5 Key Storylines I'm Watching Closest in Lions Week 1 Game Against Saints

The Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints square off to open the season at 1 p.m. Sunday.

As head coach Dan Campbell enters his sixth season at the helm, expectations are high even after a last-place finish a season ago. As a result, the Lions will be looking to make good on the desires of the fans for them to get back to the postseason.

The Saints will be a formidable opponent, and the Lions have had some struggles in home openers throughout Campbell's tenure. However, they have won their last two home openers and have a chance to make it three in a row to start the season.

Here are five storylines I'm watching that could decide Sunday's game.

Drew Petzing's tenure begins

The Lions will have new leadership for their offense with Drew Petzing taking the reins. As the offensive coordinator for the Cardinals for the last three years, Petzing has had success at points despite the team struggling for the majority of his tenure.

He now has an arsenal of talent that not many teams can match, and as a resut it's very intriguing to see how the offense performs in his first game calling the shots. His usage of the Cardinals' tight end is one element that fans are watching, as he could scheme some intriguing looks for Lions' tight end Sam LaPorta.

Ultimately, Petzing having a good debut will be one of the biggest keys to the team's success. If he get Jared Goff comfortable early, it could be a field day for the Lions' offense.

New-look D-line

The Lions have some new faces on their defensive line, which could lead to some improvements from a consistency perspective. In particular, the Lions will have a new running mate for Aidan Hutchinson in veteran D.J. Wonnum.

The Lions' defensive line got plenty of pressure on opposing quarterbacks in the preseason, with players like Wonnum and rookies Derrick Moore and Skyler Gill-Howard all showing solid ability. Time will tell if this carries over into the regular season, but they appear to have solid depth in this area.

With Tyler Shough having the ability to pick defenses apart when comfortable, the Lions need to get pressure on him early and often. Hutchinson is as good as they come, but if the Lions can get other pass-rushers involved it will set up good things.

Miller's debut

The Lions will be turning things over to Blake Miller on the offensive line, as the rookie will make his first career start at right tackle. Penei Sewell is the headliner of the group, as he's coming off three-straight All-Pro seasons, but Miller will likely have the most eyes on him.

As the Lions' first-round pick in this year's draft, Miller has heightened expectations facing him ahead of his debut. Coming out of Clemson, Miller appears to be a perfect fit for the Lions based on his tenacity and durability, as he made over 50 starts for the Tigers in college.

Some growing pains can be expected for a rookie making his first start, but if Miller shows some promise it will give fans optimism after an offseason of change.

Guard rotation

The Lions seem set with Tate Ratledge as the starting right guard, but the left side is unsettled heading into the game. Both Ben Bartch and Christian Mahogany were slated to get reps with the starters in practice, with the Lions not making a final decision official prior to the game.

Campbell did say Friday that there was a good chance it would be Mahogany who starts the game, and Mahogany has the advantage of remaining healthy throughout training camp while Bartch worked back from a Lisfranc injury suffered last year as well as some time in concussion protocol.

The Lions seem to think Bartch could be a good option at some point, as he's remained in the competition despite missing so much time. The Lions could rotate both options, and Bartch's usage is something to monitor in Sunday's game.

Gibbs becomes top option

The Lions traded away David Montgomery this offseason, cementing Jahmyr Gibbs as the primary option in the backfield for the first time in his career. After playing rotationally with Montgomery in what was a dynamic backfield for his first three seasons, Gibbs has been annointed as the bell-cow.

Detroit signed Isiah Pacheco to be the second option, but Pacheco suffered a pair of injuries in camp and is currently on injured reserve. As a result, the Lions' depth chart behind Gibbs consists of a pair of unproven options in Jacob Saylors and Sione Vaki.

With the lack of proven depth, it will be interesting to see how much work the Lions give Gibbs in the season opener. Campbell has expressed confidence in both of his backup options, but Gibbs could have a long runway in the opener as Detroit evaluates what it has behind him.

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