It was almost a tale of two different half’s for the Detroit Lions’ season opener from Ford Field.
In the first it was much of the same, missed opportunities, dropped passes, dumb penalties all things that never surprise Lions fans but are still ever so frustrating to continue to see. But it wasn’t just the missed opportunities and continued undisciplined play, it felt as though the officials were against Detroit as well when a Calvin Johnson touchdown was overturned after it was determined he didn’t complete the process, a phrase that still probably haunts the Lions faithful to this very day.
In the second half though it all seemed to come together. The Reggie Bush signing paid it’s dividends really from the very start as the Calvin Johnson/Reggie Bush effect became very noticeable. Despite Megatron being limited to just 4 receptions for 37 yards his presence down field certainly opened things up for Reggie Bush up the middle and out wide. In his first game as a Lion Bush accumulated 90 rushing yards and 101 receptions yards including a 77 yard touchdown off a pass from Stafford.
“This is exactly what we talked about when I was thinking about coming here,” said Bush, who signed a $16 million, four-year contract in March. “We wanted to get me into space with a mismatch against a linebacker or a safety, and that’s what happened. You can do that because of Calvin.”
It also wasn’t just Bush getting it done on the ground. Joique Bell proved to be very effective in short yardage situations as he scored two big goal line touchdowns.
And any doubts on Matthew Stafford’s accuracy from the preseason could be put off at least until next week for those critical of the Lions’ QB. Stafford was 28/43 for 357 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception which came off a deflection.
Defensively the Lions were able to keep Adrian Peterson to 93 yards and two touchdowns which isn’t bad considering what A.P. is capable on a game-to-game basis. Peterson however did rip up the Detroit D on his first attempt from the line of scrimmage as he went the distance for a 78 yard touchdown. After that though the Lions pounded Christian Ponder who was simply awful accumulating just 236 yards on 18 of 28 passing with 3 interceptions.
Once again it was just the Lions beating themselves, something that definitely won’t them well against better teams.