Getty Jared Goff reacts to a fumble during a Lions game in Dallas.
The Detroit Lions came out of their bye week talking a good game about things being different, but in the end, they only met the same misery on the field against the Dallas Cowboys.
In spite of holding a 6-3 lead at halftime, Detroit’s once high-flying offense was grounded in a big way in the second half. While the defense did enough to help the team hang around, there wasn’t enough big plays from the offense, and too many mistakes ruled the day.
No matter who is injured or not, at the end of the day, improvement falls on the quarterback. Jared Goff had yet another average day for the Lions. While he may have been playing at an MVP level early in the season, now, he’s playing at a level where he could be easily replaced.
Goff didn’t get it done on the day with a horrid 228 yard, two interception game. Goff was making too many mistakes in the pocket, and was unable to move around to extend the play enough. He also fumbled the ball and was not sure-handed all day long.
As Detroit’s season begins to spiral out of control, it’s becoming more obvious where some of the problems lie. The Lions have seen great play from Goff at times, but the last two games, he has not shown up. That’s a problem for the team, especially in a pair of winnable games.
There’s been a great internal debate about whether or not the team needs to look at a quarterback in the draft. Many have contended the team could pass on that and look to improve the defense, but it could be vital for the team to make a splash at the position and find a more dynamic playmaker.
Pushing toward the NFL draft, which will be in the consciousness of all of Detroit now, it’s becoming clear that finding another quarterback is job one for the team. Goff isn’t bad, but it is obvious that he isn’t the reason the Lions can win a close game that is there for the taking enough of the time. He may not elevate his teammates enough.
The debate about what to do at quarterback becomes a little clearer after every dud that Goff puts up. After Week 7, there’s been more than a few duds to note.
What else was learned from this game? Here’s a look at some more lessons from a frustrating failed road hunt.
Josh Paschal Is a Game-Changer for the Defense
While the final score looks lopsided, it’s not because of the play of several members of the defense. One of the most impressive players all afternoon was defensive lineman Josh Paschal.
Almost himself, Paschal managed to change the narrative about Detroit’s run defense. He’s aggressive and sets the edge well. With a total of two tackles, Paschal wasn’t a stat sheet stuffer, but he showed up more than once with smart plays.
A big reason the Lions’ defense may have gotten off to a poor start is the lack of a player like Paschal to help in the trenches. It will be fun to see where things can go with him moving forward now.
The NFL Owes the Lions (Another) Apology
It was a day of horrible refereeing from the Detroit perspective. While the Lions made a lot of mistakes and it certainly wasn’t the referees fault that the team lost, it’s undeniable they had another major impact on the game.
Not only was it questionable that the league didn’t look closer at a close turnover from cornerback Trevon Diggs, but the biggest mistake may have came later in the game with Detroit driving. Sam Williams body-slammed Detroit running back Justin Jackson, and it was mystifying how a personal foul was not called.
How is this not a flag? @NFLOfficiating
Once again, referees were not the reason why the Lions lost, but every small thing that happens keeps getting magnified because of where the Lions are at. It seemed as if there were two separate rule books for the Cowboys and Lions, which is unacceptable.
Michael Badgley Looks Like Lions’ Kicker Solution
While the Lions didn’t have a lot of reason to celebrate in this game, one good piece of news revolved around the fact that kicker Michael Badgley stabilized things at the position.
Badgley was good from 39 yards as well as 53 yards in the game, and while that might not seem like much, it was better than the team had shown in recent weeks at the position, which was fantastic news.
If Badgley could take over the kicker job, that would be welcome news for the Lions. They need some stability at kicker, and for one week, it’s good news that Badgley seemed to provide it for the team
Lions’ Stat of the Game
Five, which was the number of turnovers the Lions had on the day against Dallas. The team did themselves no favors at all with the mistakes, and the worst of the day came from Jamaal Williams, who collected a pair of fumbles including a devastating one on the goal line.
It was an ugly performance for the Lions, who simply couldn’t hold on to the football. It’s impossible to win a game on the road making this many mistakes, so the team has to find a way to clean things up on the field and not make so many errors.
Lions’ MVP: Jeff Okudah
While the Lions struggled in plenty of ways, once again, cornerback Jeff Okudah was a solid player on the day and managed to have a fantastic game on the field. Okudah had a remarkable day and collect 12 total tackles himself. As a result, he was the clear MVP.
Okudah’s coach agreed with this assessment in a big way following the game.
“He played really well. That was encouraging. He had his best week of practice this week and that was his best game,” Dan Campbell would go on to say.
Indeed, Okudah had a great day and continues to look like a piece for the team moving forward.
Lions’ Quote to Note
“The turnovers certainly don’t make everything look good.” -Dan Campbell. After the game, the coach was happy with how Detroit’s defense rebounded, and as he admitted, the mistakes helped over-shadow everything else positive that happened.
Making that many mistakes isn’t going to help a team win, so it’s not a surprise to hear Campbell lamenting the team’s errors most of all after the defeat.