The Detroit Lions had a chance to send yet another game on the west cost to overtime, but came up short this time around. The big reason? An inability to close out the game when they managed to drive down to the goal line, yet fail to execute a touchdown.
On the play, the Lions attempted a goal line look and took out their playmakers. The final pass went in the direction of Logan Thomas and not any of the team’s big name wideouts or tight ends. Though Matt Patricia would say that there was a reason for the look and it had everything to do with an expectation of the Raiders to blitz, the play was still a glaring failure at the end of the game.
Afterward, the Lions tried to explain why the play went wrong and what they were not able to do in crunch time at the goal line. According to them, it had more to do with execution rather than anything else in the end.
Here’s a look at what the key players had to say after the fact about what went wrong and why.
Marvin Jones
Instead of sulking after the fact, Jones, who had some massive plays on the afternoon, admitted that he wasn’t all that frustrated with not being on the field, as he understood it was part of the game plan in the moment that the team wanted to run.
“It is what it is. We got a plethora of plays that we can get to, and that was the call. It doesn’t matter who’s out there, we all expect to make the big play,” Jones said after the fact to the media including Fox 2 Sports.
Wouldn’t human nature lead a competitor to be frustrated if not bitterly disappointed in such a spot? Not so, says Jones.
“That’s just what it was. That’s a situation that was not in my control. We trust all of our guys,” he said.
On the day, Jones had a gaudy 126 yards and 1 touchdown on the day and made some great catches. Even if he is being a team player and towing the company line afterward, there’s no telling the damage he could have done in such a position in the red zone.
Logan Thomas
Thomas, who was targeted on the play, was more frustrated with his own inability to get something done in crunch time given the trust placed in him by the coaching staff.
“Bev has extreme trust in all of us. Every single one of us has got to go make a play and I was dialed up and it ended up coming to me so I’ve got to make a play,” he told the media including Fox 2 Sports. “Everybody on the field is entrusted with a job, and just got to go do so.”
As a whole, Thomas was an intriguing player to be targeted. T.J. Hockenson was receiving medical attention, but Detroit had Jesse James and elected to target Thomas, a converted quarterback. He’s made some catches for Detroit this year, but in terms of this situation, he’d be the last man anyone would expect Detroit to target in a clutch situation.
Regardless, the players seem to be more frustrated with their play at the end in the clutch rather than the call itself.
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Lions Players Attempt to Explain Botched Fourth Down Play