Week 1 of the Detroit Lions season is out of the way, and just like that, we’re already on to Week 2. Lions fans have a lot of questions heading into Thursday’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills, from potential trades to offensive scheme changes to roster decisions. Let’s do our best to answer them.

What’s the latest on the Joey Porter Jr. situation?

Look, I got nothing for you. At this point, I don’t know. Dan Campbell said on Tuesday that when asked if the Lions had some sort of movement coming, he said he didn’t see that happening. As I wrote in an article on Tuesday shortly after that presser, it’s kind of a situation where you have to ask yourself what you expect Campbell to say. Like, “Yes, of course we have a move coming”? That’s not how this works.

I’m not hearing anything concrete. All I know at this point is that the Lions are being suggested and connected to Porter as one of the teams who could trade for him. That’s as much as I can tell you. My suspicion is that if Detroit does make a trade for Porter, it’s probably not going to happen until after the Buffalo game. That window between the Bills and the New York Jets is where something could happen if something did happen.

I can’t tell you that something is going to happen. I don’t know. At this point, I feel as if it will happen. That is just one reporter saying he feels it will happen. I’m not reporting anything. I’m not giving you any sort of inside information. All I can tell you is my feelings, and that’s all I’ve done so far.

What other move might be considered if Porter isn’t the guy?

At this point, I don’t think there really is any other move. If the Lions don’t trade for a cornerback, I don’t see what they would do. They’re not going to go out looking for an edge rusher. I doubt they would trade for a guard. There are plenty of running backs available right now, so I don’t think you need to trade for one of those.

Porter is kind of the guy who’s available right now, and we are in this weird part of the season where it’s still early and teams aren’t really willing to trade. He’s not only the guy who’s available, but he’s the guy who fits perfectly. If Detroit doesn’t make this Porter trade within the next couple of weeks, I don’t think they do anything until the trade deadline. And by then, who knows who’s going to be available.

How did Drew Petzing’s first game differ from Ben Johnson and John Morton?

I think Petzing’s first game was a lot closer to Johnson than it was to Morton. A lot closer, in the sense that it was a successful offense out there. I thought Petzing’s debut was fine. There were some bumps in the road, which were expected, but the Lions put up 31 points. That gap-heavy scheme got Jahmyr Gibbs into a lot of open lanes. There was one run where Gibbs found a hole so massive I made the joke on Twitter that you could drive the Avengers’ helicarrier through it. That’s the type of gap scheme shifts I expected Petzing to bring.

If Jameson Williams makes some of the catches he was supposed to make, we’re talking about a completely different game. I walked out of there thinking Petzing is a good offensive coordinator. He fits exactly what the Lions want to do. Run first, heavy sets, air raid, deep shots. And keep in mind, that New Orleans defense is no joke. They were one of the best defenses in the league last year. So yeah, it was an impressive showing.

Why are Dan Campbell’s teams so sloppy with penalties?

I have to pretty strongly push back on this. The Lions are currently 10th in the league in penalties. In 2025, they were 25th. In 2024, the 15-2 season, they were 15th. Detroit is not a penalty-heavy team and never has been under Campbell.

What you’re seeing here is a frequency illusion. You pay attention to the big penalties when they happen and assume they always do. That’s just a normal thing. It’s kind of like when a Lions player gets hurt and fans tend to think Detroit is the only team dealing with injuries. That penalty at the 2-yard line was bad, but it’s not something I think you’re going to see every single game.

Are fans ready to admit Ben Johnson was the brains behind it all?

I don’t get this whole thing. Even Ben Johnson will tell you that he wasn’t. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Johnson is kind of an arrogant guy, and arrogance is fine in this football world. But countless times he has talked about how important Dan Campbell was in his coaching progression and how he did everything within the confines of what Campbell wanted to do.

And by the way, I am not going to let a bunch of Lions fans off the hook for trying to say that 2024 divisional game loss to the Washington Commanders was Johnson’s fault. You guys all did that. Don’t let’s forget that happened, and how everybody was saying his mind was off, he was already thinking about the Bears, and all that stuff.

Johnson left, and the Lions were still the 5th-best offense in the league last year. The offense was still one of the most explosive in the league despite him not being there. He didn’t coach defense. He didn’t coach special teams. He called plays within the confines of what Campbell wanted to do. I know the Bears scored 59 points in Week 1. It doesn’t automatically mean they’re going to score 59 points every week. I would bet they lose to Minnesota this week against a much better defense.

What can the Lions do to combat the atmosphere at the Bills’ stadium opener?

There’s only so much you can do. It’s going to be loud in there. Silent count is a given, and communication has to be to a T. But this is going to be a raucous crowd. That’s just what it is. Nothing you can do about it except go out there, play your game, trust the guys next to you, and hope for the best.

When do Branch and Kerby Joseph come back to practice?

