Week 1 - Lions vs Chiefs Post Game Observations

[Just Want A Title]

The Lions pulled out a big road win against a Chiefs team that was missing a couple if important players.  The Lions didn't play a perfect game by any stretch but they still managed to claw out a win in a tough road environment.  It is a little unusual to give credit to an opposing coach but Chiefs Defensive Coordinator did a tremendous job of disrupting the Lions offense.  I suspect will learn a lot from this game with respect to their offense.  I think the Lions showed that it is going to take a little time to find their groove on offense with all of the new faces. It is a good way to start their season and should be a good confidence builder.  That said:

Coaching:  I thought the overall game plan on defense and offense was good.  I was a little surprised to see the Lions O-Line be more dominant though.  Dan Campbell showed he is willing to be aggressive and bold by calling a fake punt deep in their own end of the field.  Dan Campbell was maligned for his clock management early in his tenure with the Lions but he does a pretty good job with clock management at this point.  Aaron Glenn did enough to slow down Patrick Mahomes but might have been a little too conservative with respect to pressuring Mahomes.  Ultimately, Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson when head-to-head with Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo and managed to claw out a win.

Offense:  

- Ben Johnson seemed a bit conservative today but was really good with play action, especially from the I-formation.  I am a little concerned about the lack of snaps for James Mitchell though.  One thing that is completely baffling to me:  Why doesn't ARSB have some kind of double-move to take advantage of the out-routes that he runs so frequently?

- Jared Goff had an efficient game.  It is Week 1 and he is probably going to get better.  However, that pass that was batted down late in the 4th quarter wasn't a great play.  He had a huge opportunity to run to the left but got locked in to his receiver on the right side.  He could have iced the game right there.  I know he isn't the most mobile QB in the NFL but he needs to be able to recognize that and be willing to make that play.  When you are 6'4" and 220Lbs, need two yards and have a clear running lane it should be an easy decision.

- David Montgomery had a pretty solid game.  We saw pretty quickly why he is an upgrade over Jamal Williams.  His 8-yard TD run late in the game was really good.  He did a nice job of limiting 3rd-Long situations as well.

- Jahmyr Gibbs was soild as well.  He made plays when he had the chance.  He showed a very good feel on how to get to the edge even against a pretty fast group of LBs.

- I don't know what was going on with Marvin Jones but he played pretty poorly.  If this is what we are going to get they should start giving Antoine Green some of his snaps.

- The offensive line didn't seem to play that well for most of the game, especially on the right side.  Penei Sewell in particular seemed have an uncharacteristically uneven game.  They seem to have a lot to work on.

- It was good to see ARSB getting some deeper routes.  It will be better for him and the offense as a whole if that continues.

- Sam LaPorta quietly had a pretty good game.  He moved the chains and showed the kind of YAC ability that has been missing from our TE position for a long time. 

- Brock Wright's play that caused the fumble was really bad.  That is a mistake he should not be making.  He should be seeing a reduced snap count for that kind of mistake.

Defense:

- I want to say the Aaron Glenn had a good game plan.  However, the Chiefs didn't have Travis Kelce and they don't have a Tyreek Hill type of player that is ready to step up.  The D-line didn't get pressure on Mahomes early.  The ball-hawking skills that everyone was hoping to see never materialized with the exception the Pick-6 from Brian Branch.  It just seemed like the defense wasn't quite.  Maybe it is just me but initially, I thought the defensive game plan was too conservative.

- Aidan Hutchinson didn't have the best game.  He played a little bit out-of-control at times allowed himself to be pushed too far upfield.  He did a nice job on chasing down the ball carrier on a number of plays downfield though.  He created more pressure as the game went on but he needs to get in the QBs face a little quicker.  It seemed like his counter-moves weren't always effective.  He might have been too amped up for this game.

- Last year a lot of people said Alim McNeil was going to break out.  He had a solid year but it didn't show up in his stat line.  I know it is only one game but I saw a lot of the same thing today.  He got too far upfield late in the game and allowed Patrick Mahomes to get an easy first-down.  He has a lot to clean up if he is going to take a step forward.

- Kudos to Benito Jones for playing pretty well.  He was good against the run and helped keep solid containment on Patrick Mahomes.  He even managed to create some pocket pressure.  His solid play was needed badly today and he delivered.  It will be interesting to see how he develops over the course of the season.

- Say what you want about Brodric Martin but I think the Lions really need him to earn a consistent spot in their DT rotation based on what we saw today.  

- Kerby Joseph had a solid game.  I noticed that his tackling is a lot better than it was in his rookie season.  That bodes well for the rest of the year.

