Detroit Lions Got Game!

The Detroit Lions handled business in their home opener at Ford Field against the Chicago Bears and their new head coach Ben Johnson - Detroit’s former offensive architect turned rival. On today’s show, we unpack the key swing moments from Bears week, then pivot to a massive NFL spotlight game: a Monday night trip to face the Baltimore Ravens in prime time. Expect a fast, detail-rich breakdown built for fans on YouTube, Spotify, and all of your favorite podcast aggregators.

Beating Ben Johnson meant beating your old tendencies. Detroit leaned into a newly formed rivalry to stay a step ahead of Chicago’s rules while protecting their own core identity - physical runs to set up in-breakers for Amon-Ra St. Brown, seam conflict for Sam LaPorta, and manufactured space touches for Jahmyr Gibbs. We highlight cleaner operation in the red zone, plus a quieter penalty sheet that kept Jared Goff in rhythm - crucial after Week 1’s stalls. Just as important: Detroit’s defense closed space on perimeter RPOs and tackled through contact, a must versus Johnson’s motion-heavy sequencing now that he’s officially in charge at Halas Hall.

Bears Takeaways: Countering Ben Johnson, Reasserting Identity

Monday Night Football Preview: Lions at Ravens - Edges, Matchups, Levers

Baltimore’s star power is real - Lamar Jackson piloting an attack with Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, and DeAndre Hopkins - but early tape shows pass-protection stress (five sacks in two weeks) that Detroit can leverage with line games and disciplined rush lanes. Contain first, squeeze second; win the edges without losing quarterback depth. Meanwhile, Lions DBs must win while the second level throttles Henry on runs.

Oddsmakers have the Baltimore Ravens as home favorites on Monday Night Football - no surprise in that building. Kick is set for 8:15 p.m. ET from M&T Bank Stadium (ESPN/ABC), and Detroit’s path is clear: own first down, steal a possession (fourth-down or takeaway), and turn green-zone trips into sevens. Books are leaning Ravens straight-up while noting Detroit’s strong ATS profile the last two-plus seasons.

Two news nuggets to monitor as we near kickoff: Baltimore’s edge rotation has been nicked (Kyle Van Noy’s status bears watching), and Chris and Jeff spent a chunk of the pod detailing rush-lane integrity to keep Lamar in phase. If that edge room is light, Goff’s play-action and quick-game to St. Brown/LaPorta can stress Baltimore’s single-high looks and force lighter boxes for Gibbs.

If Detroit replicates the Bears template - clean pre-snap, efficient on early downs, violent tackling - and layers it with a spy/squeeze plan for Jackson, the NFC North leaders can flip the Monday-night script in Baltimore. Subscribe to the Detroit Lions Podcast for full NFL breakdowns ahead of Lions-Ravens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjjXHTPIu7w

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October 2009