Detroit Lions News: What They're Saying About Win Over Colts

Detroit Lions news takes a look at the team’s week one win over the Indianapolis Colts and what is being said about it around the web.

Was it perfect? No, not even close. But the Detroit Lions are now a week into their 2016 season and game one goes in the books as a win.

Beyond simply getting the win, the Lions should come out of this game feeling good about some things. First and foremost, any concerns about the first team offense not finding the end zone in the preseason were put to rest with the first drive of the regular season ending with a touchdown. Matthew Stafford looked like he did during the second half of last season, completing 31 of 39 passes for three touchdowns and no interceptions.

There is no doubt that losing Calvin Johnson hurts but there was no obvious sign of a change in Stafford’s play in his first game after Johnson’s retirement. Perhaps Megatron wasn’t the crutch for Stafford that so many detractors wanted to believe…

The turnover-free day means there weren’t any disastrous ends to any Lions drives. Aside from a kneel-down to end the first half, the Lions ended with points or a booming Sam Martin kick that flipped field position.

Sam Martin set a team record for gross punting average (58.8) & net punting average (55.5) in a single game.
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) September 12, 2016

While there were a lot of positives to take from the offensive side of the ball, the same can’t be said on defense. It took a few drives but the Colts found their rhythm and the Lions defense didn’t mount much resistance from late in the first half on.

Andrew Luck had a clean pocket to pass from all too often, giving him time to find receivers who all too often were wide open. That’s a deadly combination and it was nearly the Lions’ undoing. There are certainly things to work on but it’s much better to work on them while coming off a win rather than a loss.

Now for a look around at what others are saying about Sunday’s game.