Detroit Lions vs. Carolina Panthers: Complete Week 2 Preview for Detroit
The Detroit Lions lit up the scoreboard against the New York Giants, showing off a quarterback who looks ready to take the next step.
The 35-14 win wasn't just a celebration of the offense, though. The defensive front seven spent more time in the backfield than Roger Goodell has spent in the news lately.
Similarly, the Carolina Panthers didn't listen to all the preseason hype about the Lovie Smith-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They rode the steady play of backup quarterback Derek Anderson while the defense throttled the Bucs offense.
This clash could have serious consequences come January. Both teams are in tough divisions and figure to be fighting each other for a wild card. One team will get a leg up in that race with a hard-fought win here.
Can Detroit build on the momentum of its big Monday night? Or will Carolina continue to buck the odds and protect its house? Click through to find out.
Week 1 Lions Recap
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Monday night belonged to quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Stafford was forced to learn a new offense for the first time in his career, and the results were astounding and immediate. On Detroit's initial two drives, Calvin Johnson was the beneficiary of two scoring strikes, including a long 67-yarder.
The defense kept the game close through the first half with untimely penalties. However, the second half was a different story, as the Lions avoided any further fouls and put the game away.
Ultimately, Detroit converted 10 of 15 third downs because Stafford continuously made the right read and avoided mistakes. More importantly, when nobody was open, the 26-year-old signal-caller calmly chucked the ball out of bounds and escaped turnover-free.
If Stafford can continue to spread the ball around to Reggie Bush and Golden Tate (six catches apiece) instead of forcing it to Johnson, the offense will be incredibly difficult to stop.
The running game was ineffective through three quarters, but it came alive during Detroit's game-killing, seven-minute drive.
As for the defense, the front seven created pressure all night while holding New York to just 2.4 yards per carry. That will be doubly important this week as it prepares for a Carolina team that loves to pound the ball and run play action.
News and Notes
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'Tis the Season
The meaningless games of the preseason passed without much incident, but the first week of the season brought two meaningful injuries to bear.
Offensive tackle Corey Hilliard, who came in when starter LaAdrian Waddle went down, had his season cut short by a Lisfranc fracture suffered in the third quarter, per ESPN.com. Yet, with no other tackles remaining on the active roster, Hilliard toughed it out and finished the game.
Here's how Hilliard described it to John Niyo of The Detroit News:
"Then he talked with Stafford and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, letting them know he wasn’t quite right. Hilliard said he might need some help in pass protection — “That was my main concern because a strip sack could turn the game around like that,” he said — but that he was otherwise good to go.
“Do whatever you gotta do,” he told the coaches. “I’ll hold up.”
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Cornerback Bill Bentley will be joining Hilliard on the injured reserve. He tore his ACL early against the Giants, forcing rookie Nevin Lawson into action. Lawson performed admirably in helping to contain Victor Cruz and will probably hold on to the nickel job for now.
Desperate for a Defensive Back
The loss of Bentley adds stress to a secondary that was already thin to begin with. Lawson ended up logging 51 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, which was the same number as Ndamukong Suh.
Luckily, it went all right, but how will it go down against Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees?
The Lions have not been happy with the depth chart for a while, as evidenced by Champ Bailey's workout prior to the Giants game. This week, Detroit decided to bring in Dimitri Patterson for a look.
Patterson is an intriguing candidate. The nine-year veteran had four interceptions and only allowed a 51.1 passer rating in 2013, but he was recently cut by the New York Jets for going AWOL, per John Breech of CBSSports.com.
Perhaps the workout didn't go that well, or the Lions have had enough character issues in their past. Regardless, it looks as if Detroit will look in-house to replace Bentley, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com:
"Caldwell said most likely thing is #Lions bringing up Ness or Seisay from practice squad.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) September 11, 2014"
My money is on Nate Ness making the jump. He provides versatility, and Mohammed Seisay—the undrafted free agent who couldn't crack the starting lineup at Nebraska—is a bit too raw.
Superman Returns
The Carolina Panthers were a playoff team last year that has been buried by the media as a heavy regression candidate. To make matters worse, Cam Newton had to miss Week 1 because of a rib injury, leaving former Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson at the helm.
As we know now, Anderson played mistake-free football, and the defense held on for a 20-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This week, Superman returns.
Newton returned to practice Wednesday, and as head coach Ron Rivera told David Newton of ESPN.com, things went well:
""He did some really good things,'' Rivera said of the fourth-year quarterback. "He took all the snaps he was supposed to. He handled all the situations very well. We did a two-minute drill, which he handled. The only concern for everybody, for that matter, was it was very warm out there.''
