Every week during the regular season, Tim Twentyman will answer questions from his X account @ttwentyman for a Lions Mailbag.
Twentyman: I know Jets quarterback Geno Smith threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns, but I thought the secondary was much better in phase against New York vs. what we saw the first couple weeks against New Orleans and Buffalo.
The next step is making some more plays on the football. Smith produced a 21.1 completion percentage over expected Sunday because Detroit's defenders were in better position to make plays, but it was the receivers that made more of the plays on the football. There weren't receivers running wide open or miscommunication issues like we saw the first couple weeks.
Twentyman: Linebacker Jack Campbell was obviously hard on himself after the Buffalo loss. His Pro Football Focus grades are down and his tackle numbers are also down early this season. Detroit's playing considerably more zone than man and it looks like that's been an adjustment Campbell is still getting used to. His 44.2 overall grade from PFF the first three weeks is the lowest of his career.
Campbell is tougher on himself than anyone else can be and I'm confident he'll work through this. The biggest issue I currently see in Campbell's game is a little bit of a regression in pass defense. It's an area he's worked hard to improve since joining the league in 2024. So far this season, teams have completed 12-of-14 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns targeting Campbell, good for a 149.4 pass rating. A lot of those were against tight ends, who have six touchdowns against the Lions in three games.
I asked defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard about Campbell's play Thursday and Sheppard didn't seem too concerned.
Twentyman: I expect to see more Trevor Nowaske over the rookie Jimmy Rolder, at least for now, because of one word - trust.
"Nowaske just does everything right," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said this week. "You know that whole thing we talk about, be where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there, that's him. I mean, he's exactly where he's supposed to be when he's supposed to be there and he makes plays."
That goes a long way for Campbell and this coaching staff. Nowaske has more speed and athleticism than people give him credit for and he's going to get more opportunities moving forward as Rolder continues to develop as a first-year player. Rolder missed nearly all of training camp with a hamstring injury. That's tough to miss that much of camp as a rookie. It will come for Rolder, but Nowaske is playing good ball right now.
Twentyman: With Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson out, it's a big loss against a Detroit offense that is operating pretty good right now led by veteran quarterback Jared Goff, who might be playing some of the best football of his career in his 11th season. Goff's thrown eight touchdowns, no interceptions and is taking what the defense gives him. He's not forcing the football into bad spots and is counting on his playmakers to do the work for him after the catch. Would coaches like to have more explosives on offense than they currently do? Of course. They'll continue to look for them, but we've also seen a trend around the league of defenses playing more shell trying to limit big plays in the pass game.
The Lions are going to come into this game looking to establish the run first against a Carolina defense ranked 32nd against the run, allowing 193.3 average rushing yards per game. That will open up the play action and boot pass games and could cause problems for the young cornerbacks the Panthers must turn to Sunday night, including fourth-round rookie Will Lee III.
It's going to be a tough task for Carolina to hold down a Lions' offense that's scored 31 points in each of their first three contests. The great equalizer Sunday could be the weather. It's supposed to rain in Charlotte Sunday night. That could impact offensive football. But in terms of just the personnel matchup, Detroit's offense has an advantage vs. a Carolina defense dealing with injuries.
20man: DJ Wonnum is a savvy veteran with a couple eight-sack seasons to his credit and knows how to set an edge. He's coming off a two-sack performance against the Jets, and minus a tough outing against Buffalo, which also includes most of Detroit's defenders, Wonnum's been solid. He has a good rush plan and fits the scheme.
Something to watch this week is the back injury he's dealing with that forced him to miss practice on Wednesday. He was a full participant on Thursday though, which is a good sign.
If Wonnum can't go Sunday, rookie second-round pick Derrick Moore will be asked to step up. Watching Moore in training camp his athleticism stood out to me, but I thought he was raw as a rusher. He needs to add some more tools to the pass-rush box. That will come. He's played 44 defensive snaps, a number of those spelling Hutchinson, and has yet to record a statistic. He's got to start picking it up a little bit and make more impact when given opportunities. Right now, it's much like we talked about with Nowaske and Rolder.
Twentyman: Keep an eye on the Wonnum injury as we get closer to Sunday. If he can't go, this could be a week we see second-year edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein active for the first time this season.
In terms of Jahmyr Gibbs, he's playing terrific football right now. The explosive runs haven't been a part of the equation yet. I think those are coming.
In three games, Carolina's defense allowed Chicago to run for 291 yards in Week 1, Atlanta for 157 in Week 2 and 132 vs. Cleveland in Week 3. Opponents average 5.7 yards per carry vs. the Panthers. I don't see any reason that changes Sunday night vs. Detroit, unless they opt to stack the box but that opens up Jameson Williams and the big plays in the pass game. That's what makes playing Detroit's offense so difficult. They can hit a defense in so many different ways.
Twentyman: General manager Brad Holmes and his personnel staff put a value on players, whether that's contract demands in free agency or what they're willing to give up in assets in the trade market. They don't typically reach beyond those values they establish internally.
A couple years ago, it worked out at the trade deadline with pass rusher Za'Darius Smith.
The Lions reportedly made inquiries into acquiring former Pittsburgh and now Dallas cornerback Joey Porter Jr. over the last couple weeks. He was eventually traded Wednesday night for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. Porter will also need a long-term extension after this season estimated in the range of four years and $27 to $32 million per season.
My take on Porter to Dallas, not knowing the player's personal preference, is Holmes and Detroit had a value on what they were willing to give up considering the assets and future contract obligations, given it isn't a one-year rental situation. Dallas came in with a better offer. It happens.
I do not think this excludes Holmes and the Lions from continuing to look for ways to help this team this year before the trade deadline.
