Penei Sewell is beginning to learn what Quandre Diggs already knows.
Give Detroit your all, and Detroit will give it back.
Sewell has quickly become a fan favorite for the Lions thanks to his stellar, spirited play on the offensive line, first at left tackle, now at right tackle. He's allowed one sack since Week 6. Since switching full time to the right side in Week 10, he's been the fifth best tackle in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
Sewell was so good last Sunday in Detroit's loss to the Seahawks he didn't allow a single QB pressure in 38 pass-blocking snaps. The seventh overall pick has lived up to every bit of the hype.
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Diggs arrived in Detroit as a sixth-round pick in 2015 and quickly earned the fans' respect as a hard-hitting ball-hawk in the Lions' secondary. He took crap from no one, much like Sewell when he stood up to Aaron Donald earlier this season. In a widely panned move, the former regime shipped Diggs to Seattle midway through the 2019 season because he wasn't a 'culture fit' under Matt Patricia, whose culture didn't have much room for good players.
Anyway, Diggs was loved by the fans, and he loved the fans back. When he met Sewell at midfield after Sunday's game, he made sure to pass on a message about Detroit.
"Keep balling, boy," Diggs told him. "Like I told you, embrace the city, they gonna love you. I promise you. I love that place."
"I got you for real," said Sewell. "Appreciate you."
Diggs, by the way, continues to ball in Seattle. Among NFL safeties over the last two seasons, he's tied for first with 10 picks and ranks second with 17 passes defended.