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The Panthers will bring a more dynamic offense than the one the Lions saw on film. They don't have many receiving weapons outside of rookie Kelvin Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen, but Newton's running ability and rocket arm are a serious upgrade over Anderson.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Reggie Bush | RB | Probable |
| Don Carey | S | Out |
| James Ihedigbo | S | Doubtful |
| Brandon Pettigrew | TE | Probable |
| LaAdrian Waddle | OT | Out |
*All injury statuses are from the team's website.
Obviously, the loss of Corey Hilliard leaves the Lions thinner at tackle than they would prefer, so Detroit re-signed versatile offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds.
Reynolds played well this preseason, has experience (23 starts) and I thought he would ultimately make the final 53-man roster—as a guard. Still, there are indications that Reynolds has the upper hand over Cornelius Lucas, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:
"LaAdrian Waddle, Don Carey DNP at #Lions practice. Garrett Reynolds works ahead of Cornelius Lucas in open portion of practice again
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) September 11, 2014"
Neither option is very appealing. Either the Atlanta Falcons castoff starts, or Lucas goes from undrafted to under siege.
Bush and Pettigrew's ailments aren't regarded as serious. Both went full bore at Thursday's practice, and neither showed an ill effect toward the end of Week 1.
Lastly, the Lions are hoping that Ihedigbo's week of rest did him good. Detroit could use his physical presence against Carolina's smash-mouth rushing attack, and the duty will fall to either Isa Abdul-Quddus or Jerome Couplin again since Don Carey still hasn't practiced.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Lions OTs vs. DEs Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson
The Lions are hurting for a right tackle, and Riley Reiff didn't inspire confidence last week. There is a legitimate reason for concern considering the competition steps up significantly in Week 2.
Hardy and Johnson are arguably the best duo in the league after putting up a combined 26 sacks and 87 quarterback hurries in 2013. Matthew Stafford showed elusiveness in the pocket against the Giants, but the high-flying offense will be grounded if these two run wild.
Lions DTs vs. Panthers OGs
Luckily for Detroit, it has a similar advantage on the other side of the ball. The Panthers rotated three guards last week, and none of them were very effective.
The chief weakness the Lions should exploit is Fernando Velasco. He was frequently bullied by Gerald McCoy and will need help from the center to contain his assignment on Sunday, leaving Ziggy Ansah and the other defensive ends with one-on-one matchups they can exploit.
Lions Safeties and LB DeAndre Levy vs. TE Greg Olsen
Carolina loves to use the play-action pass to bait the linebackers in and then slip tight end Greg Olsen behind them. Once he gets a couple yards of space, both Panthers quarterbacks have shown the ability to hit that pass repeatedly.
The duty to stop the "pop pass" will mainly fall to Detroit's coverage specialist—linebacker DeAndre Levy. His coverage instincts and soft hands mean he could find himself with an opportunity or two to snag a pick.
On top of him, the safeties need to be aware when Olsen throws a quick block and sneaks off. Both Glover Quin and whoever joins him must recognize the play quickly and pinch up when necessary.
Lions X-Factor of the Week: RB Reggie Bush
Bush isn't included here for his rushing ability. It isn't a matter of lost faith after last week's nine-carry, 15-yard performance; it's because the Panthers don't allow anyone to run the ball.
No, Bush's most important asset will be his ability to take shorter passes and move the chains. As fellow Bleacher Reporter Matt Bowen broke down, the Carolina secondary will be preoccupied trying to stop Calvin Johnson, giving Bush an opportunity to make his mark.
Prediction
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The Lions displayed the offensive firepower that everyone presumed they'd have. Unfortunately, success against the Giants doesn't necessarily translate to the stingy confines of Bank of America Stadium.
That's a clunky name for a stadium, but clunky will be the name of this game.
Carolina's front seven is a riddle that only the top offensive lines can solve. Detroit's poor performance along the front last week and the likelihood of a subpar starter on the right side bodes very well for a Panthers defense that doesn't need any help.
With Detroit's run game bottled up and short passes against Carolina's linebackers just as tough of a proposition, it's hard to see Matthew Stafford having the time to find Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate.
Similarly, Detroit's front seven should have the same type of success against a Carolina offense that desperately needs its rookie wideout to copy his Week 1 performance.
Plus, Detroit—unlike Tampa Bay—will bring extra guys and not let the quarterback dink and dunk his way down the field.
Points will be at a premium. Unfortunately for Detroit, the offensive line might cost it too much to afford the extra field goal.
Score: Carolina 16, Detroit 14
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.
All grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus and require a subscription.
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