We're officially back! The Detroit Lions open Week 1 of the NFL season at home against the New Orleans Saints and it's always tough to gauge what to expect, especially in the first game of the season.
Many of the Lions' starters haven't played together throughout the preseason. Meanwhile, the Lions' offense and defense ran a lot of basic concepts with their backups so it'll be intriguing to see how it plays out in Week 1.
Let's dive into three things that I'm watching for with the Lions in Week 1 against the Saints:
Jameson Williams usage under Drew Petzing
It's been a strong summer for Jameson Williams in Detroit. How will things look for Williams and the Lions' offense now that they get to play someone else? We've seen Jamo post 1,000 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons and the expectations
is for that to continue this season.
Having a strong performance in Week 1 doesn't determine how the rest of the season will go for a player or team. However, it'll be interesting to see what types of routes are ran by Williams, how he's aligned, and, essentially, how he's utilized in this Lions offense.
It's been clear from quarterback Jared Goff that he trusts the talented receiver and their rapport has grown over the years. We'll see how Petzing deploys the talented receiver in their first game together.
The battle at LG for the Lions offense
Under Dan Campbell, we've never seen a position battle last as long as the one we've been seeing at left guard for the Lions' offense right now. Earlier in the week, Campbell stated that we'll see Christian Mahogany and Ben Bartch rotate at left guard.
But, by the end of the week, the tone changed from Dan Campbell and he indicated to the media that there was a good chance Mahogany would start.
The soon-to-be 26-year old guard out of Boston College is entering his third year with the Lions and is coming off 11 starts last season for Detroit. We'll see how much of a rotation that the Lions build into their offense at the position, but, if Mahogany plays well in Week 1, it's safe to assume that it should be his job to lose.
After all, it's important that the Lions keep a cohesive group on the offensive line. Nobody wants to see weekly changes up front like we did a season ago.
How do the Lions deploy their linebackers on defense?
It's been evident since the Lions drafted Jack Campbell with the 18th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft that they had big expectations for him. He's lived up to those expectations and now with the departure of Alex Anzalone, it's the time for Jack Campbell to lead the Lions' defense.
Alongside Campbell will be Devin White, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Trevor Nowaske and Jimmy Rolder. The combinations that the Lions have with their front seven are super intriguing to me, because I think every single linebacker they have could play as a SAM linebacker or at an inside linebacker spot.
However, not every single linebacker should be deployed when defending the pass. For example, I'd much rather see Devin White blitz and contribute to stopping the run than drop into pass coverage. Obviously, the Lions won't always be able to get it right with the linebacker packages they put on the field, but the the versatility they have and ability to package different players in different groups will be fun to watch unfold. I'd expect plenty of Derrick Barnes, Jack Campbell and Devin White when looking at the snap counts for Week 1.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: 3 things to watch for Lions in Week 1 tilt vs. Saints
