The Lions and Chargers show importance of investing in the offensive line
By Andy Davies
When the Detroit Lions drafted tackle Penei Sewell in 2021 seventh overall, they had just come off the back of a 5-11 season. When the Los Angeles Chargers drafted Joe Alt fifth overall earlier this year, they had just completed a 5-12 season.
It is no coincidence that they are both having great seasons in 2024, with a combined record of 14-4.
The Lions and Chargers have shown the importance of drafting offensive line early.
A history of struggles for the Lions
The Lions had long been the laughing stock of the NFL, constantly underperforming. Before the playoffs last season, they had not won a playoff game since January 5th, 1992. This itself was their last postseason win since the 1957 campaign.
Prior to the beginning Super Bowl era, the Lions were one of the best teams in the country, winning three NFL championships in the 1950’s. However, life had not been good since for the fanbase.
The win over the Los Angeles Rams in the Wildcard Round back in January was just their second playoff win since that 1957 season, where they beat the Cleveland Browns 59-14 in the NFL championship, their wins over the Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year making it just their second and third postseason victories in 66 years.
With just 13 playoff campaigns in those 66 years, this goes to show the struggles that this team has gone through since their 1950’s dynasty came to an end.
The Lions lost their last four games in the 2020 season, going 5-11. This included a 46-25 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 15 and a 47-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16. They also lost by 21 points to the Green Bay Packers in Week Two, by 20 points to the Indianapolis Colts in Week Eight and scoring zero points against the Carolina Panthers in Week 11.
It was a pretty dismal season for the Lions and head coach Matt Patricia. He was fired along with general manager Bob Quinn after their 41-25 loss to the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving, ending a disastrous spell as head coach, where he went 13-29-1 in two and a half seasons.
Dan Campbell was appointed head coach in the offseason by owner Sheila Ford. She also appointed former Rams Director of college scouting Brad Holmes. The rest is history, and the craziest part is that their best is still yet to come.
Sewell the difference maker in Detroit
Holmes and Campbell’s first offseason was always going to be an important one in their attempts to rebuild this Lions franchise. It proved to be a hit.
Prior to the draft, there was a blockbuster trade as long time QB1 and 2009 first overall pick Matthew Stafford was traded to the Rams in exchange for Jared Goff and three draft picks which included two first rounders.
Whilst Goff was seen as a bit part in the trade, which was not helped by Stafford winning a Super Bowl with the Rams in his first season whereas the Lions went 3-13-1. However, the trade has since gone down as one of the biggest examples of a win win for everybody in a trade.
The draft then came about. Along with Sewell, seventh overall, they selected defensive tackle Alim McNeill in the third round and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown 112th overall.
McNeil recently signed a four-year $97 million extension and St. Brown has over 3,000 yards in his first three full campaigns. Along with Sewell, these two have been an integral part of the Lions’ resurgence.
Stafford was the seventh most sacked quarterback in 2020 (38), prior to Sewell’s arrival in Detroit in the 2021 NFL Draft. However, Goff was ranked ninth in this category in 2021, 27th in 2022 and tied for 18th in 2023. He is so far joint 19th in 2024.
Sewell may have been part of a 3-13-1 team in his rookie year, but they have since gone 9-8 in 2022 and 12-5 in 2023. So far, at time of writing, they stand at 8-1 as the number one seed in the NFC and the second-best record in the NFL. There is a belief going around that this could be their year to finally reach a Super Bowl, or even win one. Sewell has been a massive reason for that.
Bolting up the win total in LA
The Chargers have also been perennial underperformers in the NFL. No more so than when they had the number one defense and number one offense in 2010 and failed to make the playoffs.
They had a horrendous 2023 despite boasting star quarterback Justin Herbert, finishing bottom of the AFC West with just five wins.
This resulted in them having the fifth overall pick in 2024 and offensive lineman Joe Alt was drafted in. Herbert has gone from the seventh most sacked quarterback in 2022 to now being 14th in this category.
Of course, Jim Harbaugh has had a lot to do with the success of the Chargers, but Alt has been a massive addition to the offense.
Both sides of the ball have excelled. They have allowed the least points per game and rank in the top 10 for both their pass and run defense. On offense, running back J.K. Dobbins also ranks in the top 10 for rushing yards and for rushing touchdowns. Herbert has spread the ball out well, finding Quentin Johnson for five touchdowns and rookie Ladd McConkey for four.
The offense is balanced with no egos and no one trying to be the star. In 2004, the Detroit Pistons won an NBA Championship based off that model. It appears that the Chargers are building a similar approach.
Struggles in Cincinnati to protect Joe Burrow
The Chargers could have taken wide receivers Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze this year to replace the likes of Keenan Allen or receiving back Austin Ekeler. Detroit could have taken cornerback Patrick Surtain II, wide receiver DeVonta Smith instead of Sewell in 2021, but Holmes and Campbell went with head over heart by going offensive line. The two picks before Detroit’s was the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins. These were two teams desperate for help at both the offensive line and wide receiver position.
The whole talk before the draft was whether the Bengals or Dolphins would take Sewell or a weapon such as Ja’Marr Chase or Jaylen Waddle. Cincinnati went Chase and Miami went with Waddle, leaving the door open for the Lions to get Sewell with a steal.
The Bengals have had great times with the Chase and Joe Burrow connection, stemming from their time together at LSU, which saw them reach the Super Bowl in their first year together at the NFL level. They would end up losing to the Los Angeles Rams as Aaron Donald sacked Burrow to seal the game. However, you have to wonder whether they could have gone one step further had they had the protection for their QB.
After all, Burrow was sacked the most in the 2021 regular season (51). He was then sacked the most time for any quarterback in a playoff run and he was sacked seven times in the Super Bowl alone. This is tied with Roger Staubach for the most in this category.
Whilst on the one hand, no one could have replaced what Chase has done for the offense, they could have still got some success with Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, as well as more time for Burrow to do his thing.
Burrow is a top two quarterback in the league when healthy. He has proved to be clutch in important games. This was evident during their comeback win over the Chiefs in the AFC Championship three seasons ago. There is no one you would prefer to have under centre driving your team down the field with less than two minutes to go in a game besides Patrick Mahomes. He has done something that two other great quarterbacks have failed to do in Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen and reach a Super Bowl.
His problem has been the offensive line and the defense. The latter has been a real problem in 2024, so much so that he has arguably been the best QB in the league this season but yet the team is 4-6. He has thrown for the most passing yards (2,672) and is tied for the most passing touchdowns (24) with just four interceptions. However, the Bengals have allowed the fourth most points.
Burrow may be sitting with a Super Bowl or two had they invested in top offensive line prospects. Instead, quarterbacks such as Goff and Herbert, who are less talented, may have won more Super Bowls at the end of their careers because of decisions their team’s front office made ten years prior.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, DOUG PEDERSON, DERRICK HENRY, TREVOR LAWRENCE AND MIKE VRABEL