Reaction to the Detroit Lions' season-opening victory has taken a few different turns. Most of you are pumped that quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Calvin Johnson connected for two spectacular touchdown passes. Many of you appreciated coach Jim Schwartz's postgame dissatisfaction and overall you were more than willing to accept a fifth consecutive regular-season victory.
AP Photo/Margaret BowlesDefensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, left, and the Lions were often able to pressure the Bucs' passers without blitzing in Sunday's win against Tampa Bay.What hasn't gotten enough attention, I don't think, is that the Lions' defense largely shut down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense when playing in its base,
cheap soccer jerseys, non-blitzing alignment. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Lions sent four or fewer pass rushers on 33 of the Bucs' 44 passing plays,
wholesale jerseys cheap. Bucs quarterbacks completed 24 of those passes, but for a modest total of 204 yards.
On those plays, the Bucs had a Total Quarterback Rating (QBR) of 27.1, the ninth-lowest in the NFL for Week 1.
You might think I'm getting too technical and/or too specific here,
wholesale nfl jerseys. But if you do,
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cheap soccer jerseys. One of the biggest advantages in football is the ability to defend and disrupt the pass without resorting to blitzes. In essence, that's what the Lions did Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
Based on their personnel, at least, the Lions should have that advantage regularly this season if not weekly. Their defensive line should get an added boost from rookie Nick Fairley at some point this season, but it has already gotten off to a good start.
Getting a consistent pass rush from four linemen, obviously, leaves the rest of the defense to get back into coverage. Against the Bucs, Lions defensive backs were credited with seven defensed passes, including three from cornerback Chris Houston and two by safety Louis Delmas.
As I've written all week, we draw no conclusions about a team from Week 1,
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