ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions are going to kick off a second straight season against a rookie quarterback.

Of course, that writing was already on the wall when the Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray first overall last week and then shipped Josh Rosen to Miami. Brett Hundley, Charles Kanoff and Drew Anderson are the other quarterbacks on their roster. Detroit opens the season in Arizona on Sept. 8.

But while first-year coach Kliff Kingsbury was reluctant to commit to Murray starting Week 1, general manager Steve Keim has just come out and said the unspoken part out loud.

“Yes,” Keim said, when asked on The Rich Eisen Show if Murray would start against Detroit.

“We didn’t draft him one overall to ride the pine,” Keim added. “I know it’s a lot to put on his back, but that’s why we drafted him. He’s a fierce competitor, and that’s what he did at Oklahoma this year. He put the team on his back. They didn’t have a great defense, and he knew he had to score on almost every series to give them a chance to win. I sort of like the chances there.”

Murray had a tough act to follow at Oklahoma, replacing Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield last season, and yet he somehow managed to match his predecessor’s electrifying efforts. He threw for 4,361 yards while completing 69 percent of his passes, and finished with 42 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. His passer rating was a toasty 199.2 -- and he did all of while rushing for another 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He piloted an Oklahoma offense that led the country in total yardage and points per game, which helped the Sooners make the national semifinals despite a ragged defense that ranked 101st nationally.

For his efforts, Murray became the second straight Oklahoma quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy.

Now he’ll be the Lions’ problem.

It’ll be an intriguing matchup that pits the No. 1 overall pick against a defense that was a top-10 unit down the stretch last season. Now the Lions are in the second season of the Matt Patricia system, and have added star reinforcements like defensive end Trey Flowers and cornerback Justin Coleman. Detroit also spent four of its first five draft picks on that side of the ball, including linebacker Jahlani Tavai in the second round and safety Will Harris in the third. Both could have early roles.

They’ll have to hope that’s enough to avoid repeating last year’s disaster, when they opened the season by getting pummeled by 31 points against rookie quarterback Sam Darnold and the New York Jets.