Penei Sewell Views 'Night-and-Day' Difference with Lions Offense

Detroit Lions offensive lineman Penei Sewell, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, put together a solid rookie season, playing at both left and right tackle for the Lions.

With Taylor Decker healthy to kick off the 2022 campaign, Sewell got the start at right tackle Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, and picked up right where he left off as a first-year pro.

The Oregon product showcased his run-blocking prowess throughout Detroit's regular season opener, helping pave the way for D'Andre Swift to rush for a career-high 144 yards.

Now, the 6-foot-5, 331-pounder did allow three pressures and one sack in the contest, according to Pro Football Focus. However, his dominant performance as a run-blocker allowed him to earn a 79.8 overall grade from the highly popular sports analytics website.

It was the second-highest PFF grade for a Lions offensive performer in Week 1 -- behind just Swift's 82.3 mark -- and the second-highest overall mark among all Detroit players for the week.

Sewell and Swift led the way in the Lions scoring 35 points vs. Philadelphia, a stark contrast from last year's matchup with the Eagles. In that game, Detroit was able to muster up just six points.

"To be honest, it's like night and day," Sewell told reporters Monday, reflecting on the difference between Sunday and last season's Lions offense. "I feel like the culture has risen and also with Ben (Johnson) being OC (offensive coordinator), he's always in tune with what we want to do as an offense and what we want to be.

"We're pretty confident all across the board... everybody knows the standard in each room."

The starting five of Detroit’s offensive line – Sewell, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Frank Ragnow, Taylor Decker and Jonah Jackson -- failed to start a single game together in 2021.

And, the same can already be said about the O-line this year. Third-year offensive lineman Logan Stenberg got the start at right guard against Philadelphia, in the place of the injured Vaitai.

Despite two false-start penalties called against Stenberg in his first career NFL start, Sewell believes the Kentucky product still “did his thing” Sunday.

“Man, he came in and did his thing,” Sewell said, in reference to Stenberg’s performance vs. the Eagles. “Me and him just didn’t skip a beat throughout the whole week working out, in practice with each other, just creating that chemistry, because obviously, he didn’t get much reps throughout training camp. So, man, he just came in, did his thing and didn’t let the moment get too big for him.”

And when Stenberg committed those back-to-back false starts on the Lions’ opening drive, all Sewell did was flash Stenberg a smile and tell him that he’s “ready to get off the ball.”

“Just for him to bounce back from those two false starts, he’s going to be money this season,” Sewell added.