Author: Paula Pasche

ALLEN PARK >> The Lions have not started a season with two straight wins since 2011 when they opened with a 5-0 record.

With an opening win over the Cardinals, the Lions’ next big challenge will be the New York Giants (0-1) tonight at MetLife Stadium.

Matthew Stafford didn’t have his best game when the two teams met in December but he also had a finger injury on his throwing hand.

There are not your 2016 Lions. Same goes with the Giants who lost their opener at Dallas.

While the LIons are not the youngest team in the NFL — that distinction goes to the Cleveland Browns — they do have young players at key positions.

Here are five to watch:

1. Nickel Quandre Diggs had a good game going up against veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. It was no surprise with his camp and preseason play. “I thought Quandre had a good game. I think when you look back two years ago when he was a rookie, he played really well the second half of the year, and we kind of expected that last year and he tailed off a little bit. I think this was just more of him getting back to form and playing the way he’s capable of playing,’’ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “So, it was good to see.”

2. Safety Miles Killebrew’s interception and return for a touchdown may help comprise the best game of his career. He was brought along slowly last year as a rookie. The more opportunities he was given, the more he took advantage of them. It paid off. “We can do a lot more things with Miles because he understands our system a lot better. Last year was kind of, ‘Boom, where am I going, what am I doing? I’ll get there and make some plays because I have some talent.’ This year he kind of understands really our defense and what he has to do within the defense,’’ Austin said. “Not perfect, again like all of us, still trying to get better, still got a ways to go, but you can see that he’s much better equipped this year to make more plays and to play more plays. So, I’m happy where he is but he’s still got a long way to go.”

—3. Running back Ameer Abdullah needs to find a way to gather more rushing yards. The run game needs work as coach Jim Caldwell put it. Abdullah had 15 carries for 30 yards against the Cardinals and two catches for 11 yards. It’s a work in progress but no one is panicking with Abdullah and Theo Riddick healthy to start the season. “That’s run game and pass game, just having those guys back, I’ve said it 100 times is really beneficial for us as an offense. We think those guys are productive in the run game and tough to cover in the pass game. Just adds an element, adds a guy they’ve got to be aware of and maybe make some adjustments for, so we’re glad they’re up and rolling,’’ offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said.

4. Rookie wide receiver Kenny Golladay’s two touchdown catches got his Lions’ career off to an impressive start. He’s good, he’ll get better. While the Lions obviously like what they have in Golladay, a third-round pick, they have been cautious in not over-hyping him and setting expectations too high. “I doubt the guy gets two every week, so if fans are expecting that, that’d be a little bit of a tall order. But he’s doing better, he’s getting better,’’ Cooter said. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders, he’s going about things the right way working real hard, so we’re excited to have him, excited to continue watching him get better and seeing where that leads us.”

5. Defensive end Anthony Zettel, in his first career start, had the Lions only sack and played well throughout. “Zet had a good game. Plays hard, just like he always does. Same things that he’s been doing in the preseason,’’ Austin said. “He carried it over into the regular season which is good to see. He’s been really improved from last year. The big thing is let’s see if we can improve this week and that’s really our goal.”

ALLEN PARK — Most NFL rookies slowly work into their roles as starters.

Jarrad Davis, the Lions first-round pick, is not one of those rookies.

From the get-go, the starting middle linebacker has been a serious student of the game, a hard worker and has somehow in his short time with his teammates earned their respect.

“He’s not bashful about setting the defense, making calls, typically you have to prop them up to get it done. With him it comes naturally,’’ coach Jim Caldwell said. “It’s a nature versus nurture thing with him. This guy was born with it and he’s done a nice job so far.’’

Davis’ next challenge is at New York Giants on Monday Night Football. All eyes will be on the young linebacker.

Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin called Davis’ play in the win over the Cardinals “outstanding for a young guy.”

“He really flew around. Physical. Really he makes a difference in our defense in terms of our temperament and how we go, and that’s something that your middle linebacker should do because he’s really at the end of the day he’s the quarterback of your defense,’’ Austin said.

