The Detroit Lions might look a wee bit different in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders. They're likely doing some experimentation with one of their biggest areas of need: on their offensive line. Re-shuffling isn't out of the question for head coach Dan Campbell and offensive line coach Hank Fraley.
It's a necessary evil this season as the team is, clearly, still getting used to life without Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler in their trenches. The lineup of Graham Glasgow at center and rookie Tate Ratledge anchoring the right guard position is set to overgo an overhaul in the wake of Christian Mahogany landing on the IR with a fractured ankle.
Facing off with strong pass rushers this season has been a big issue for this offensive line, even before that Mahogany injury. So, it's a little concerning that Detroit is set to go all-in on mixing and matching their offensive line against Frankie Luvu and the Commanders' defensive line.
Lions set to face huge test of next man up mentality vs. Commanders in Week 10
Washington's defense is currently led by Luvu and anchored by Jalyn Holmes and Preston Smith on the edge. Von Miller and Bobby Wagner are the real concerning points for this Lions offensive line, especially as Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker are managing injuries headed into this game.
Jared Goff is famously unable to do much under pressure, so managing a clean pocket for most of this game will dictate just how well the Lions' offense performs on the road. Another wrinkle to this is the Lions' ability to get their run game going again against this defense. Washington's fourth in the league at stopping the run per ESPN, which was a huge problem against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9.
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***“We’ll start with Awosika and then see how we can incorporate Colon in specific spots. We’ll begin where we ended the last game, then move some pieces around. I want to get a feel for what that looks like during practice,"***said Campbell this week about what shuffling the Lions want to do ahead of Week 10.
Detroit can look to Awosika, Colon, Kingsley Eguakun, and Michael Niese at both left guard and center for this contest.
This game threatens to raise a ton of questions about Detroit's viability as Super Bowl contenders if they can't figure it out in the trenches. Without a balanced attack from Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, and Goff, it's impossible to reap the benefits of the flexibility this offense offers.