Defensive lapses and poor play by Jared Goff are hurting the Lions early in the season

DETROIT (AP) — The first two weeks of the season haven’t been what Detroit Lions fans were expecting.

The Lions faced the teams they beat in last year’s playoffs — the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — in front of raucous crowds at Ford Field.

This time, though, they were lucky to come away with a split. They blew a 17-3 lead against Matthew Stafford and the Rams in their opener before rallying to force overtime and win without Stafford touching the ball.

On Sunday, Baker Mayfield outplayed Jared Goff and the Lions lost 20-16. They are 1-1 and getting ready to play at Arizona, which just blew out the Rams 41-10.

“That ended up being a lopsided score, but that’s the nature of the way that team plays,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday. “They are tricky on both sides of the ball — they do a lot of things that are not orthodox.”

Campbell mentioned Kyler Murray’s playmaking ability, especially now that he has Marvin Harrison Jr. as a target.

“When he gets out and runs around, he’s dangerous,” Campbell said. “Now they’ve got him a weapon to throw to.”

That could be a problem for a Lions defense that has struggled against top receivers in the first two games. Cooper Kupp had 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown for the Rams, while Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin had seven receptions for 117 yards. Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold has been flagged three times for pass interference, all inside the 5-yard line.

However, the Lions have a significant equalizer in defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who had 4 1/2 sacks against a banged-up Tampa Bay offensive line.

“Aidan Hutchinson has no off switch,” Mayfield said.

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The Lions have trouble with mobile quarterbacks — Mayfield had four rushes for 35 yards and a touchdown — but Campbell trusts Hutchinson to make plays before QBs can get out of the pocket.

“Every time I watch him, it gets better and better,” Campbell said. “He’s just a force. He’s relentless, he’s powerful and he’s explosive.”

What’s working

On a day when the Lions abandoned the run — Goff threw 55 passes — Jahmyr Gibbs still combined for 106 yards on 13 rushes and seven receptions.

What needs help

Goff looked more like the quarterback who struggled to get the ball downfield in 2021 than the player who gave the Lions a consistent big-play threat over the last three years. He averaged 9 yards per completion and could have been intercepted four or five times. On Detroit’s last play, needing a touchdown from the Buccaneers 26, he bounced a short pass to Tom Kennedy.

Stock up

Punter Jack Fox didn’t have an impressive statistical line, averaging 33.5 yards on two punts, but he pinned Tampa Bay inside the 20 both times. He also threw to Sione Vaki for 17 yards on a fake punt.

Stock down

After being called twice for pass interference against the Rams, Arnold was flagged at the Lions 5 on the fourth play of the game. Luckily for the 24th pick in the draft, a sack by Hutchinson helped hold Tampa Bay to a field goal.

Injuries

Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 11 of 19 targets for 119 yards, but limped off the field with a leg injury in the final two minutes. Campbell said it was a soft-tissue injury and St. Brown should be fine to play against the Cardinals.

Key number

24 — The number of times the Lions gave Gibbs and David Montgomery the ball in a close game where they ran 83 plays.

Find last year’s offensive balance before a dangerous game in a city that always gives the Lions problems.

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