It’s no secret that Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is one of the most prolific passers in the NFL, coming off a 5,000-yard season where his number 1 target, Keenan Allen missed seven games. The Chargers have one of the best defenses in the league, so stopping their offense is pertinent for the Detroit Lions to leave Los Angeles with a 7-2 record on the season. Earlier in the week Lions head coach Dan Campbell spoke with Dannie Rogers on “Inside the Pride” and discussed how the Lions plan to slowdown Herbert.
“We have to close the pocket on this guy [Herbert], we have to condense and close,” Campbell told Rogers. “Make him throw where he cannot follow through with the throw,” Campbell said when asked about Herbert’s arm strength.
As the 19th ranked pass rush per PFF, getting pressure on Herbert is one of the keys to success for this Lions team. Aidan Hutchinson has the third-most pressures in the NFL with 46 on the year, and with a surging Alim McNeill amassing four pressures, two sacks, two hurries and a batted ball in the Lions Week 8 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the Lions will look to keep that momentum in making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable in the pocket.
The final score doesn’t tell the full story of the Chargers 27-6 win over the New York Jets on Monday night. In fact, this game that exploited many areas of opportunity for the Lions to capitalize on Sunday, as the Jets totaled five sacks and tally 36 hurries, holding Herbert to just 136 passing yards and completing just 16 of 30 attempts.
Heading into Sunday’s 4:05 PM kickoff the Lions have a fully healthy roster, and are -2.5 favorites on the road.
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