It’s Germany week as the Detroit Lions (6-2) travel abroad to take on the New England Patriots (5-4). Buckle up. It is about to be a wild 11-day gauntlet as the Lions play the Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Chicago Bears in that span.
Meanwhile, the NFC North is absolutely insane. I love it.
This is how it was always meant to be. This is adversity.
Turn on local Detroit radio, and you’ll likely hear voices of doubt and concern. Switch to national outlets, and you’ll hear the Bears declared
the favorites in the NFC, Jordan Love MVP discourse, and Kirk Cousins transforming the Vikings’ outlook as contenders.
I love it. This is how it was always meant to be.
With a win on Sunday, the Lions will take over the top spot in the NFC North with the Chicago Bears on their bye. In that event, the Lions will be 7-2 and 2-0 in the division, whereas the Bears will also be 7-2, but 0-2 in the division. All signs point to an absolute battle on Thanksgiving, as Ford Field will undoubtedly, again, welcome Ben Johnson with echoing boos.
But first, taking care of business against the Patriots and Buccaneers is priority one.
Three key matchups. Three opportunities to control the division.
Blake Miller vs. Gabe Jacas
The first key matchup is rookie versus rookie. New England’s second-round pick, EDGE rusher Gabe Jacas, Illinois, has been a disruptive playmaker from the start. For Grit Index followers, his name is not new. Jacas was one of the guys we were pounding the table for here, leading all EDGE rushers with a 9.14 Grit Index score. The Lions went with Derrick Moore, to my surprise. But an uncertain knee injury for Jacas became known after the draft process that may have been one of the contributing factors for the Lions to favor Moore.
Jacas’ early play has been impressive both as a pass rusher as well as a run defender.
He plays violently with a relentless motor.
On the other side, however, the Lions have had a strong start from right tackle Blake Miller, who has had more ups than downs in his rookie campaign. Last week, however, was notably more down than his average performance.
When Jacas is lines up over Miller, my eyes will be on how the Lions’ rookie tackle responds. It will be an entertaining matchup, for sure, but also the winner of it will have a say in which team has a better flight back across the Atlantic.
Christian Mahogany vs. Christian Mahogany
The next matchup is all between the ears for left guard Christian Mahogany. After a benching for breaking team rules last week, Mahogany is back in the starting lineup. It became apparent watching the game against the Miami Dolphins that the Lions’ best five along the offensive line includes Mahogany, as Miles Frazier’s struggles impacted the Lions’ typically potent offense.
“Look, if you say you’re gonna do something, you better hold up to it, otherwise you’re gonna lose respect of the people around you,” said Dan Campbell on 97.1 The Ticket. “Because if I’m sitting in that seat and I say one thing and then I don’t do it, I would immediately lose respect for that person. So we stick by what we say we’re gonna do here.”
It is time for Mahogany to take the next step as a professional. He knows it.
The time is now. If not now, Dan Campbell surely will not let one player hold the rest of the team back.
Patriots’ rookie cornerbacks vs. Lions receiving corps
With veteran cornerback Carlton Davis III already ruled out for the game, the Patriots will be leaning on two rookies to play the role opposite Christian Gonzalez. The two rookies are fifth-round pick Karon Prunty, Wake Forest, and undrafted free agent Channing Canada, TCU.
Following up on an abysmal performance against the Green Bay Packers’ paper tiger deep passing attack, the New England secondary will face an even more difficult matchup against the Lions. Following Jared Goff’s first game of the season without a passing touchdown and back-to-back games with an interception, ending his early-season streaks, Goff will be looking to right the ship against the Patriots. If I were a betting man, an Amon-Ra St. Brown anytime touchdown in his home country of Germany may be the safest bet of the weekend.
Three key matchups. Three opportunities.
Drei Schlüsselduelle. Drei Gelegenheiten. (Thank you, Google Translate).
