The Detroit Lions opened their 2022 NFL campaign at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, the sellout crowd on hand did not witness a Week 1 victory.

The Lions lost 38-35 to the Eagles, making it the fifth consecutive season where the Lions failed to win their opening game. The last Lions Week 1 victory came back in 2017, a 35-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

For the downers out there, here's a fun fact. The Lions' three-point loss is the closest the team has come to victory in Week 1 since they tied the Cardinals in 2019.

However, there may be some reasons for hope. The Eagles got better over the offseason. Last year's Eagles ran the Lions out of Ford Field with a 44-6 result. And yet, Detroit fought and gave Philly a run for its money.

Furthermore, the Lions had just one game last season where they scored 35 or more points. That was Week 18 against the Green Bay Packers. They have already matched that total this season.

With all that aside, let's take at three takeaways from the Lions Week 1 loss to the Eagles.

3 Lions takeaways after Week 1 loss vs. Eagles

3) Irresponsible mistakes

A team captain is part of a team's leadership group. You must lead by example if you are named a team captain. And you certainly cannot make bad mistakes, or allow your emotions to get control of you.

Two of Detroit's defensive captains made major mistakes that cost the team in the long run. In the third quarter, linebacker Alex Anzalone decked Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts after a handoff. The penalty gave the Eagles a first-and-10 on the Detroit 14-yard line.

Later in the quarter, safety Tracy Walker hit Hurts late as he scrambled out of bounds. When a few Eagles players approached, he threw a punch and was ejected from the game.

“I just let my team down,” Walker said following the game. “Me, as a team captain, I've got to be better. I was hot-headed at the moment and I've just got to make better decisions at the end of the day.”

The Lions will need better out of their defensive captains if they want to go far this season. There are some with high expectations, and they can't meet those expectations if team leaders are costing the team big time.

2) A winnable game

As the teams walked off the field, many Lions players shared the same thought. The Lions could have, and maybe should have, won this football game.

The mistakes by Anzalone and Walker weren't the only ones Detroit made in Week 1. Both sides of the ball had their fair share of self-inflicted errors and mistakes.

The defense may be the unit that has fans asking questions the most, however. Hurts threw for 244 yards and added 90 on the ground. Four Eagles players scored a rushing touchdown in the game Sunday. Furthermore, Eagles receiver AJ Brown had 155 yards on 10 catches, as well.

The defense had a chance to give the Lions offense the ball back late in the fourth quarter. However, they failed to stop Philly in two short yardage situations, which cost them the win.

“I think about, what mistakes did they make? (The Eagles) really didn’t,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “They played well. They executed well. We struggled with their quarterback. Hurts hurt us. So, he’s a good player, but we got to be able to respond to those things. And you know there at the end of that game, we got a chance, it’s fourth down, to close it out.”

The mistakes made in this game can be cleaned up as the season goes on. For Detroit's sake, they will need to be.

1) Hello, D'Andre Swift

Let's end this one on a bit of a positive note, shall we? Running back D'Andre Swift was one of the brightest spots for Detroit in this game.

The Georgia product ran for a career-high 144 yards on 15 carries on Sunday. He recorded one rushing touchdown and added 31 yards receiving on three catches to his total.

“Swift, he is a dynamic player for us. He’s the one guy that can take it to the house from anywhere on the field. I’m glad he’s ours,” Campbell said of his running back after the game.

Swift helped spark the Lions offense as they clawed their way back in the second half. His 25-yard pickup on a swing pass while down 17 was huge. Then, he had a crucial third-down reception on the team's final drive, picking up a first down en route to a touchdown with a little over four minutes left in the game.

The Lions running back certainly has lofty expectations this season. He has stated his desire to record 1000 yards both on the ground and through the air. Most of all, Swift is willing to take on whatever workload Detroit has planned for him.

“Whatever they see fit for me, I’m ready,” he said. “Whatever.”