Getty Aaron Jones runs through the Lions defense.
The Detroit Lions struggled in a major way against the Green Bay Packers, and even in spite of the fast start, by the time the afternoon was over the result looked the same.
Detroit’s defense struggled in a major way, their offense wasn’t able to score enough in the second half and their special teams once again left 3 points on the field. Their coaching staff was abysmal yet again, and there were struggles all over the place in between the lines.
How should the team be graded for this week? Here’s a look at the grades for a Week 3 effort that was frustrating at best for the team.
Lions Offense Grade vs. Bears
C-
Detroit’s offense carved up the game early on, but once the plays were no longer scripted, their luck seemed to run out. Coincidence? Maybe not. The team’s offense operated well and had good flow early on putting up 14 points, but they sputtered the rest of the way only putting up 7 points. Matthew Stafford suffered a miserable interception, and the team’s ground game was non-existent yet again. T.J. Hockenson and D’Andre Swift were some rare bright spots for the team, as was Marvin Jones. Otherwise, it was a below average day when the Lions needed the team to keep scoring in order to have a chance in a game where defense was optional. Green Bay’s defense is average, and the Lions made them look much better than they needed in the second half. Bad grades all around.
Lions’ Defense Grade vs. Bears
F
Detroit’s defense, injuries or not, simply isn’t good whatsoever. The team has problems with the pass and the run, and rookie cornerback Jeff Okudah was overwhelmed from the start. Detroit didn’t even get in the face of Aaron Rodgers but once, and didn’t grab a turnover. It was the second straight game without a takeaway for the team. Detroit’s defense was pushed around in the trenches and doesn’t look like they are any closer to figuring things out than they did back in 2018 when Matt Patricia took over. The team shouldn’t be struggling the way they are 3 years into a new coach’s tenure. For that reason, in addition to the 42 points, it’s a complete and total fail for the Lions this week on the defensive side of the ball.
Lions’ Special Teams Grade vs. Bears
A-
Jack Fox is a game changer at punter. The fact that the Lions have learned that is both good and bad news considering the fact that they’ve needed to rely on Fox early on, but he has been phenominal and has arguably carried this group. The Lions get dinged this week thanks to Matt Prater’s long miss and Jamal Agnew’s foolish penalty on a punt return which set up a Packers score. Otherwise, Fox has been great for the Lions.
Lions’ Coaching Grade vs. Bears
F
Matt Patricia, simply put, could be in big trouble. The Lions are 0-2, and it wasn’t an inspiring effort for the team on Sunday considering the dicipline issues the Lions had. Defensively, Cory Undlin’s outfit looks almost identical to Paul Pasqualoni. Offensively, Darrell Bevell had a decent day, but it wasn’t enough to save this entire group from failing, especially considering the tough second half collapse the team sustained. More efforts like this and Patricia could be in deep trouble.
READ NEXT: Hunt Report: Lions Discipline Woes Trouble for Matt Patricia