The One Matchup Lions Must Exploit against Saints
The New Orleans Saints' coverage of tight ends has struggled to start the 2020 season.
In Week 1, New Orleans' defense gave up six catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. In Week 2, 13 catches for 136 yards and one touchdown was allowed. Against Green Bay last week, nine catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns were given up.
Detroit's offense has invested heavily in the tight end position, and this week that investment must pay off.
Jesse James explained prior to the season that his first year in Detroit was in fact 'brutal' due to not coming close in any way of meeting expectations.
"Toughest year I had as a pro, for sure," James said. "A lot of learning. It was just, worked as hard as you could in the middle of the year and nothing really ended up working out for me personally, but that’s just part of the job and didn’t change the way I approached the work week. So I learned a lot, got better and feel like I’ve improved a lot since then."
Against Arizona, James was able to secure his first touchdown grab of the season and he has been instrumental in Detroit's run scheme.
Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson
Billy Hardiman, USA TODAY Sports
Detroit has received some criticisms over the years for using high draft picks on tight ends.
Bob Quinn used the No. 8 overall pick in 2019 to draft T.J. Hockenson.
To begin 2020, Hockenson has started to show glimpses of the offensive weapon he can emerge into.
No better time than the present to take advantage of an opponent's clear weakness and to showcase two players that can significantly help Detroit secure their second victory of the season.
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