The Detroit Lions lit up the scoreboard in Week 2, but not everyone is convinced their offense has fully returned to form.
After a sluggish outing in the season opener, Detroit rebounded with a commanding 52-21 victory over the Chicago Bears, racking up 511 yards of total offense and finding the end zone seven times. The display looked like a sharp turnaround from their performance against Green Bay, but some believe it’s too soon to assume everything is fixed.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano cautioned against reading too much into one big win. He described the notion that Detroit will be fine without former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as an “overreaction.”
“We’ve seen one poor game and one strong game. Let’s get a bigger sample size before declaring the offense back,” Graziano noted. He added that his bigger concern isn’t about play-calling under new coordinator John Morton but rather the offensive line’s stability following longtime center Frank Ragnow’s unexpected retirement. “That interior line struggled in Week 1. Until we see them consistently hold up, it’s hard to be sure this offense can sustain success.”
Graziano also emphasized that Detroit’s expectations are higher than just being “good.” With Super Bowl aspirations in play, he stressed that the Lions must prove themselves against stronger competition. While the team could still field an elite offense, he said there isn’t enough evidence yet to know for certain, especially given the offensive line questions.
Adding context, the Bears themselves appear to be in disarray, which may lessen the impact of Detroit’s dominance. Still, the Lions showing significant improvement after a rough start shouldn’t be dismissed.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, one of Detroit’s offensive leaders, echoed the cautious optimism. He praised the team for its explosive plays, better communication, and improved execution but admitted there’s still plenty to clean up.
“It’s early. Week 2,” St. Brown said. “We were a lot sharper than last week, from big plays to taking care of the football. But there were still some drives where we stalled, even after turnovers. We can’t waste those chances. That’s something we need to fix. But anytime you drop 50 in this league, it’s impressive no matter who you’re playing.”
Detroit has reasons to feel confident, but the true test comes in Week 3 when they head to Baltimore to face the Ravens—a far tougher opponent than Chicago.