- Our DBs made some really bad mistakes.  Late in the first half Jerry Jacobs allowed a long completion allowing KC back in to scoring range.  He had good position but made no attempt to make a play on the ball.  The late PU by Cam Sutton was the same type of mistake.  He could have made a play on the ball but simply ran into the receiver.  Even CJGJ missed a chance at a late INT.  It was like watching Jeff Okudah all over again.  I don't know what was going on with them but they need to get a lot more dialed in on their ball skills.

- Brian Branch is the exception to what was mentioned above.  He showed good awareness on the deflection and pick-6.

Special Teams

- You really have to appreciate how well the Lions execute on Special Teams.  Executing a fake punt that deep in your own end is a pretty rare feat.  Dave Fipp deserves a ton of credit.  You have to wonder of he has the potential to be something more than just a special teams coach.  You don't get that kind of execution by accident.  It seems like he has a future beyond just coaching special teams.

Overall, this was a big win for the Lions.  They gutted out a 1-point win in arguably the toughest road environment in the NFL.  However, the Lions were playing a Week 1 game against a Chiefs team playing without Chris Jones and Travis Kelce.  It is a good way to start the season but they have some important stuff to clean up.  Thoughts?

 

 

 

[Just Want A Title]

Didn't Brian Branch fall on draft day because of his "slow" 40-yard time?  He didn't look so slow today.

[Just Want A Title]

For me,  the best new name for Dan Campbell from a Twitter post:  Stone Cold Dan Campbell.  H#&$ yeah!

[nagahide13]

This is a great write-up! Very well thought out. I agree with almost everything. I highlighted the few things I disagreed on however;

 

41 minutes ago, Just Want A Title said:

- Brock Wright's play that caused the fumble was really bad.  That is a mistake he should not be making.  He should be seeing a reduced snap count for that kind of mistake.

I think it was loud in Arrowhead and that affected some of the snaps. We did surprisingly well with the noise; the two obvious exceptions were the fumble with Wright in motion and the "false start, everyone but the center" later in the game. I'm not sure what happened there but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.

 

41 minutes ago, Just Want A Title said:

- Our DBs made some really bad mistakes.  Late in the first half Jerry Jacobs allowed a long completion allowing KC back in to scoring range.  He had good position but made no attempt to make a play on the ball.  The late PU by Cam Sutton was the same type of mistake.  He could have made a play on the ball but simply ran into the receiver.  Even CJGJ missed a chance at a late INT.  It was like watching Jeff Okudah all over again.  I don't know what was going on with them but they need to get a lot more dialed in on their ball skills.

This is harsh! So much of our defensive success tonight was due to the superb coverage downfield. There were some dropped INTs but that was about the only real issue I had with them.

 

41 minutes ago, Just Want A Title said:

- Aidan Hutchinson didn't have the best game.  He played a little bit out-of-control at times allowed himself to be pushed too far upfield.  He did a nice job on chasing down the ball carrier on a number of plays downfield though.  He created more pressure as the game went on but he needs to get in the QBs face a little quicker.  It seemed like his counter-moves weren't always effective.  He might have been too amped up for this game.

Vehemently disagree. He was in the backfield all night going up against guys that were holding, tripping, lining up offsides and false starting literally ever play. Hutch was a force tonight. So was McNeil.

[Scoundrel]

1 hour ago, nagahide13 said:

Vehemently disagree. He was in the backfield all night going up against guys that were holding, tripping, lining up offsides and false starting literally ever play. Hutch was a force tonight.

100%

[detfan782004]

So just got back from Arrowhead.

First and foremost it was crazy. 
 

* Goff isn't going to take them to next level. Man he was frustrating. Stats look better than he played imo
 

* Gibbs is awesome 

* Campbell needs to chill out a bit, that last 4th down attempt was crazy. The play call sucked

* I honestly think KC manufactures noise. It was insane. But when crowd died down it was still insane

Nice win 

[Superduperman]

Hutch played like an all-pro

[LionArkie]

4 hours ago, Just Want A Title said:

The Lions pulled out a big road win against a Chiefs team that was missing a couple if important players.  The Lions didn't play a perfect game by any stretch but they still managed to claw out a win in a tough road environment.  It is a little unusual to give credit to an opposing coach but Chiefs Defensive Coordinator did a tremendous job of disrupting the Lions offense.  I suspect will learn a lot from this game with respect to their offense.  I think the Lions showed that it is going to take a little time to find their groove on offense with all of the new faces. It is a good way to start their season and should be a good confidence builder.  That said:

Coaching:  I thought the overall game plan on defense and offense was good.  I was a little surprised to see the Lions O-Line be more dominant though.  Dan Campbell showed he is willing to be aggressive and bold by calling a fake punt deep in their own end of the field.  Dan Campbell was maligned for his clock management early in his tenure with the Lions but he does a pretty good job with clock management at this point.  Aaron Glenn did enough to slow down Patrick Mahomes but might have been a little too conservative with respect to pressuring Mahomes.  Ultimately, Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson when head-to-head with Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo and managed to claw out a win.

