TIM AND MIKE: Week 2 observations

Blown leads: The Lions are the first team in NFL history to blow a double-digit lead in four straight games, according to Elias. The Lions fell to the Packers Sunday (42-21) after holding a 14-3 lead. Detroit led 23-6 in Week 1 vs. Chicago before dropping that contest (27-23). Detroit led Green Bay 17-3 Week 17 last year and lost (23-20). The Lions were up on Denver 10-0 Week 16 last year before falling (27-17). The Lions have to find that killer instinct to be able to put teams away when they have double-digit leads. – Tim Twentyman The Committee: That’s what the running back position has been for the Lions in the first two weeks. Of the 59 plays run by the offense Sunday, rookie D’Andre Swift had the most snaps with 20 – or roughly one third of the snaps. Next was Kerryon Johnson with 19. Adrian Peterson had 15 -- and a team high of 41 yards rushing. Ty Johnson had five. – Mike O’HaraGood find: A case can be made that Detroit’s most valuable player through the first two weeks of the 2020 season has been first-year punter Jack Fox, who is currently leading the NFL with a net punting average of 51.3 yards per kick. Fox’s gross punting average of 52.0 yards per kick ranks fourth in the league. – Tim Twentyman The Unbeatens: That’s the case for the Lions’ first three opponents. They’ve lost to the Bears and Packers, and next up is Sunday’s road game with the Arizona Cardinals. All three teams are 2-0. And the Saints, who the Lions play in Week 4 before their bye, are 1-0 going into Monday night’s road game against Las Vegas. – Mike O’Hara Okudah debut: Rookie cornerback Jeff Okudah played every defensive snap for the Lions in his NFL debut Sunday. For the game, Okudah was targeted 10 times and allowed seven receptions for 121 yards, per Pro Football Focus statistics. He also led the Lions with seven tackles. – Tim TwentymanRookie efficiency: Rookie wide receiver Quintez Cephus got the same production against the Packers as he did in Game 1 vs. the Bears, and he did it with less work. Cephus had three catches on three targets for 54 yards against the Packers. He had a long reception of 36 yards. Against the Bears, he had three catches on 10 targets for 43 yards, with a long reception of 20 yards. – Mike O’Hara Pressure and a lack thereof: There are a number of reasons the Lions fell to the Packers Sunday. An inability to stop the run, a costly turnover and some untimely penalties all played a factor. But here’s one from Pro Football Focus that jumped out to me. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was pressured on 27 percent of his drop backs, compared to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers being pressured on just 6.9 percent of his. – Tim Twentyman