Fact or Fiction: Did Lions Defensive Line Struggle in Opener

Was Lions' defensive line efficient against Rams in Week 1?

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) is sacked by Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97). / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Though the Los Angeles Rams played with multiple backup offensive linemen in Sunday's season opener, the Detroit Lions were only able to sack quarterback Matthew Stafford twice. From this perspective, the performance by the defensive linemen could be viewed as disappointing.

However, a deeper review of the game indicates that the Lions' defensive line put plenty of pressure on Stafford. To the Rams' credit, much of their offense revolved around Stafford getting the ball out quick. Still, the Lions managed to notch 27 pressures on the quarterback's 51 dropbacks.

While the Rams were able to do a good job keeping their passer upright with quick passes, the Lions had bodies in the backfield on passes that took longer to develop. Most notably, Aidan Hutchinson notched a sack and four quarterback hits amongst 11 total pressures.

Speaking with Lions' flagship radio Tuesday, coach Dan Campbell explained exactly why the Lions were able to have success without notching a high number of sacks.

“You could put two high school tackles out there and we weren’t gonna get to the quarterback, as fast as he was throwing that ball," Campbell said. "So that ball came out in a hurry. If you look at the game and when he held the ball at any time significantly, we were beating these tackles. It wasn’t about that, I mean, the sacks and everything else. Now I give Stafford credit, man, he played fast, he played efficient. They adjusted pretty quickly to what type of game it was. The good news is we made them one-dimensional for the most part. They knew they couldn’t hold it and they had to get the ball out."

Hutchinson wasn't the only defender to have success in this aspect of the game. His new counterpart on the edge, Marcus Davenport, had six pressures and a half-sack in his Lions debut. Davenport split the sack with Levi Onwuzurike, who had five pressures.

With Alim McNeill also in the fold and DJ Reader expected to debut on Sunday against the Buccaneers, Campbell is extremely bullish on what the defensive line can be and the impact they can have.

"They did a good job over there, but I think what we’ve got up front can be special. Hutch and Davenport on the perimeter, I think they compliment each other very well," Campbell said. "I think you can see the power and length and the ability that they both have. But when you’re talking about up the middle, now, with Mac and Levi and we’ll get Reader back here. You talk about pushing the pocket and creating chaos in there and destruction, we have that ability up front.”

Offensive woes

The Lions' normally high-powered offense was stagnant at points throughout Sunday's game. All-Pro wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown had three catches, while Pro Bowl tight end Sam LaPorta had four.

Because the playmakers were so limited, the Lions were unable to get into a consistent flow. Campbell noted that a big reason for their lack of rhythm was the team's struggles on third down.

"What hurts there is when you have as many three-and-outs as we did. It's one thing to not have success and have to punt, but the three-and-outs are a killer because now you can't get in a rhythm. So now you're like, 'Why don't you keep running the ball?' Well we never really could get to the next first down to do that. 'Why not get St. Brown the ball?' Because we could never really get to a conversion. We try and we're a little bit short."

The Lions were 6-of-13 on third downs and punted four times, including three three-and-outs in the second half. As a result, more success in this area of the game is paramount.

"Third down was the story of this game on offense. Third down's got to be better for us offensively. Once we convert, now we're cooking. We're on to the next sequence, and now you're putting the ball in the hands of your playmakers."