Offense:  

- Ben Johnson seemed a bit conservative today but was really good with play action, especially from the I-formation.  I am a little concerned about the lack of snaps for James Mitchell though.  One thing that is completely baffling to me:  Why doesn't ARSB have some kind of double-move to take advantage of the out-routes that he runs so frequently?

- Jared Goff had an efficient game.  It is Week 1 and he is probably going to get better.  However, that pass that was batted down late in the 4th quarter wasn't a great play.  He had a huge opportunity to run to the left but got locked in to his receiver on the right side.  He could have iced the game right there.  I know he isn't the most mobile QB in the NFL but he needs to be able to recognize that and be willing to make that play.  When you are 6'4" and 220Lbs, need two yards and have a clear running lane it should be an easy decision.

- David Montgomery had a pretty solid game.  We saw pretty quickly why he is an upgrade over Jamal Williams.  His 8-yard TD run late in the game was really good.  He did a nice job of limiting 3rd-Long situations as well.

- Jahmyr Gibbs was soild as well.  He made plays when he had the chance.  He showed a very good feel on how to get to the edge even against a pretty fast group of LBs.

- I don't know what was going on with Marvin Jones but he played pretty poorly.  If this is what we are going to get they should start giving Antoine Green some of his snaps.

- The offensive line didn't seem to play that well for most of the game, especially on the right side.  Penei Sewell in particular seemed have an uncharacteristically uneven game.  They seem to have a lot to work on.

- It was good to see ARSB getting some deeper routes.  It will be better for him and the offense as a whole if that continues.

- Sam LaPorta quietly had a pretty good game.  He moved the chains and showed the kind of YAC ability that has been missing from our TE position for a long time. 

- Brock Wright's play that caused the fumble was really bad.  That is a mistake he should not be making.  He should be seeing a reduced snap count for that kind of mistake.

Defense:

- I want to say the Aaron Glenn had a good game plan.  However, the Chiefs didn't have Travis Kelce and they don't have a Tyreek Hill type of player that is ready to step up.  The D-line didn't get pressure on Mahomes early.  The ball-hawking skills that everyone was hoping to see never materialized with the exception the Pick-6 from Brian Branch.  It just seemed like the defense wasn't quite.  Maybe it is just me but initially, I thought the defensive game plan was too conservative.

- Aidan Hutchinson didn't have the best game.  He played a little bit out-of-control at times allowed himself to be pushed too far upfield.  He did a nice job on chasing down the ball carrier on a number of plays downfield though.  He created more pressure as the game went on but he needs to get in the QBs face a little quicker.  It seemed like his counter-moves weren't always effective.  He might have been too amped up for this game.

- Last year a lot of people said Alim McNeil was going to break out.  He had a solid year but it didn't show up in his stat line.  I know it is only one game but I saw a lot of the same thing today.  He got too far upfield late in the game and allowed Patrick Mahomes to get an easy first-down.  He has a lot to clean up if he is going to take a step forward.

- Kudos to Benito Jones for playing pretty well.  He was good against the run and helped keep solid containment on Patrick Mahomes.  He even managed to create some pocket pressure.  His solid play was needed badly today and he delivered.  It will be interesting to see how he develops over the course of the season.

- Say what you want about Brodric Martin but I think the Lions really need him to earn a consistent spot in their DT rotation based on what we saw today.  

- Kerby Joseph had a solid game.  I noticed that his tackling is a lot better than it was in his rookie season.  That bodes well for the rest of the year.

- Our DBs made some really bad mistakes.  Late in the first half Jerry Jacobs allowed a long completion allowing KC back in to scoring range.  He had good position but made no attempt to make a play on the ball.  The late PU by Cam Sutton was the same type of mistake.  He could have made a play on the ball but simply ran into the receiver.  Even CJGJ missed a chance at a late INT.  It was like watching Jeff Okudah all over again.  I don't know what was going on with them but they need to get a lot more dialed in on their ball skills.

- Brian Branch is the exception to what was mentioned above.  He showed good awareness on the deflection and pick-6.

Special Teams

- You really have to appreciate how well the Lions execute on Special Teams.  Executing a fake punt that deep in your own end is a pretty rare feat.  Dave Fipp deserves a ton of credit.  You have to wonder of he has the potential to be something more than just a special teams coach.  You don't get that kind of execution by accident.  It seems like he has a future beyond just coaching special teams.

Overall, this was a big win for the Lions.  They gutted out a 1-point win in arguably the toughest road environment in the NFL.  However, the Lions were playing a Week 1 game against a Chiefs team playing without Chris Jones and Travis Kelce.  It is a good way to start the season but they have some important stuff to clean up.  Thoughts?

