The Detroit Lions are back on the road this Sunday, October 5, for a big-time Week 5 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals — and there’s a little history behind this one.
Detroit heads in with a 3-1 record, while the Bengals sit at 2-2 and are still without Joe Burrow, who’s expected to remain out until at least December. That gives the Lions an edge, but we all know — in the NFL, nothing’s ever automatic. 💪
Here’s where it gets interesting…
Jared Goff actually has a past connection with Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. Back in 2018, Taylor was Goff’s quarterbacks coach with the Los Angeles Rams. So yeah, Taylor knows Goff’s style — but this version of Goff, leading one of the NFC’s toughest teams, is a whole different beast. 🦁
During his midweek press conference, Taylor said:
“I coached Jared for two years and have a ton of respect for him. Dan (Campbell) and his staff are doing a great job on offense.”
Meanwhile, Jake Browning is holding things down at QB for Cincinnati. He’s completed 64% of his passes, with 3 touchdowns and 5 interceptions so far. Taylor says he’s confident in Browning, but the Lions’ defense has been on a mission lately — and they’ll be ready to test him. ⚡
📈 Detroit Keeps Rising
The NFL Week 5 Power Rankings just dropped, and analyst Eric Edholm has the Lions ranked No. 3 overall.
He pointed out that while the offense wasn’t lights-out against Cleveland (and let’s be honest, nobody’s been against that defense), Detroit continues to play smart football. The Lions did have a few uncharacteristic penalties and are still working on the connection between Goff and Jameson Williams, but the depth on both sides of the ball is clear.
Edholm summed it up perfectly:
“Campbell’s team has a few screws to tighten, but there’s no reason for concern.”
