Behind Enemy Lines: Q&A with Pride of Detroit

In preparing for Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Lions, Pride of Detroit’s Mike Payton and I sat down for a small Q&A for one another’s publications.

1. We’re now two weeks into the season and the Lions are without a victory. Can you summarize why the Lions are winless through two weeks?

The simple answer is that the Lions has the worst defense in franchise history in 2020. In 2021 it seems nothing about that defense has been fixed. The Lions have allowed 76 points so far. That’s the second most in the NFL. It’s really bad.

2. Jamie Collins is in the news as a player on the Lions’ trade block. What seems to be the issue there?

I think Collins has just reached that point in his career where he doesn’t have it anymore. He’s 31 and he’s played eight years in the league. His recent play makes it look like he’s currently feeling every minute of those eight years. The Lions need to get faster at linebacker and Collins is just not the answer anymore.

3. Where do you see the Ravens attacking the Lions’ defense? Where might they find success, and what should be an area of concern?

The Ravens should be able to run the ball all day long on this team. The Lions are seemingly incapable of stopping the run at this point. Another area where the Ravens can take advantage is the secondary. Which is full of rookies or undrafted free agents. It’s a very rag tag group. It may sound crazy, but there is no area of concern.

4. Give us two players (one offense, one defense) Ravens fans should be concerned about as the “X-factors” of making this game go in the Lions’ favor?

On offense it’s TJ Hockenson. The third year tight end is coming off his first Pro Bowl and he has only gotten better. He’s a mismatch just about everywhere and the Lions offense really moves through him. He’s a problem for any defense in the league.

On defense it’s probably Trey Flowers. He’s quietly the best defender on the team. Sadly that’s not saying much.

5. What are your expectations for this game? How do you see it playing out?

Flat out, the Ravens are going to run it up on this team. We’ll be writing our game recaps by the third quarter. I have the Ravens winning 42-17.