When the Washington Commanders visit Ford Field on Sunday, the Detroit Lions carry an expectation of victory. It’s the first time in 24 games where the Lions have been favored to win, after all. But the 1-0 Commanders are no pushover.
If the Lions want to break into the win column in Week 2, these six specific players will need to perform better than they did collectively in Week 1 in the 38-35 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Watch: Detroit Lions Podcast recaps Week 1 and previews the Commanders
QB Jared Goff
Goff’s stats from Week 1 aren’t all that poor, but the splits from the first half paint a more vivid breakdown:
7-for-15, 53 yards, 1 INT (a pick-six) and two attempts that traveled more than 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage
Washington is not Philadelphia on either side of the ball, but the Lions cannot expect to beat anyone if their starting quarterback has another miserable half of football like that.
DT Alim McNeill
McNeill was a non-factor in the loss to the Eagles. The athletic defensive tackle finished with just one tackle and did not pressure Eagles QB Jalen Hurts once.
That was against a very good center in Jason Kelce and a skilled Eagles line. Washington C Chase Roullier is no slouch, but McNeill’s quickness is a better matchup for Detroit in Week 2. The Lions rely on McNeill’s penetration from the interior to help the edges, but that did not happen in Week 1.
CB Amani Oruwariye
As good as Jeff Okudah was in Week 1, his cornerback mate Amani Oruwariye had a game he probably wants to forget. The Eagles picked on Oruwariye and No. 24 had few answers while going up against a physical receiver in A.J. Brown.
Washington offers some dangerous passing game weapons in Curtis Samuel, Terry McLaurin and rookie Jahan Dotson. In Week 1, QB Carson Wentz showed he will distribute the ball to whoever is open. All three of those receivers are faster than Oruwariye, so he’ll need to be better on his jam and quicker to react to cuts and route breaks if he wants to succeed.
LB Alex Anzalone
Anzalone had something of a tale of two halves in Week 1. Much like Goff, he was a massive liability in the first half before settling in and performing as least competently after the intermission.
But the damage had been done already. Anzalone’s inability to corral or contain Jalen Hurts was a huge problem. No. 34 was also too far off in coverage on talented TE Dallas Goedert. Washington uses TE Logan Thomas effectively in the passing game, but also RB Antonio Gibson out of the backfield. Anzalone cannot miss tackles, commit penalties or get caught looking instead of acting–all of which pockmarked his Week 1 performance.
RG Logan Stenberg
Stenberg was thrust into the starting lineup in Week 1 thanks to unexpected injuries to both Halapulivaati Vaitai and Tommy Kraemer. Both those guys are now on IR, which means there is no safety net if Stenberg plays as poorly as he did against the Eagles.
He did well enough in the run game. But he earned a 0.0 PFF grade in pass protection, and now he faces the unquestioned strength of the Commanders–their wildly talented defensive front. DaRon Payne, Jonathan Allen and Montez Sweat will all present formidable challenges to Stenberg. He’s got to be more reliable in protecting Goff or else the entire offensive plan falls apart.
DE Aidan Hutchinson
Hutchinson didn’t have a “bad” game in his NFL debut, but he could have had a better afternoon. Be it first-game jitters, the juice from playing in his hometown or simply never seeing a guy like All-Pro RT Lane Johnson before, Hutchinson got too far out of position too often in Week 1.
In Week 2, Hutchinson will primarily square off against Commanders RT Samuel Cosmi. The second-year tackle is a solid young blocker, but Hutchinson should outclass him in this matchup. He’ll need to finish more plays and perform more positionally disciplined in Week 2.
