The Detroit Lions are pushing toward the finish of the 2021 season, and have picked up some serious momentum by virtue of some late-season wins that could help them turn the tide before 2022.
One last major road trip looms for the Lions before the team turns the page to the new year, and while the Lions have played well at home down the stretch, it would do wonders for the team’s confidence if they could score a big win against the Atlanta Falcons on the road.
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At 6-8, the Falcons have not been bad this season, so finding a way to come up with a road win in Atlanta given Detroit’s health issues across the board would actually be huge for the team. In order to make that happen, though, the Lions will face plenty of challenges.
What are the most important matchups to watch this week? Here’s a look.
Kyle Pitts vs. Lions’ Secondary
As weapons go, the Falcons have plenty to unleash on the Lions. As usual, there’s Calvin Ridley, Cordarrelle Patterson and Russell Gage at wide receiver. While all of those players are scary in their own right, quite possibly the biggest challenge for Detroit could be dealing with Pitts given what he represents from a pass-catching standpoint for the team. This season, Pitts has put up a solid 847 yards and 1 touchdown at tight end, which is a sterling result and has helped vault him into the Pro Bowl.
Historically, the Lions struggle with solid tight ends. This week, they can’t allow Pitts to get going, because the solid rookie will be there to break the game and put up numbers. Against a secondary which has struggled at times, that could represent bad news.
Detroit’s Quarterback vs. Falcons’ Secondary
The Lions don’t figure to have Jared Goff for this game as he gets over COVID-19, and that’s a pretty big blow to the Detroit cause given how well the quarterback is playing lately. Goff has 898 yards passing in the last four weeks to go with 9 touchdowns, but all that production can be subtracted now. Detroit is likely to start Tim Boyle, who had a less than stellar performance against Cleveland throwing for just 77 yards and 2 interceptions when he was pressed into duty.
Boyle has maintained this week he feels better and more equipped to start this time around, but it doesn’t change the fact that he will be going against a defense that has put up 8 interceptions this season and can get after it up front. Boyle will have to play much better for the Lions to have a shot in this game.
Craig Reynolds vs. Falcons’ Defensive Front
Reynolds has been a quick revelation for the Lions, and a big reason the team has been in the last few games that they have. Over the last two weeks, Reynolds has pounded out an astounding 195 yards rushing to help lead the team. In spite of that, Reynolds has not gotten into the end zone as of yet, so it can be easy to see how that will be a huge goal for the Lions moving forward, perhaps even in this game. Atlanta as a team is a middling rush defense allowing just over 120 yards and a whopping 15 touchdowns on the ground this season. With this in mind, Reynolds should have some time to operate in this game and could end up having a big day on the field. That would be huge for a Detroit offense that could be without its top quarterback and other major offensive weaponry.
Cordarrelle Patterson vs. Lions’ Defense
The Lions know all about what Patterson can do as a triple threat given they faced him in Chicago, so the team will have to key in on him in all phases and not simply as a wideout. Patterson has 565 yards this season and 5 touchdowns as a rusher, and as a receiver has proven just as tough with 524 yards and 5 touchdowns. That is the kind of balanced production that a team craves from a player yet rarely sees. Patterson will command extra attention from the Lions on defense, and the team will have to commit that in order to try and slow him down.
Teams have tried in vain to stop Patterson, so the Lions will have to do their best to hold him down. If he has a big day, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see the Falcons win by double-digits in this game.
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