The Kansas City Chiefs are getting ready to face the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Week 4 of the NFL season on Sunday.
To learn more about Kansas City’s opponent, we spoke with managing editor Jeff Risdon over at Lions Wire and asked him a few questions.
Chiefs Wire: The Chiefs and Lions haven’t met since 2015. Where have the Lions improved the most since then?
Lions Wire: The biggest improvement has been the back end of the defense. Darius Slay is one of the NFL’s best cover men, and he’s got a pretty good supporting cast at CB in Rashaan Melvin and Justin Coleman. Tracy Walker has stepped up nicely in his second season at one safety spot, and Quandre Diggs is the best player nobody talks about at the other safety spot. They all fit well together. The LBs in front of them, namely Jarrad Davis and rookie Jahlani Tavai, also fit well with them. They are better than just the sum of their parts in pass defense.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the offensive line. Right now no NFL team is getting better play from the G-C-G combo than the Lions. Matthew Stafford has not been sacked in two straight games, and the interior OL is a big part of that.
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Chiefs Wire: A lot of people thought the Chiefs should have pursued Trey Flowers in free agency over trading for Frank Clark because of the cost of the trade. How has he been for the Lions thus far?
Lions Wire: Flowers is off to a slow start. He did not practice until the final week of preseason and he’s looked rusty. Some of that rust shook off last week, and the hope is the Eagles game is a sign of things to come. He’s a very well-rounded player on the edge and works so well in conjunction with his teammates. Unlike Clark, Flowers isn’t going to get those immediate wins and highlight-reel moves other than an inside shoulder swim that works better against the run.
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Chiefs Wire: Matt Patricia is entering his second season as head coach for the Lions. What’s his report card look like through a season and three games?
Lions Wire: Most Lions fans would give him nothing better than a “D” for his rookie season. That tide is turning with the unbeaten start, and the team now having some semblance of an identity and a hopeful pulse. Winning washes away a lot of sins. He’s helped himself by being less gruff with the media and showing a little more creativity and humility as a coach.
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Chiefs Wire: Matthew Stafford is 31 years old. Is there any sense of urgency from the Lions to win now while he’s still slinging the rock at a high level?
Lions Wire: Yes, there is, absolutely. It has as much to do with his contractual status as his age. His big contract has been a major albatross for a significant portion of the fan base. The Lions could get out of the contract if they want next summer. It’s a great year for Stafford to prove he’s still the man and can be the guy to stop the playoff victory drought. This team will never go “all-in” the way the Texans did this year or the Rams last year, but they’ve given Stafford a lot to work with. So far, he’s looking a lot like the guy who led the NFL in comeback wins and fourth-quarter scoring drives from 2015-17 than the Stafford last year who seemed hamstrung with a stale offense and unable to throw the ball over the middle because the tight ends and slot receivers were abysmal.
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Chiefs Wire: What concerns you the most about this game, and what do you expect from it?
Lions Wire: Patrick Mahomes is the reigning MVP for good reason. He’s the most dangerous player in the game because he’s not afraid to try things others can’t fathom doing. That sort of derring-do is very difficult to prepare for or defend. All the speed on the outside is a worry too, but how well Mahomes identifies his weapons and sets them up is the really scary part.
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