The Lions are 2–1 after another 31-point performance, but Sunday’s win exposed two problems Detroit can’t afford to ignore if it wants to make a serious Super Bowl push.
It’s another Victory Monday for the Lions, making it two this season as Detroit defeated the New York Jets 31–24 to push their record to 2–1. Although Detroit seemingly won this game, by there were some good things, a few bad things and one really ugly thing that has been a continuous trend throughout the season for the Lions. And no, I’m not talking about the cornerbacks.
The Good
Both Jahmyr Gibbs and Jared Goff were lights out Sunday. Goff completed 25 of his 32 pass attempts for 269 yards and two touchdowns while finishing with a 122.5 passer rating.
Gibbs, on the other hand, had 20 rushing attempts for 99 yards and two touchdowns, along with seven receptions for 65 yards and another touchdown. Gibbs nearly led the Lions in receiving, but Isaac TeSlaa beat him out by just one yard.
Goff also did a great job of spreading the ball around, completing passes to eight different receivers. Goff finished the game with a 76.8 offensive grade from PFF, while Gibbs posted an impressive 90.4 offensive grade.
The Bad
For the third straight game, Detroit failed to score points on its opening drive. The Lions put together a 10-play, 35-yard drive that initially seemed very promising before stalling at the Detroit 48-yard line.
The Lions faced a third-and-7, but Jared Goff ended up taking a sack, forcing Detroit to punt.
This has been a major issue for the Lions, and although I believe Drew Petzing has been a solid play-caller, this is one thing he will need to fix if Detroit wants to be a true Super Bowl contender.
Fortunately for Petzing, this is one of the easier things to fix. The opening drive can be scripted and worked on throughout the week, and Detroit has plenty of opportunities to improve in this area.
Many teams are able to put points on the board during their opening possession, but Detroit has struggled mightily to do so this season. It wasn’t until the Lions’ third drive that they finally put points on the board with a field goal.
Detroit scored no points in the first quarter. Realistically, if the Lions’ offense had been clicking the way it did in the second, third and fourth quarters during the first quarter, this game could have been put away before the Jets had a chance to tie things up or potentially win the game on the final drive.
The Ugly
Once again, tight ends gave the Lions a huge problem.
The Jets didn’t even have their starting tight end, Mason Taylor, available for this game. Despite that, rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq, the 17th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, managed to haul in seven receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown.
But he wasn’t the only tight end who caused Detroit problems. Jeremy Ruckert caught five passes for 39 yards and a touchdown, while Jelani Woods added one reception for 20 yards.
In total, the Lions surrendered 13 catches, 164 yards and two touchdowns to the Jets’ tight ends.
This is an ugly trend that needs to be fixed. Through just three games, the Lions have allowed six touchdowns, 29 receptions, and 351 yards to six different tight ends.
Overall, this was a solid win for Detroit. If the Lions can fix their struggles on the opening possession and figure out how to stop opposing tight ends, this team can go from good to great very quickly.
Detroit will now prepare to take on the Carolina Panthers on Sunday Night Football.
