The Detroit Lions kick off their season with a sold-out matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles tomorrow at 1pm ET.

The Lions out to avenge last year’s blowout

There’s a lingering tension between the Lions and the Eagles, as Philadelphia smothered Detroit 44 to 6 in October last year. This game was loss number eight for the Lions, leaving them winless at the time.

The Eagles ended their season last year with a record of 9-8, while the Lions are coming off an upsetting 3-13-1 season. The Lions, year two under the reigns of Dan Campbell, are coming into this season hungry with something to prove.

One thing to keep in mind, the Eagles had the best rushing game in the league last year, averaging 157.9 yards per game. The Lions are going to have to figure out how to stop them if they want to compete in this game.

Rookie Aidan Hutchinson will be someone to look out for making his NFL debut. The first-round draft pick and Hard Knocks star says he’s “ready to unleash the beast.” Hutchinson is praised by his teammates and coaches. They are all in agreement that the Lions got the “right one” in the draft.

Detroit will be short-handed on the Offensive Line

Detroit is struggling with injuries early on this season. The most impactful of them, G Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Vaitai was placed on IR earlier in the week after he suffered a back injury. Coach Campbell said the injury flared up during the preseason game in Pittsburgh. There hasn’t been a word yet on who will replace him in the game on Sunday. They tested several combinations in practice all week.

Frank Ragnow is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game after his groin “popped” in practice on Wednesday. He didn’t practice on Thursday, but was back on the field on Friday. He said he wants to play, of course, but will listen to medical professionals.

The Detroit Lions also made some roster moves earlier this afternoon. RB Justin Jackson and LB Anthony Pittman have been pulled up from the Practice Squad to the Active/Inactive list. They also placed DL Levi Onwuzurike on Reserve/Injured.

Ford Field sold out for this game earlier in the week, leaving only standing room available for the first time since 2019.