The Detroit Lions head into the bye week coming off a 45-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals, but the break also gives them a chance to look hard at what still needs work. With five weeks in the books, there’s been plenty of good football in Detroit - and enough uneven stretches to keep the coaching staff busy.
One of the biggest issues showing up early is the way the offense has started games. Through five weeks, the Lions have piled up 164 points without a defensive or special teams touchdown, which is eye-popping production. But only 10 of those points have come in the first quarter.
That slow-start problem has shown up in different ways from week to week. They scored a touchdown on their second drive against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1, then were shut out in the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in Weeks 2 and 3.
Against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4, they managed just a field goal. And in Week 5 against the Cardinals, the first three drives went nowhere with back-to-back-to-back three-and-outs.
The strange part is that Detroit has been explosive everywhere else. The Lions have scored 57 points in the second quarter, 45 in the third, and 52 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
That gap tells the story: once the offense gets rolling, it can overwhelm teams. The issue is getting there.
The pattern across those early stretches is pretty clear. Negative plays keep knocking the offense off schedule.
Against the Saints, two first-quarter possessions ended in punts after setbacks, including a loss of three on third-and-1 on the opening drive and a holding penalty on first down on the next one. Against the Bills, Detroit absorbed two sacks and a botched snap on its first two drives.
Against the Jets, Jared Goff was sacked twice again on the opening pair of possessions. Against the Panthers, first-down holding penalties disrupted the first two drives, though the Lions did at least finish the first one with a field goal.
And against the Cardinals, Goff was sacked on each of the first three drives, leading to the three-and-out start.
That’s the common thread: once Detroit gets pushed behind the sticks, the drive usually dies. Penalties are one part of it, but sacks have been especially damaging. Across the five games, the Lions have scored just 10 points on drives where Goff was sacked - a field goal against the Saints in the fourth quarter and a touchdown against the Bills late in the game.
It’s not all on Goff or the starting offensive line, either. There have been different causes behind the sacks, including backup Larry Borom being overwhelmed against the Bills, opponents timing up blitzes well, and routes taking too long to develop or getting erased by coverage.
The bye should help on the health front, with Brian Branch and Cade Mays among the players expected back in the mix. It also gives Detroit a chance to clean up the procedural issues that have crept in - the false starts, holds, delay of game penalties, and illegal formations that have added up.
If the Lions can cut out those early mistakes and start faster, the payoff could be big. The defense turned in a strong showing against Arizona, but there are still questions about how it will hold up against stronger opponents.
Helping that unit means keeping it off the field longer. The easiest way to do that is to score early, avoid the self-inflicted wounds, and let the offense do what it has shown it can do.
In Other News...
Lions Look Dangerous Again But One Concern Still Wont Go Away
After a sluggish opening, Detroit settled in and did what good teams do to teams it should beat, rolling past Arizona 45-21 by scoring on seven straight drives. Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams all helped fuel the surge, and Gibbs in particular kept the Cardinals on their heels with repeated big plays on the ground as the Lions found their rhythm and never really gave it back.
The defense also did enough to tilt the game, finishing with five sacks and taking away Arizonas top rushers, but the box score still left a familiar itch. Even in a comfortable win, the secondary gave up nearly 300 passing yards, which is the kind of leak Detroit cannot afford to ignore if it wants this recent offensive burst to mean something beyond one impressive Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Defense Has One Clear Strength And One Lingering Concern
Through five games of the 2026 season, the Lions have enough to feel good about on defense and enough to keep digging. A 3-2 start has been built in part on a pass rush that has come through consistently, with D.J. Wonnum and Aidan Hutchinson giving Detroit a front that can change a game without much help. The linebacker room has also supplied some production even as injuries have shuffled the group, which has left the defense leaning on depth earlier than planned.
The bigger question sits behind that rush. The secondary has been the more uneven part of the unit, with cornerback changes and coverage issues drawing the sharpest criticism so far. For a team trying to settle into the season, that kind of split identity can be hard to ignore, especially when the front seven is doing enough to keep games manageable but the back end still looks like the area most likely to decide how far this defense can go. [Read more 🡒]
Jameson Williams Just Got A Win Lions Fans Will Love
Jameson Williams got a small but meaningful off-field victory this week, successfully appealing two NFL fines tied to his celebrations against the Buffalo Bills. The league had originally hit the Lions receiver for what it viewed as improper conduct, but the fines were rescinded after the appeal process, adding another wrinkle to a season where Detroits playmakers have been under plenty of scrutiny for how they carry themselves in big moments.
The ruling also lands at a time when the NFL and NFLPA have been trying to draw cleaner lines around celebration rules, with a recent joint statement spelling out which gestures cross the line and which ones fit within the leagues sportsmanship standards. Appeals officer Derrick Brooks overturned the penalties but still urged Williams to keep his celebrations professional, a reminder that even when a player wins the fight, the league is still watching the details closely. [Read more 🡒]