The Detroit Lions are 2-0 in the division and on a three-game win streak after ending the Minnesota Vikings' undefeated start to the 2026 season. While the score only resulted in a 19-15 final, the Lions racked up 230 yards rushing against the NFL's premier defensive unit.
Starting center Cade Mays entered the game in his second start of the season after suffering a fractured wrist in training camp. In his absence, backup Juice Scruggs had performed very well. Against Minnesota, Mays' day was cut short after the first offensive possession in the second quarter , resulting in only 22 snaps played. Again, Scruggs filled in and played at a high level.
With Mays in the game, the Lions only rushed for 31 yards. With Scruggs, the team captured the remaining 199 yards on the ground in just under three quarters of play.
But correlation is not causation.
For this film study, I went back to watch the all-22 film of all 22 of Mays' snaps against the Vikings. The quick conclusion is this: Mays did not lose a single rep of his one-on-one matchups in either the run or pass game. Despite the various looks, pre-snap shifts, and varied simulated blitzes, Mays' day was about as flawless as you could ask for.
Below, I've clipped three plays that highlight the high-level play from Mays and capture the upside of what this offense can look like with him moving forward.
The first play is an outside zone run play to the left. In the scheme, Mays is responsible for the gap to his left, but pre-snap there is no defender in the A-gap or even over the guard. The nearest defender is lined up in the B-gap as a 3-technique just outside of left guard Christian Mahogany. At the snap, the 3-technique defensive tackle stunts inside across Mahogany's face and into Mays' zone. Mays reaches the stunting defender, captures outside leverage by not stopping his feet at the point of contact, and continues to drive and strain through the whistle. The result: displacing the line of scrimmage for the soon-to-be MVP Jahmyr Gibbs to pick up a positive gain.
The next play shown below highlights the size, strength, and finish Mays provides in the interior of the pocket for quarterback Jared Goff to rely on. At the snap, Mays absorbs and anchors against a strong bull rush from the defensive tackle, but once Goff steps up and the defender starts to swim out of his initial rush, Mays switches gears like a Ford F-150, driving his guy into the dirt once he gains leverage. If Goff had taken an extra moment to settle into the throw, the play could have resulted in Gibbs walking in for a touchdown.
The final play highlighted below shows how Mays was able to mentally process the simulated pressure of the linebacker lined up as the 0-technique right over him and adjust when the blitz did not materialize. Not only does Mays make the initial recognition, but he is also able to adapt to pick up the presnap B-gap blitzing linebacker who stunts into the A-gap. From there, Mays picks up the defender and establishes leverage by moving his feet and hips to prevent the pocket from collapsing. The result is enough time for Goff to deliver the biggest explosive pass of the game, a 46-yard deep shot to Jameson Williams in stride.
The aim of this film study was not to put down or dismiss Scruggs' performance, which was very strong in its own right. In fact, Dan Campbell was asked on 97.1 about Scruggs and whether his quality play has started a competition at the center position.
"… to get thrust back in there against that defense with everything that they were doing, to have that production, I mean, that was impressive. He was locked in. He was so ready to go. He was. I told you this before, we love Juice. He just fits us. He's all about business, he's a great teammate, he's high-energy, he tries to finish plays, runs off the football. So he did a heck of a job.
As of right now, he's our guy, because I don't see Cade practicing Wednesday and he might not Thursday. So we're going to get Juice ready to go here."
At the end of the day, the Lions have two starting-caliber NFL centers on their roster. This is a huge credit to Brad Holmes for his effort in transforming the offensive line this offseason. The takeaway is clear, though. The ceiling for the Lions' offense is highest with Cade Mays as the point man.
