go this week.
“It was just they played well on defense, we didn’t play well enough on offense and got down there seven times, which I think was the most we’ve gotten down there since Ben’s been calling plays, but ultimately, we didn’t capitalize on it, and they did a good job on defense.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-22 00:10:00
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