The Detroit Lions upset the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 action. What did we learn about the Lions in their statement win?
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1. Aidan Hutchinson Is That Dude
There’s typically some question about a sophomore on defense, but Aidan Hutchinson is erasing some of those doubts. There were a lot of reasons to be bullish about Hutchinson after his rookie campaign, and he looked even stronger during his Year 2 debut. Although Hutchinson could not record a Week 1 sack, he led the Lions with five pressures and three quarterback hits. Getting to the quarterback will not be an issue for Hutchinson, and if you were watching this game closely, you could tell how fearful the Chiefs offensive line was of what the former Michigan defender is capable of. There are still some question marks about the Lions defensively, and we’ll need to see more from this group, but we still came away impressed in their Week 1 victory that their youth can take another big step in 2023.
2. These Lions Are Different
Looking back on the recent history of the Detroit Lions, it’s hardly news that you’d have expected them to find some way to blow their late lead in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. This group is different, filled with plenty of skill on both sides of the football. Yes, the Chiefs were without Travis Kelce and Chris Jones, but that shouldn’t take anything away from what the Lions were able to accomplish in Week 1. Detroit entered Week 1 as the favorites to capture the NFC North, and they backed up the hype with a victory. The Lions aren’t a perfect team by any stretch of the imagination, but we don’t blame you if head coach Dan Campbell makes you a believer. Don’t be surprised if the Lions win double-digit games in 2023 for the first time since 2014. This team means business and is a real threat in a relatively wide-open NFC.
3. Jahmyr Gibbs Is Going To Be a Problem
You might look at this headline and wonder why we’re noting a player who played under 30% of the snaps on offense for the Lions. Running back David Montgomery dominated the snaps and touches for the Lions in their backfield. Still, as Dan Campbell reiterated, we were expecting they wanted to ease rookie Jahmyr Gibbs into his role. If you’re a fantasy manager of Gibbs, don’t panic. If you don’t have him on your roster, see if someone in your league will panic-sell him. Although Gibbs had nine touches, he looked explosive in his limited work and forced six missed tackles. If Gibbs hadn’t slipped during his red zone run attempt, he would have likely found the end zone for the first rushing score of his career. Gibbs will continue seeing more work for the Lions, and there’s good reason to buy into him being a significant difference-maker on this offense.
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