Tuesday open thread: Do you feel better, worse or the same after Lions’ win over Giants?

The Detroit Lions are 2-0 for the first time since their 2011 playoff season. Looking back on how daunting the beginning of the schedule looked just a month ago, Detroit is already well ahead of expectations through Week 2 of the regular season.

That being said, goalposts are moved quickly. Now that the Lions are atop the NFC North, goals and expectations are suddenly a lot higher for this team. A playoff appearance may not be enough to satisfy this fan base as the franchise is showing clear improvement from year to year.

That being said, there are some clear flaws to the team so far. The offensive line continues to struggle, while the Lions defensive depth may be challenged now that Jarrad Davis and Tavon Wilson left Monday’s game with injuries and did not return.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

Do you feel better, worse or the same after the Lions’ 24-10 win over the New York Giants?

My answer: A little better. The game went just about exactly as I expected. The Lions offense struggled at times but in the end, was too much for the Giants to handle. The defense rightfully held a poor New York offense in check. However, the Lions deserve credit for going out and beating a team they clearly should have beat on paper, especially on the road in a primetime game.

I’m still tempering my expectations quite a bit, though. I’m not a full believer in this defense, and I likely won’t be until they can hold their own against an offense that will finish in the top half of the league. The Cardinals and the Giants appear to have some of the worst offenses in the NFL. Let’s see how Detroit holds up next week against the Falcons.

But every time I worry about the Lions defense, I try to remind myself: Last year, this Lions defense wasn’t able to even stop the worst offenses in the NFL. We always claimed last year that if the defense would have been at least manageable, Detroit could have competed in the postseason. Well, the Lions have—at the very least—a manageable defense now. Now we get to see if they can truly contend.

Your turn.