Lions-Packers Q&A: Detroit’s roster additions (and health) fueling improvement

On Monday, the Green Bay Packers return to Lambeau Field for a prime-time matchup with the Detroit Lions. Mike Payton of Pride of Detroit kindly volunteered to answer our questions about the Lions and provide some insight into their strengths and weaknesses.

APC: At 2-1-1 and currently in second place in the NFC North, the Lions have put themselves in position to compete for the playoffs after a six-win debut season for head coach Matt Patricia. In terms of the roster, what additions have played the biggest role in improving Detroit’s play?

The Lions improvement is due to a few things, health being one of the big ones. The Lions lost half their offense down the stretch in 2018 and they really paid for it. As of this moment they’re at full strength and it’s been making an immediate impact.

As far as additions, the Lions desperately needed help in the tight end department after failing hard the previous offseason with the position. TJ Hockenson’s presence in both the blocking and catching game have already been felt and Jesse James is contributing where he can too.

On defense the Lions secondary is having one of the finest seasons Detroit’s ever seen a secondary have before. A lot of that is because the additions of Justin Coleman and Rashaan Melvin. The Lions have also gone all in on their defensive line and it’s been a week to week improvement so far. But not the powerhouse some were expecting.

We’d like to thank Mike. Be sure to check out the rest of our Q&A session with Pride of Detroit over the course of the week as well as our Q&A session over there. As always, keep your internet machines tuned to Acme Packing Company this Monday for our comprehensive game-day coverage of Lions versus Packers.