I think you nailed my own answer. I honestly think both Branch and Kerby Joseph could be practicing next week Wednesday as the Lions get ready for the Jets. That’s when they’re allowed to come back. Campbell said the other day that they’ve already kind of started ramping Joseph up, getting him running and doing the things he’s allowed to do.

I see them both coming back to practice next week and then returning probably after the bye against Green Bay. That fits the Lions’ usual ramp-up effort for injured guys, about three weeks. So while they may be able to activate potentially before that Arizona game, I don’t think they’re actually going to play in it.

Did the Lions hold back some tricks against the Saints?

Yeah, and Campbell has talked about this in the past with all his offensive coordinators. Every game plan is set up for every team. So what we saw against the Saints isn’t necessarily what we’re going to see against the Bills. The structure will be the same. Detroit is going to want to be run first, get Gibbs going, set up the pass. But there will be some wrinkles in there that we didn’t see in Week 1.

I’m telling you, there’s something coming with Larry Borom. I noticed the way Campbell likes to do these things. He’ll keep making a tackle eligible as a receiver a bunch of times per game. He did it with Dan Skipper. You can see Borom running routes. Eventually, Jared Goff is gonna throw him the ball. Campbell wants teams to be on guard for it. I don’t think it’s gonna be Thursday, but it’s coming.

Will Hassanein, O’Neill, and Moore get more snaps this week?

I think we will see Hassanein active for this game. Tyler Lacy was the big end who was active in Week 1, but he only played 18 snaps. I’m thinking the Lions want to alternate there and figure out who’s their big end they can really rely on for the rest of the season. Lacy went first, and now it’s Hassanein’s turn in Week 2.

In terms of Eric O’Neill, they’re going to slow-burn with him. It’s going to take time, and you’re mostly going to see him on special teams. I wouldn’t expect a ton of defensive snaps for a while. Derrick Moore is going to keep growing more and more every week. That’s kind of how the Lions have done it with their rookies. They bring them on slowly, and by the end of the year, you’re going to see Moore a lot.

How many sacks does Hutchinson realistically end up with?

Two sacks in Week 1 is no joke. The guy I saw this summer was a juggernaut. You could not stop him. You could only hope to contain him. I think he’s going to have a baller year. I think he could have another two against Buffalo and finishes with about 15 or 16 sacks by the end of the season, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

I could also see a world where he goes off for 20. It could happen. But you have to account for a slump at some point. Nobody’s red hot for the entire year. Even Myles Garrett, who set the record, had a game or two without a sack. He just had a few games where he racked up multiples. I’m going to go ahead and say 16. That’s my guess.

Do the Lions blitz and leave corners on an island too much?

I see this a lot, but I don’t think the Lions blitzed that much in this game. Detroit blitzed on 31.3% of their plays, which is 13th most in the league. Compare that to Minnesota at 78.3%, because Brian Flores loves to do that with the exotic blitzes. Or Tampa Bay and New England in that 45 to 48 range.

The Lions are kind of right there with the rest of the league in that average spot, right around 30%. I think they blitz the correct amount. If I saw them doing a lot more, I’d be worried. If I saw them doing a lot less, I’d be concerned. Right now they’re kind of right where they need to be.

Does Ben Bartch stay the starter when Mahogany comes back?

I think he does. I honestly think that had Bartch practiced all summer, he probably would have won the job outright. I think Mahogany in part got that Week 1 start because he had been there the whole time, and that does make a big difference.

Even when Mahogany comes back, I think Bartch is it, provided he goes out and has a great game against Buffalo. Despite that holding call everybody keeps bringing up, which was ugly, I thought Bartch played a really good balanced game. He was good in the run block, good in the pass block. My concern with Mahogany has always been that when he’s good at pass blocking, he’s not good at run blocking, and when he’s good at run blocking, he’s not good at pass blocking. You rarely see Mahogany be good at both things in one game. Bartch showed he could do both.

Why is Vaki getting playing time over Saylors and other running backs?

I get it. When you watch football, you tend to just look at who’s getting the numbers. Who’s getting the rushing yards, the receiving yards, the touchdowns. On the defensive side, it’s who’s getting the sacks and the interceptions. But Vaki is incredibly important to this team on special teams. He’s the guy out there protecting Jack Fox. He’s getting downfield, making tackles. You can’t get rid of that guy. He’s such a good special teams player; he might be one of the best in the league. And I know a buck fifty will get you a cup of coffee, but it does matter. It matters to the Lions.

Because of that, they also want to make sure he can do more than one thing, so they are putting thought into making him a running back. Personally, I think he should be playing safety, and I’ve been beating this drum for a while. But the Lions want him at running back because at Utah he was pretty electric when he played the position. I think Saylors will get more action against Buffalo. But Detroit is not going to give up on Vaki. They really like what he can bring.

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