Odds Lions Beat Eagles in 2022 Opener
The Lions open up the 2022 season this Sunday with a matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, a rematch from the 2021 campaign.
In Dan Campbell's debut season in Detroit, the Lions were blown out against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles in a Week 8 contest, 44-6. Campbell & Co. allowed Philadelphia to accumulate a staggering 236 yards on the ground, in front of 47,000-plus fans at Ford Field.
Meanwhile, Detroit's backs rushed for just 57 total yards, and Jared Goff threw for zero touchdowns and was sacked five times.
The loss dropped Detroit to 0-8 on the season, going into its bye week.
In order for the Lions to have a chance in Sunday's tilt with the Eagles, three things must happen: the offensive line must protect Goff better, the backs must be more productive and Aaron Glenn's unit must do a better job of limiting the production of Philadelphia's run game, including Hurts.
For starters, it's a bit concerning that Detroit will be without starting right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai for this matchup.
From a defensive standpoint, the Eagles are known for their pass-rushing prowess, especially on the defensive line. A season ago, three members of Philadelphia's line finished with at least 3.5 sacks: defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (3.5), defensive end Josh Sweat (7.5) and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (7.5). Additionally, Sweat recorded two sacks in last year's matchup with the Lions.
The Eagles' ability from a pass-rushing standpoint could spell a long day for Detroit's offensive line, in its efforts to keep Goff upright.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the Eagles possessed a standout rushing attack in 2021. In fact, Philadelphia ranked No. 1 in the NFL in both rushing yards (2,715) and rushing touchdowns (25) last season. It also averaged 4.9 rushing yards per attempt, good for the fourth-best mark in the league.
Hurts personally accumulated 784 yards and 10 touchdowns on 139 carries, good for an average of 5.6 yards per rush attempt.
Additionally, Philadelphia's No. 1 back going into this year, Miles Sanders, rushed for 754 yards on 137 carries a year ago, good for an average of 5.5 yards per attempt.
The duo of Hurts and Sanders could prove to be too much for Detroit's rush defense to handle. A year ago, the Lions permitted 2,296 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground, ranking a measly 28th and 26th in the league, respectively, in those two categories.
Even with the offseason additions of players like Aidan Hutchinson and Malcolm Rodriguez, it's hard to envision the Lions' rush defense being drastically improved at this present juncture.
Now, on the flip side, I can see Detroit's ground game being more productive this season than it was a year ago.
Spearheaded by D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, the team's backs produced 1,886 yards and 12 scores via the ground in 2021. They also rushed for 4.4 yards per carry, good for the 11th-best mark in the NFL.
Swift has set the ambitious goal of rushing for 1,000 yards and recording another 1,000 yards receiving in his third year as a pro.
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I would like to see him even more involved in the Lions' weekly offensive gameplan this year, and there's no better time to start than in this Week 1 matchup vs. the Eagles.
Philadelphia was weaker against the pass than the run game a season ago (11th in passing yards allowed and 14th in passing yards per attempt, as compared to ninth in rushing yards permitted and sixth in rushing yards per attempt). However, Swift is a dynamic weapon that needs to be featured early and often in both the pass and run games, and the same can be said about his backfield counterpart in Williams.
If the Lions want to have a shot at securing the Week 1 victory, I believe that the above scenario on the offensive side of the ball needs to happen.
With that said, at this current juncture, I'm willing to give Detroit a 40 percent chance of beating Hurts & Co.