 

 

 

Good write up, but I too disagree about Hutch. He was dominant. I love how he gets better as the game goes on. If he wasn’t dealing with the lax officiating and Mahomes being Mahomes, he has multiple sacks.
some men operate in beast mode, Hutch  was in monster mode tonight.

[detfan782004]

And back to the noise now that I'm sorta rested. My watch had it at basically 95-120 the entire time. There was lulls in the crowd and quite honestly there was a lot of empty seats in that place which was a shock.

So while the fans are loud I'm still questioning the sound maintaining that level of noise while I looked around at their fans sitting in silence in shock at times.

don't get me wrong that place was rocking but still felt odd how the noise maintained even as crowd didn't seem too at times 

[detfan782004]

And the writeup on Hutch is off because man the RT cheated all night.  All night.  Glad to find article on it today.  Even Chiefs fans were chuckling how bad it was.

 

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2023/09/jawaan-taylor-chiefs-lions-false-start-videos

 

https://firstsportz.com/nfl-news-jawaan-taylors-obvious-false-start-not-being-called-results-in-fans-accusing-the-nfl-of-being-rigged-in-chiefs-favor/

 

Very good photo in this one...his head is nowhere near proper placement.

Edited September 8, 2023 by detfan782004

[Louis Friend]

Long thought out write up but I disagree with almost all of it. 
 

Kerby Joseph was tackling poorly. That was the biggest gripe with him last season and it showed up again last night. In fact, besides his dance at the end, his missed tackles were the only time I noticed him in the game.
 

Hutch played like a man possessed despite KC getting away with illegal formation, false starts, holding, tripping, etc on him almost every single snap he played. 
 

Isaiah Buggs was the man we missed in the middle, not Martin. Benito Jones played poorly and doesn’t tackle properly. Like flinging his body at Mahomes on the large run play. IDL is a weakness and Chiefs exploited it. I’m glad they didn’t run more because we had no answer for it despite us trying to use Edge rushers in the middle. 
 

The OL actually played great besides a few boneheaded plays, particularly by Ragnow. The false start on the OL and fumble were directly due to him not snapping the ball correctly. That’s not like him so maybe the “fan noise” was getting to him. I saw Goff use a silent count most of the night. 
 

Our secondary actually played pretty well, it was our linebackers that seemed to be out of position and missing their assignments. Sutton DPI was a travesty. Branch played well. CJGJ had some good PDs but couldn’t grab the INTs. 
 

Overall, the Lions have a number of things to clean up, but still found a way to win at the end. I’m proud of this team. SOL would have packed it in at halftime. BNL kept it close and pulled out the W. 

[detfan782004]

4 minutes ago, Louis Friend said:

 

Isaiah Buggs was the man we missed in the middle, not Martin. Benito Jones played poorly and doesn’t tackle properly. Like flinging his body at Mahomes on the large run play. IDL is a weakness and Chiefs exploited it. I’m glad they didn’t run more because we had no answer for it despite us trying to use Edge rushers in the middle. 
 

 

My wife was asking what the heck that was when he launched himself at him.  I honestly think defenders are afraid to hit Patrick due to NFL seeming to give him calls at times.  There was no way to get called for an excessive penalty in that scenario.  At least that is how I justified that JV type attempt at a tackle...lol

[Louis Friend]

7 minutes ago, detfan782004 said:

My wife was asking what the heck that was when he launched himself at him.  I honestly think defenders are afraid to hit Patrick due to NFL seeming to give him calls at times.  There was no way to get called for an excessive penalty in that scenario.  At least that is how I justified that JV type attempt at a tackle...lol

It was atrocious. Luckily, Mahomes was already going down because if Mahomes kept going on that attempt, it would get a lot more attention. 

[detfan782004]

Just now, Louis Friend said:

It was atrocious. Luckily, Mahomes was already going down because if Mahomes kept going on that attempt, it would get a lot more attention. 

I was literally screaming hit him....like man it was insane...

My wife was worried I was so intense with the KC fans around us but honestly there was so many Lions fans there.  The Lion fans were out in force...that place was intense.....exiting the game all you heard was Go Lions for about an hour...poor design on tunnel exits to get to parking lots.  Got out of stadium and on road a little after midnight and back to Omaha about 3:30 this morning.

[Louis Friend]

22 minutes ago, detfan782004 said:

I was literally screaming hit him....like man it was insane...

My wife was worried I was so intense with the KC fans around us but honestly there was so many Lions fans there.  The Lion fans were out in force...that place was intense.....exiting the game all you heard was Go Lions for about an hour...poor design on tunnel exits to get to parking lots.  Got out of stadium and on road a little after midnight and back to Omaha about 3:30 this morning.

I saw a sea of blue during the game and you could hear “Let’s go Lions!” numerous times during the broadcast. So proud of everyone there. 🥲