Four weeks are in the books, and the NFL season is starting to take shape, slowly clearing the path to the playoffs. For the Detroit Lions, Week 5 is bringing a new test against the Arizona Cardinals. Sitting at a 2-2 record following a frustrating loss against the Carolina Panthers, Dan Campbell’s side now has a new opportunity to hit the reset button and get back on track.
As for the Cardinals, they are at the bottom of the NFC West, sitting with a 1-3 record, coming off three losses on a trot. While the Lions may hold a slight advantage on paper with one more win this season, given that it’s an away game, several challenges could test them to stay ahead on the gridiron today.
4) Playing Another Game Without Brian Branch And Cade Mays
Following Week 4’s game against the Panthers, the Lions finally received encouraging roster news. The star Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch and starting offensive lineman Cade Maye came back to practice from their respective injuries.
Despite their return, the offensive and defensive stars are out for today’s game, with the franchise taking a cautious approach to their full comeback. Considering the recent struggles of the Lions’ secondary, they have to figure out how to cope with another game without him. On the other hand, Juice Scruggs will continue his role as Mays’ replacement.
3) Overcoming The Odds As The NFL’s Worst Passing Defense
The Lions’ defense needs an immediate fix, and the biggest weakness has been the secondary. The opposing offense has found enough room to make big passes each game.
After surrendering an eye-popping 304 passing yards per game, the Lions’ defense is officially the worst in the league, sitting at 32nd among all teams. Unless they tighten up the coverage and limit explosive plays against the Cardinals today, another disastrous defensive show could be on the cards.
2) Lions Must Find a Way To Contain Cardinals’ Rising Rookie RB Jeremiyah Love
While the Lions’ passing defense has been awful, the run defense hasn’t been much better either. After giving up 119.8 yards and allowing 6 rushing touchdowns, they are 21st. On that note, the rookie sensation Jeremiyah Love should be on Sheppard’s radar.
The first-round and third overall pick has quickly become one of the biggest boosts of the Cardinals’ offense, and his numbers show why. With 3 starts, he has 55 carries and 223 rushing yards. The Notre Dame rookie has the most rushing yards among all first-year players. Keeping Love from settling in and wreaking havoc in the defense would be a big challenge for the Lions today.
1) Right Execution Of Coaching Call
The communication between defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and his players hasn’t been great. The most glaring sign of the issue was the recent press conference of the DC, where he insisted that his calls were right against the Panthers, but the players failed to execute.
Moving forward to today’s game, clearing this miscommunication would be one of the biggest challenges for the Lions DC has to find a way to disrupt the Cardinals’ QB, Jacoby Brissett, while keeping the secondary protected during explosive plays.
4 Challenges Lions Must Overcome vs. Cardinals Today