“He stands in front of our guys. He calls the defenses. No hesitation. He’s right up front. He’s right there, and our guys know he’s with them. And I thought he was productive,’’ Austin added. “Like all of us, there were things that we could do better last week, and that’s what our goal is this week. We want to be better than we were last week.”

Communication was not an issue for Davis which is a good thing since it is his job and if he doesn’t do it well the defense will flounder.

“He was fine. He was fine and he’s been working on that since Day One. I think that’s one of the reasons from Day One, we put him in front of the huddle. We knew this day would come, and so we wanted to make sure he was prepared and he was ready for it,’’ Austin said.

This is not an easy role for a rookie or any young player regardless of draft status.

Davis talked about leadership and how he works at it on the night in April that he was drafted by Detroit.

One of the reasons he was so desirable to the Lions is his maturity and work ethic. That has not changed since his arrival in Detroit.

“He’s really first one in, last-one-out type of guy and so, I think our veterans respect that type of work ethic, and they gravitate to a guy like that,’’ Austin said.

ALLEN PARK >> Every NFL team deals with injuries, but when the Lions lost to the N.Y. Giants last Dec. 18, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was playing with an injured finger on his throwing hand.

Never a good thing. He completed 24 of 39 passes for 273 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. If Stafford had 10 healthy appendages would the result have been different?

“Golly man, I have no idea,’’ Stafford said on Thursday.

The Lions get a chance for revenge of sorts when they play at the Giants on Monday night.

Here are five thoughts from Stafford on the upcoming game:

1. The Giants’ run defense allowed 129 yards in their opening loss at Dallas. “I think they’re a really well-coached defense. There’s not a lot of guys missing gaps and fitting wrong and all that kind of stuff. They’re good tacklers, and they’ve got some guys inside that do a heck of a job,’’ Stafford said on Thursday. “They eat up blocks and let their linebackers run. And then if they’re not eating up blocks, they’re making the plays. So, it’s a big challenge for us this week and something we’re looking forward to.”

2. He likes that the Lions receivers possess various strengths. “I think we do a good job of trying to use those guys’ skill sets to their strengths as much as we possibly can. Eliminate them from situations where they might be weak. So, we try to find ways to exploit defenses with those guys and they did a nice job Week 1,’’ Stafford said. Seven Lions each had at least two catches in the win over Arizona. Golden Tate led the way in yardage with 107. Rookie Kenny Golladay hauled in two touchdowns.

3. It’s an advantage to have a dual threat like running back Theo Riddick going up against a stacked Giants’ secondary. “Obviously, he’s a veteran player, has played a bunch of football, played in big environments. He’s really, as we all know, really good out of the backfield catching the ball. Does some things that are really good in the run game as well. So, the more guys we have back there, Theo included, the better we’ll be,’’ Stafford said.

4. Stafford was sacked just once by the Cardinals behind the new-look offensive line featuring T.J. Lang at right guard, Rick Wagner at right tackle and Greg Robinson at left tackle.  “I think every game is different but I think they went out and executed really well the first time. And the first game of the year, those guys rushing the passer on that team were no slouch either, you know, Chandler Jones and No. 44 (Markus Golden). So, this week will be a different challenge, different guys, and we’ll have to go out there and prove it again,’’ Stafford said. “Just because somebody on our team played well Week 1, doesn’t mean they’re going to go out there and play well Week 2. You’ve got to prove it every week in this league.”

5. The Lions were running out of punters on Sunday. After Kasey Redfern injured his knee, knocking him out for the season, kicker Matt Prater punted four times. What if Prater had gotten hurt? Stafford did punt in high school. “I was more of a quick-kick guy from the gun than I was a punter. But I had some decent stats because there’s no returner back there,’’ Stafford said. “Yeah it crossed my mind for a minute, but glad I didn’t have to do it.” (To steal a line from Lions’ writer Mike O’Hara — world’s highest paid punter.)