DETROIT (AP) — The first two weeks of the season haven't been what Detroit Lions fans were expecting. The Lions faced the teams they beat in last year's playoffs — the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — in front of raucous crowds at Ford Field. This time, though, they were lucky to come away with a split.
They blew a 17-3 lead against Matthew Stafford and the Rams in their opener before rallying to force overtime and win without Stafford touching the ball. On Sunday, Baker Mayfield outplayed Jared Goff and the Lions lost 20-16 . They are 1-1 and getting ready to play at Arizona, which just blew out the Rams 41-10 .
“That ended up being a lopsided score, but that's the nature of the way that team plays,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday. “They are tricky on both sides of the ball — they do a lot of things that are not orthodox.” Campbell mentioned Kyler Murray's playmaking ability, especially now that he has Marvin Harrison Jr.
as a target. “When he gets out and runs around, he's dangerous,” Campbell said. “Now they've got him a weapon to throw to.
” That could be a problem for a Lions defense that has struggled against top receivers in the first two games. Cooper Kupp had 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown for the Rams, while Tampa Bay's Chris Godwin had seven receptions for 117 yards. Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold has been flagged three times for pass interference, all inside the 5-yard line.
However, the Lions have a significant .