Lions fans have to be hoping Taylor Decker comes back soon after Bengals win
The Detroit Lions' new look offensive line has shown great progress since its struggles in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers. Entering Sunday's matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Lions' offensive line had a three-game streak of not allowing a sack, and were looking to extend that mark to four straight games.
While the Lions still came out of Cincinnati with a 37-24 win over the Bengals, many fans were left concerned about the offensive line.
Taylor Decker's absence on the offensive line felt against the Bengals
The absence of left tackle Taylor Decker, who was out with a shoulder injury, however, caused the Lions' offensive line to struggle during certain moments of the game.
The offensive line's struggles began in the first quarter when a promising drive was stalled as Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson recorded a strip sack on Lions quarterback Jared Goff, leading to a Cincinnati fumble recovery. Hendrickson finished the game with two sacks for the Bengals. Defensive ends Joseph Ossai and Myles Murphy also collected sacks for the Bengals.
The Lions' offensive line allowed four sacks in the win against the Bengals, which tied the season high that the group gave up in the season opener loss to the Packers.
Should Lions fans be concerned about offensive line moving forward?
As the Lions exit Cincinnati with a 4-1 record and prepare to take on the reigning AFC Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, at Arrowhead on Sunday, the offensive line will need to have a much better showing than they did against the Bengals.
One poor offensive line showing after three straight games of not allowing a sack shouldn't raise too much concern, given that the Lions were without their key left tackle, Decker. Heading into the game against the Chiefs, Decker's availability is still uncertain. After struggling in the start against the Bengals, offensive tackle Giovanni Manu will need to step up for the Lions moving forward.
Sunday night's matchup will be a crucial game for both teams. The Chiefs are starting to find their way after getting off to a 0-2 start, while the Goff will look to get the best of Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes once again and lead the Lions to a 5-1 start.
Goff is undefeated against Mahomes with a 2-0 head-to-head record. One win came with the Lions in 2023 and the other with the Los Angeles Rams in a thrilling Monday Night Football game in 2018.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor to retain play-calling duties
The Bengals’ offense has drawn heavy scrutiny since quarterback Joe Burrow‘s injury. Things have not gone according to plan with Jake Browning
During each of the three games Browning has started, Cincinnati has scored only three points through the first three quarters. The team managed to score a trio of touchdowns late in Week 5, but on the whole significant improvement is needed moving forward. Efforts on that front will include head coach
“I feel very comfortable,” Taylor said (via ESPN’s Ben Baby). “It’s a fair question. We score three points in three games in the first half. I totally understand that. But right now, it’s going to remain the same.”
Taylor arrived as head coach in 2019. The 42-year-old called plays on offense throughout that span despite a limited track record of doing so at the NFL and college levels. Coming off his time with the Dolphins (which included an interim offensive coordinator gig) and Rams (making him one of several
In the meantime, however, the Bengals’ playoff chances depend on steps forward being taken on both sides of the ball. The team sits near the bottom of the league in both points and yards allowed on defense, while finding offensive production has also proven to be a challenge. Cincinnati is averaging just 17 points and 246 yards per game, figures which will of course need to improve if an end to the team’s losing streak is to take place.
Efforts to make that possible could have included a change in play-calling responsibilities, something which Taylor’s former OC Brian Callahan recently moved forward with in Tennessee. In the case of the Bengals, however, the status quo will remain in place on the sidelines.
