Washington at Lions: The Five Big Questions

ASHBURN, Va. - We are counting down to kickoff between the Detroit Lions and Washington Football Team, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET from Ford Field in the Motor City.

John Maakaron of SI.com's 'All Lions' site and yours truly exchanged five questions and answers about this week's matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Washington Football Team.

1. Are you surprised that the Lions are 3-5 considering expectations, talent? Or about what you expected?

John Maakaron: The expectations for the Detroit Lions were not that high heading into the 2020 season, so their 3-5 record is not terribly unexpected. What has been disappointing has been the defense not progressing all that much. Matt Patricia's defense does not execute many things well on a consistent basis. Matthew Stafford has not played anywhere near the level he did during the first eight games of the 2019 season. Unfortunately, Detroit has dealt with injuries to key players as of late. Not having wide receiver Kenny Golladay and defensive end Trey Flowers out on the football field has been highly detrimental. Detroit is 3-1 with Golladay on the field and 0-4 when he has missed game action due to injury.

2. Is Adrian Peterson's presence helpful or stunting growth of young RB's?

Maakaron: Adrian Peterson's production has steadily declined week after week, and the running game has been impacted negatively. His presence in the locker room has benefited both D'Andre Swift and Kerryon Johnson. The wealth of experience cannot be understated, but Detroit should look to feature their 2020 second-round draft pick slightly more during the second half of the 2020 season. Detroit has been taking it slow with their rookie back, but he is primed for an increase in snap counts and carries as the season progresses. Swift will certainly benefit from the information gleamed from the future Hall-of-Famer.

3. Last year, it was Terry McLaurin vs. Darius Slay at FedEx - this year, Okudah vs. McLaurin - How do you see this matchup?

Maakaron: Being selected with the No. 3 pick overall has placed some lofty expectations on the young rookie. Jeff Okudah has improved steadily since his rocky NFL debut in which he struggled with his footing battling Davante Adams of the Packers. He is prone to get beat on a deep route, but he battles all game long. I expect both to make their plays and to compete hard against each other.

4. How has Matthew Stafford changed since his injury last year - Washington has not seen him in a while

Maakaron: He is in need of a bounce-back performance in the worst way after throwing two bad interceptions against the Vikings. Stafford is pressing as of late. He is keenly aware that the defense can't stop anybody, and he is trying to carry the team on his back. As a result, he is throwing interceptions at inopportune times and turning the ball over at a higher clip than in the past. He can make any throw and he is ultra-competitive. Unfortunately, with Kenny Golladay being out again against Washington, Stafford will have to play better if Washington limits the rushing attack.

LISTEN: Crossover Thursday with Matt Dery of "Locked on Lions"

5. Is Detroit's run defense really bad or was it mostly Dalvin Cook, meaning they are not as bad as they looked?

Maakaron: Detroit's defense is really that bad. The linebackers are too slow and the defensive line simply cannot pressure the quarterback on a consistent basis. Dalvin Cook was easily able to expose Detroit's weaknesses on defense and ran for over 200 yards. Detroit struggles to get off the field on third down and the defensive backs are regularly getting beat by speedy backs and wide receivers. To make matters worse, the past two games Detroit has failed to get 11 men out on the football field on defense. With 10 men on the field, Cook scampered 70 yards for a touchdown. Defensive coordinator Cory Undlin called the errors 'embarrassing' and took the blame for the teams defensive lapses.

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