The Detroit Lions are heading toward a Week 15 clash with the Arizona Cardinals, and like most battles, this one won’t be easy for the team to come out with a victory.
Not only are the Lions still dealing with health problems in a variety of ways this week, the team hasn’t been good as a whole this season despite their ability to hang in games. This week, they’ll have to do more than just fight a good fight to come out with a win against one of the more electrifying offenses in the NFL and an opportunistic defense that has been decent.
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So what matchups will the Lions have to hope can go their way this week? Here’s a look at what the Lions will want to see happen on the field in order to come out with a win against a solid team.
Kyler Murray vs. Lions Defense
It might seem strange to avoid a position group and rather to proclaim the Lions have to stop Murray across the board to win, but it’s the truth. The quarterback is a guy who can hurt teams in a multitude of ways, both with the legs and the arm. With this in mind, the Lions are going to have to have a similar kind of defensive plan that they had against Lamar Jackson, who they managed to control decently. The Lions players themselves offer Murray as a key this week when talking about the game.
“He’s a dynamic playmaker in this league and he’s what makes that offense go. He’s definitely the number one threat we have to stop on their team,” cornerback Amani Oruwariye told the media this week in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com. “We handle him, we get him rattled, and I like our chances.”
Craig Reynolds vs. Cardinals’ Defensive Front
With D’Andre Swift not likely to play and Jamaal Williams likely still in COVID-19 protocol, that means the Lions will once again turn to Reynolds to pace their ground attack. In Week 14, Reynolds ran hard and managed to come up with 83 yards on the ground. He’s a tough and durable back that can be counted on in the crunch to do some big things on the field given he always seems to make a big play or two. If the Cardinals’ top-rated defense is vulnerable at all, it can be in the run game. They allow just over 111 yards per-game on the ground and have given up 8 total touchdowns. If Reynolds has a good game, it could work to keeping Detroit in it for the long haul.
Markus Golden and Chandler Jones vs. Lions’ Offensive Line
As a whole this season, the Lions offensive front has been very good. The team is getting great play out of rookie Penei Sewell as well as other young players like Jonah Jackson and even backup center Evan Brown, who is over COVID-19 and should re-join the team this week. This group will be tested by a duo that has produced a total of 19.5 sacks between them. Without consistent protection up front, the Lions will be in trouble offensively. This week, it starts with shutting down Markus Golden and Chandler Jones first and foremost.
James Connor vs. Lions’ Defensive Front
It might be easy to overlook Connor on the scouting report given the fact that the Cardinals have Murray as well as a wideout group led by Christian Kirk, A.J. Green and Rondale Moore. Perhaps surprisingly, however, it’s Connor who has the most touchdowns of any player in that group given his whopping 14 on the season. He’s also rushed for 661 yards this year, which is an impressive total to note for a running back. Detroit’s defensive line was gashed by the Broncos last week for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. With that in mind, they must be much better with Connor this week.
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