While the temperatures in Metro Detroit won’t start feeling like fall until the middle of next week, we are fully into the swing of football season. After another convincing win over the Cleveland Browns
in Week 4, the Detroit Lions are back on the road in Week 5 as they prepare to matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.
When the schedule-makers initially set this game for a 4:25 PM start, I understood what they were thinking. In theory, you would have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Joe Burrow facing off with one of the best teams in the NFL in the Lions. However, as we know, things don’t always go according to plan, and with Burrow sidelined for the foreseeable future with a grade 3 turf toe injury, this game now looks much different than it did prior to the 2025 season getting underway.
Coming off of two very lopsided losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos in consecutive weeks, the Bengals appear to be headed for a tailspin despite it only being the beginning of October. Without Burrow under center, the offense has lost almost all of its juice, despite their two game-breaking receivers in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. And on the defensive side of the ball, things are almost worse. Cincinnati’s front-seven is having major issues stopping the run, which in turn is making life really difficult for the rest of the defense, too.
In this episode of, “Before the Roar,” I am once again joined by my good friends Meko Scott and Brandon Knapp, as we preview the Lions’ Week 5 roadtrip to Southeastern Ohio. We discuss what the Lions need to accomplish both offensively and defensively to take care of business, as well as weigh in on who we think the X-factors will be for Detroit.
You can listen to the entire episode using the link below, as well as watch over on the Pride of Detroit YouTube channel.
