Tackle Penei Sewell is one of the Detroit Lions' young leaders, and he sees the Lions facing a test after a disheartening loss in overtime to the Seattle Seahawks.
That's what we learned as the Lions regroup from the loss to the Seahawks and look forward to getting back on track for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Among the other things we learned include the following: Linebacker Alex Anzalone looking at issues facing the defense; more work coming for rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs; and the rash of injuries that hit the offensive line.
We start with Sewell, who has moved from right tackle to the left side because of an injury to Taylor Decker:
"It was all good," Sewell said of moving to left tackle. "There's a lot of things I need to work on, though."
Sewell thinks the Lions could benefit from the loss to Seattle after being on such a high after opening the season with an upset win over Kansas City.
"It definitely humbles you," Sewell said. "I hope the guys come in with that same mindset of what we were a year ago.
"It's different now. There's too many people talking. I think the team's got to go back to the drawing board. It's us against everybody. We've got to keep that mindset. Now that we got that loss, and everybody had that taste in their mouth, it kind of sets us up to see what kind of team we are. We're about to find out."
What kind of team does Sewell expect to be revealed?
"A gritty team," he said. "It's as simple as that, if I could think of one word it's grit. We just got to show it."
Anzalone's assessment: Anzalone played a solid game Sunday, with seven tackles and the only sack for the Lions.
His assessment of what went wrong for the Lions sounded like a recitation of basic football.
"Number one on my mind is tackling and just playing sound football," Anzalone said. "In those crunch times, we have to figure out a way to make a play.
"The defense has to figure out a way to get a stop in overtime to help seal the deal."
Rookie workload: As had been planned, Gibbs got more playing time than he did in the opener vs. the Chiefs. In 19 snaps vs. the Chiefs, he had seven carries for 42 yards and two receptions for 18.
Against the Seahawks, he had 32 snaps, seven carries for 17 yards and seven receptions for 39 yards.
Overall as a receiver, he had two targets vs. the Chiefs and nine vs. Seattle.
Gibbs is likely to get more playing time because of the injury sustained by David Montgomery.
Jinx?: There's probably no such thing, but something has to explain the bad luck the Lions have had in keeping their offensive line healthy and playing together.
The opening game marked the first time since 2020 that all five projected starters have been in the lineup together.
Decker sustained an ankle injury in the game but remained in and played all 70 snaps. However, he missed the Seattle game. And in that game, Halapoulivaati Vaitai went out in the second half.
