As the Detroit Lions prepare to take on the Baltimore Ravens, it’s hard to forget what happened just two years ago. The Lions, 5-1 and in the midst of their franchise turnaround, got humbled by the perennial contender 38-6, in a game that was over before halftime.
As you may expect, the Lions are digging into that game as motivation for this week’s matchup. While both teams have shifted their personnel in the last two offseasons, many of the players who participated in that game are still here, and still feel the embarrassment of that afternoon.
“They kicked our butt. They got after us early and often,” quarterback Jared Goff said this week. “Yeah, we certainly remember that.”
But the past can be more than just a motivator. There are lessons to learn in that blowout loss. The first of which may be: don’t start slow. In that game, the Lions went three-and-out on offense three straight times. And given how explosive this Ravens offense can be, it’s no surprise that Detroit’s fourth offensive possession started with the team already down 28-0.
And this isn’t the first time it has happened to Goff. Back in 2019, the Goff-led Rams opened the game with two three-and-outs. The next time he touched the ball, he was down 14-0. After adding a couple of field goals, the Rams’ deficit was already 28-6 on the way to a 45-6 bludgeoning.
So the veteran quarterback knows they need a fast start on both sides of the ball this week.
“With Lamar (Jackson) and the offense they got, they can start out fast and get hot,” Goff said. “So our defense, we’re relying on them to play well and then we’ve got to play well on our part too offensively.”
The Lions also learned a lesson on physicality. For a team that already prides itself on winning in the trenches and playing a brand of football that is defined by grit and toughness, they openly admit the Ravens punched them in the mouth last item.
“We pride ourselves on physicality, and they put it on tape,” receivers coach Scottie Montgomery said. “That’s kinda what we took from it. That’s what we have to live with, because that’s what we put on tape. That’s our resume. So the physicality of this game is going to be high. We know that, and that’s what we have to accept and we have to do a lot better than last time.”
It also helps to have gone against Jackson himself. While the Lions have limited the escapability of mobile quarterbacks Jordan Love and Caleb Williams in the first two weeks of the season, Jackson is an entirely different challenge.
“Nothing really prepares you for Lamar Jackson,” linebacker Alex Anzalone said.
But more than anything, the Lions have simply learned what it’s like to go up against one of the best-run organizations of the past two decades. With that experience in their pocket, they’re ready to prove that 2023 was a different Lions team.
“Most of our guys have seen them up close, real time,” coach Dan Campbell said. “If you didn’t have an idea, you’ve got a really good idea now of what you’re going into. Which is always good, the experience is good for that. We know it’s going to be a challenge, but I’m telling you, we’re looking forward to it. I mean, these are fun, man. These are as good as it gets.”
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