The Detroit Lions are back in the friendly confines of Ford Field today fresh off a big win Monday night on the road in Baltimore. The Lions play another AFC North foe as they welcome in the Cleveland Browns. Detroit is looking for a third straight win to improve their record to 3-1 on the season.
Here are five things to watch out for in today's contest:
1. Patience with run game
The Browns' defense is on a historic pace to start the season in terms of limiting teams on the ground. They've held Cincinnati, Baltimore and Green Bay to just a 57.3-yard average per game on the ground.
Detroit enters the contest fresh off a 224-yard rushing performance in the win over Baltimore and ranks fourth in the NFL after three weeks averaging 149.0 yards per game on the ground.
"I don't think they've seen a run game like ours yet," Lions offensive coordinator John Morton said this week. "We have patience. We stick with it. I think that's the biggest thing. Let's keep doing what we've been doing.
"We've got to do that so we can stay manageable. We have to stay manageable on third down. And third down and two to six, we've got to be in that area. So, first and second down is going to be crucial."
2. Plan for Garrett
Browns veteran Myles Garrett is arguably the best pure pass rusher in the NFL today. He's recorded double-digit sacks in seven straight seasons and has at least 14.0 sacks in each of the last four years.
Garrett has at least one sack in every game for the Browns this season and is second in the league after Week 3 with 4.0 sacks on the year. He can wreck a game. Left tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder - questionable) is likely to see the most reps against Garrett and it will be interesting to see how the Lions attack him. Will Decker go one-on-one with Garrett? Will they give Decker tight end and running back help? How will Garrett fare when he moves over to face Penei Sewell?
3. Robertson cornerback reps
The Lions are playing more base defense than they ever have in the Dan Campbell era and that means talented nickel cornerback Amik Robertson has seen his reps decline.
Robertson's play when he's on the field warrants more opportunities, but the Lions aren't going to change up what has been a successful scheme playing more base defense and utilizing the versatility of their linebackers.
The solution is letting Robertson mix in a little bit at outside cornerback. Cornerback Terrion Arnold has had an up-and-down start to his second season, and both Campbell and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said this week the plan is to rotate Robertson in some on the outside. What exactly will that look like and how many reps could Robertson get outside?
4. Can pass rush keep rolling?
Detroit had a whopping 34 quarterback pressures, seven sacks and seven quarterback hits against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens Monday night. It was tied for the most sacks the Ravens have ever allowed in a single contest in franchise history.
Detroit now has 11 sacks the last two weeks and are tied with Cleveland for No. 2 in the NFL behind only Denver (12) and the Los Angeles Rams (12). Al-Quadin Muhammad (knee - questionable) had 2.5 sacks against the Ravens and will look to keep his fine play opposite Aidan Hutchinson rolling.
Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, 40, isn't what you'd consider a mobile quarterback, but he is a savvy vet who is good at getting the ball out of his hands on time. Flacco has taken six sacks in three games.
5. Goff's play
Lions quarterback Jared Goff has had a terrific start to his fifth season in Detroit. He's leading the NFL in completion percentage (77.9), passer rating (141.8), yards per completion (12.0), yards per attempt (9.6) and is second with six touchdown passes. Maybe most impressive is the fact that Goff hasn't turned the ball over the first three weeks.
Goff has an amazing grasp of Morton's offense and the Lions are giving him a lot of freedom at the line of scrimmage to get them into the right plays and protections. This will be his toughest test of the season against a Browns' defense that ranks fourth in the NFL in pass defense (147.0). Can Goff keep it rolling today and help Detroit to their third straight win?
