Not many expected the Detroit Lions to be on a national stage this year, no less at the beginning of the season. This offseason, the Lions overhauled everything: their front office, their coaching staff, their roster, their quarterback depth chart. This year’s team is almost unrecognizable from the one Matt Patricia left in his wake, and while most believe that’s probably a good thing, it’s not going to look good right away.
We saw that in Week 1 when the Lions fell behind by 28 points to the 49ers in the third quarter. While they mounted a spirited and unlikely comeback—and were just 24 yards away from tying the NFC West foes—plenty of the team’s weaknesses were glaring last Sunday.