The Detroit Lions (0-1) did everything they could to try to win this game against the Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) but came up short with a 38-35 season-opening loss. After watching this game, there are some positive and negative takeaways that are discussed with the panel from Lions Nation Unite.

Jared Goff

Jared Goff had a tale of two halves. In the first half, Goff was inaccurate throwing the pass resulting in balls placed over the intended target. In one instance, Goff was picked off resulting in a touchdown for the Eagles.

The second half of the game was much different. Goff looked decisive, striking DJ Chark on a 22-yard touchdown play where the ball landed perfectly at the right corner of the goal line. Goff even scrambled on a big third-down play to get the first down. Ultimately he came up short but the performance was much better.

Lions Defense

The Lions’ defense has a hard time stopping the run. QB Jalen Hurts ran for 90 yards on 17 carries. RB Miles Sanders rushed for 96 yards on 13 carries and overall, the defense gave up a total of 216 yards on the ground. Rookie LB Malcolm Rodriguez was the bright spot for the Lions run defense, playing sideline to sideline and making a big third-down stop.

The Lions’ pass defense had no answer for WR A.J. Brown as he caught 10 receptions for 155 yards. TE Dallas Goedert caught 3 passes for 60 yards. Overall, the Eagles had 243 yards in the air. CB Jeffrey Okudah played well covering WR Devonta Smith, not allowing a single reception.

D’Andre Swift

One of the biggest takeaways from this game is the emergence of D’Andre Swift. Swift ran for 144 yards on 15 carries with an average of 9.6 yards per carrying and one touchdown. Swift was running with patience and power. The Eagles’ defense had no answer for the Lions’ run game. If Swift can run like this every week, the Lions will have a legit shot to be in every game this year.

Overall

The Lions did lose the game but signs are showing they are getting better. The run game was great, the offensive line kept Goff upright for the most part and opened holes for the run game. Rodriguez looks to be a solid young linebacker who can be an intricate part of this team going forward. They are improving but must win. Next week the Lions host the Washington Commanders and have a shot to get the first win of the season.