2020 Season Preview: Week 2 Lions at Packers
Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season can't come soon enough.
The two best quarterbacks in the NFC North will square off, with the Lions' Matthew Stafford taking on the Packers' Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau Field Sept. 20.
Stafford is coming off an injury-shortened season in which he accumulated 19 touchdowns and 2,499 passing yards in just eight games.
Meanwhile, Rodgers, a two-time NFL MVP, posted 26 passing TDs and 4,002 passing yards in 16 games in 2019.
Despite the success of their respective QBs, the Lions and Packers went down completely different paths a year ago.
Detroit plummeted after a 3-4-1 start with Stafford healthy, and finished the campaign with a dismal 3-12-1 mark and a last-place finish in the NFC North.
As for the Packers -- who were equipped with a first-year head man in Matt LaFleur -- they went 13-3, and won their first NFC North division crown since 2016.
Their season culminated in an NFC title game loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Let's take a look now at what has changed for both squads since the end of last season.
Packers (2019: 13-3, first in NFC North)
Key Additions:
QB Jordan Love (2020 first-round pick)
RB A.J. Dillon (2020 second-round pick)
T Rick Wagner (via free agency)
WR Devin Funchess (via free agency)
Key Losses:
LB Blake Martinez
CB Tramon Williams
T Bryan Bulaga
T Jared Veldheer
WR Geronimo Allison
TE Jimmy Graham
The Packers didn't add a ton of talent this offseason, but also didn't lose a ton.
They added a nice complementary piece for Aaron Jones in the backfield in the form of Dillon. And they also added a capable veteran tackle in Wagner, the former Lions starting right tackle who should be expected to take the place of Bulaga on the Packers' offensive line.
The Packers' two most significant losses look to be Bulaga, who started in all 16 games at right tackle a season ago, and Martinez, who led the Packers in tackles (155 total) from the inside linebacker position.
Lions (2019: 3-12-1, last in NFC North)
Key Additions:
CB Jeff Okudah (2020 first-round pick)
RB D'Andre Swift (2020 second-round pick)
LB Jamie Collins (via free agency)
S Duron Harmon (via trade)
NT Danny Shelton (via free agency)
CB Desmond Trufant (via free agency)
Key Losses:
NT Damon "Snacks" Harrison
RT Rick Wagner
LB Devon Kennard
RG Graham Glasgow
CB Darius Slay
The Lions, based on their offseason acquisitions, clearly look to be an improved team heading into 2020.
Swift provides Detroit with a nice complementary piece to incumbent No. 1 back Kerryon Johnson. And the Lions' offense should reap the benefits, with a much-more balanced attack than a year ago.
Then, on defense, by adding Okudah, they've added a defensive back who has the potential of becoming an All-Pro corner one day. He's viewed as the successor to Slay, who was traded earlier this offseason to the Philadelphia Eagles.
In Okudah's first year in the league, Trufant slides into the mentor role that Slay would have had in Detroit's secondary.
Now, to the three ex-Patriots I mentioned above -- Collins, Harmon and Shelton.
They all fill a void, with some doing so more than others.
Shelton is a younger and more productive nose tackle at this point than Harrison, and Collins replaces Kennard, who was released earlier this offseason.
Meanwhile, Harmon, while typically flying under the radar, has been an effective performer at free safety.
All three individuals will play an integral role in revamping a Lions defense that was below league average in every major statistical category a year ago.
What Happened Last Season
The Lions dropped both of their contests with the divisional rival Packers, including a Week 6 contest on Monday Night Football.
The Lions, coming off their bye week, headed into Lambeau with a 2-1-1 record. They had just experienced their first loss of the season in Week 4 against the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
At the time, many fans still had high hopes for the team, and thought that with a win Detroit head coach Matt Patricia & Co. would be on their way to a much better year than the previous campaign (the Lions were 6-10 in 2018).
Detroit was in the lead for the majority of the game, and never actually trailed until Packers kicker Mason Crosby hit the game-winning field goal with two seconds to play. It gave Green Bay the 23-22 victory.
Little did Lions fans know at the time, but Patricia & Co. would go on to win only one more game the rest of the season.
In retrospect, that 40-degree night in mid-October -- Monday, Oct. 14 -- proved what some fans and pundits had already suspected: Patricia's "bend-but-don't-break" style of defense is fraudulent.
With Patricia back for a third season in Motown, the defense will ultimately get a chance to prove that it's better equipped to execute his conservative brand of football.
Its first big test will come in this early-season matchup against Rodgers and the Packers.
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