On the surface of the Detroit Lions’ season opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers, there wasn’t a lot that we didn’t expect. The offense struggled to push the ball deep early in the game, relying heavily on checkdowns and the running game for success. Defensively, the Lions picked up where the left off last year, which is to say, they were horrible.
But the offensive line—which we billed as potentially one of the best in the league—held their own and more against a feared 49ers defensive front. And they managed to do it without their start left tackle Taylor Decker.