Can a depleted secondary hold up against Lamar Jackson?

To say the Detroit Lions’ secondary is depleted would be an understatement. After a camp “lock” in Quinton Dunbar parted ways with the team, CB1 Jeff Okudah ruptured an Achilles, and numerous other names either underperformed or got injured, there are lots of unfamiliar faces comprising the Lions’ back end.

Bold prediction of the week: Lions allow less than 200 yards passing

The circumstances behind this bold prediction are a tad unfortunate, as I don’t think it’s due to the secondary being a strength. Jimmy Garoppolo tore the defense apart for 314 yards passing, and Aaron Rodgers followed it up with 255 on Monday night. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson is averaging 237 yards passing per game through two games.

The reason for this is how the Baltimore Ravens are built. They have one of the league’s weaker receiving corps, and since Lamar Jackson’s arrival they have ranked near the bottom of the league in yardage accumulated by receivers. To say rushing is their strength is an understatement, as Lamar Jackson’s presence makes defenses play a true 11-on-11 run defense rather than 10-on-11.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ravens find success exploiting the Lions' defense early and often on the ground. An inevitable lead would give them no reason to turn away from the ground game, and that will likely lead to a quiet day in the secondary.