Every week during the regular season Tim Twentyman will answer 10 good questions from his Twitter account @ttwentyman in a feature we call "10 Questions with Twentyman."
20man: There have been 30 NFL teams since 1990 that have started the season 0-2 and have still made the playoffs. Seattle and Houston were the last to do it in 2018.
The Lions did it in 1995 after starting 0-3 and finishing 10-6.
20man: First and foremost they need to stop the run. They allowed 149 rushing yards to the Bears and 259 to the Packers. It's hard to win football games when opponents can control tempo with the run game and wear a defense down.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray's play-action pass ability and knack for getting out of the pocket and throwing the ball downfield is an added threat this week. If the Lions can't stop the run, expect it to be a long day again.
20man: Detroit pressured Aaron Rodgers on just six percent of his drop backs last week. Obviously, that's not good enough. For the year, the Lions rank last in the NFL in pass-rush win rate at just 19 percent. It's a problem, no-doubt, one even head coach Matt Patricia admitted to on Thursday.
"Obviously, we're not good enough in the pass rush and we need to do a better job of getting pressure on the quarterback and certainly trying to manufacture pass rush is something we know we need to do," he said.
They know their inability to manufacture consistent pressure has played a role in their first two losses. I'd expect we see them try to get more creative this week in the way they try to generate pressure, whether that's adding a body to the mix or using their linebackers more.
20man: The Lions play more man than zone on defense, but they do mix both into the game plan each week. How it's split up depends on game plan, packages and situations.
With a quarterback as dangerous as Murray is to take off and pick up chunk yards on the ground, and playing against a receiver as prolific as Hopkins, I wouldn't be surprised if we see more zone sprinkled in this week. It keeps the defenders turned toward the quarterback and the action in front of them a little bit more.
20man: It wasn't a good sign rookie tight end Hunter Bryant sat out Thursday's practice after being a limited participant on Wednesday. Maybe that's just precaution. The Lions didn't place Bryant on short-term IR, which likely means they expected him to be back by now.
Friday's practice report will be key here. If he practices, there's chance we could see him.
I will say this, he was making a lot of plays down the field that first week of training camp before injuring his hamstring.
20man: These next two weeks will answer the first part of that question.
As for the second part, I talked about the pass rush and the inability to stop the run above. Detroit could certainly use help upfront along the defensive line with either a premier interior defender or someone opposite Trey Flowers to rush the passer. That's been the biggest deficiency on the roster through two weeks, in my opinion.
20man: Every player I've talked to this week still believes in the talent on their side of the ball and in the coaching staff to put them in the right positions to win. Players know it's a long season and a lot can happen. That being said, I did get the sense from the players, and from the coordinators, that there's a greater sense of urgency to get things corrected. Whether that leads to more consistent play on Sunday, we'll see.
20man: For me, it's really about making Murray a passer and not a runner. Murray leads Arizona in rushing yards (158). He's also got three rushing touchdowns and three runs of 20-plus yards. Their run and pass game really go through him. Detroit has to stay in their lanes and somehow keep him in the pocket, and when Murray does step up and looks to run, someone has to always be watching, either a linebacker or safety.
The way to limit Arizona's effectiveness on offense is to make running back Kenyan Drake beat you on the ground and Murray beat you with his arm. If Murray's allowed to use both, that's when Arizona's offense is at its best. Detroit has to play well upfront and tackle well in space when Murray does look to run.
20man: New owner Sheila Ford Hamp was in the room with her mother, former owner Martha Firestone Ford, and team President Rod Wood when it was conveyed to a small group of reporters late last year that the expectation for the 2020 season was to be playing meaningful games in December. I suspect that's still the case.
