Don’t allow yourself to think about the past when it comes to Sunday’s Eagles’ regular season-opening game in Detroit. How the Lions have performed in the past and the result of last season’s Eagles’ win in Detroit don’t apply here. The truth is, that the Eagles were a playoff team in 2021 doesn’t apply to 2022.
New year. New NFL. That’s just the way it is.
And so the Lions are a team heading in the right direction. In Head Coach Dan Campbell’s first season, the Lions lost a series of close games (19-17 to Baltimore, 19-17 to Minnesota, 28-19 to the Rams) before it all came crashing down in Philadelphia’s 44-6 win in Week 8. That was the low point in the season, because after that Detroit tied Pittsburgh and then narrowly lost to Cleveland and Chicago before winning its first game of the season against Minnesota to kick off a 3-3 close to the campaign.
Now? Detroit had the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and chose game-changing defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who has drawn rave reviews in Detroit this summer. A later first-round pick, wide receiver Jameson Williams, was the highest-rated at his position heading into the draft and, while he won’t play in Week 1, is expected to be a dynamic player at this level.
The Lions have bought into Campbell’s intense, impassioned, and physical pitch.
So, yes, this is a very different Detroit team than the one the Eagles played last season. Here are some things you need to know about the Lions as Sunday (1 PM, FOX) comes into focus …
1. While the Eagles celebrate having a standout second-year wide receiver in DeVonta Smith, the Lions feel the same way about Amon-Ra St. Brown, who became a larger part of the Lions’ passing game following the loss to Philadelphia. St. Brown finished the season with at least six receptions in each of the final eight games and he was named the NFC Offensive Rookie of the Month in December and set Detroit rookie records with 90 catches and 912 yards for the season. St. Brown did a lot of his damage out of the slot last season and he bears watching on Sunday. It’s going to be intriguing to see how the Eagles match up against him, a bigger inside body at 6-feet, 202 pounds.
2. Detroit has put together quite a talented group of pass catchers around quarterback Jared Goff, so the Eagles are preparing for a significant challenge. It’s not just about St. Brown. The Lions added D.J. Chark, who missed all but four games last season playing with Jacksonville and then signed with Detroit in…
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