NFL
By: Greg Rector
The Detroit Lions are playing great football. Get used to Honolulu Blue being this good folks. They just won their 4th straight game and are 3-0 on the road in this 2023 NFL season.
Detroit Lions Offense
So rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs missed the game against Tampa Bay and the number one running back David Montgomery goes down with a rib injury. All quarterback Jared Goff does is throw the ball 44 times and destroy the Tampa Bay Buccanneers’ solid defense for 353 yards. The days of Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson are long over and as great as both players were they would both be drooling to be able to take the field with this group.
The Detroit Lions offensive line is easily one of the best units in the entire NFL. Jared Goff has all the time he needs to find his wide receivers and Sam Laporta the rookie tight end has been phenomenal. Ben Johnson will be in head coaching interviews all off-season. This Detroit Lions offense is simply a working unit that can stay with any team in the league.
The Detroit Lions have played three first-place teams and are 3-0 they beat the Kansas City Chiefs (21-20) Atlanta Falcons (20-6) and Tampa Bay (20-6) and up next is another first-place team in the AFC North division leaders in the Baltimore Ravens. They will be tested against the Ravens’ defense and if they defeat Baltimore they will cement themselves as not just a contender by winning their division but this young Lions team can challenge San Francisco Philadelphia and Dallas Cowboys for the NFC Championship.
As much as I despise “That School Up North” in college football I have never in my 59 years of life seen a Detroit Lions team that is playing great football. Not when Wayne Fontes was their coach not when Steve Marriucci was the head coach not ever.
Is this Detroit Lions team the best team in football currently? Maybe not the best but they are playing great football.
DETROIT LIONS DEFENSE
Notice the scores I mentioned earlier? I’ve never seen a Detroit Lions defense play this well. Aaron Glenn will also be getting interviewed by many teams along with Ben Johnson in the off-season. This Lions’ defense has been dominating opposing offenses and they are stopping teams from reaching the end zone, unlike most Detroit Lions teams I’ve seen.
Drafting Aidan Hutchison was a magnificent move by General Manager Brad Holmes it was a genius decision after the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Travon Walker first overall. Hutchison won’t win the Defensive Player of the Year award this season however he’s got himself into position in order to get some votes. While I despised him when he was going to “That School Up North” I never doubted his talent and he has truly been a huge reason for the Detroit Lions’ defense to be stopping teams.
As well the play from the linebacker Alex Anzalone has been superb even with his parents having been trapped in Israel after the horrifying attack by the Hamas terrorists. They returned home and were in Tampa Bay to witness the Detroit Lions win.
Brian Branch the star for Alabama missed the game against the Buccaneers and despite the fact that seven Detroit Lions missed the game they still dominated an excellent team in Tampa Bay.
If they can defeat the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday I will certainly have the Detroit Lions not just on my radar but I will say it now, the Lions could possibly be playing football in February in Las Vegas. Don’t laugh at the idea folks, Honolulu Blue is a very real football team and they can compete with the big boys in the NFC.
