Getty Marvin Jones gets tackled by the Panthers.
The Detroit Lions played the Carolina Panthers in Week 11 and fell completely flat on the field, getting blanked 20-0 and not putting up much of a fight most of the afternoon.
It was hard to see any position deserving the benefit of the doubt as when a team is shut out, it’s a total team effort of failure. That was the case this week for the Lions, who may have hit rock bottom in terms of their recent play and struggles lately with the ugly performance.
Detroit has seen some low grades this season at separate times, but potentially never quite like this. The Lions get pounded this week and with good reason after one of the worst games they’ve played lately.
Here’s a look at how this week’s grades shape up.
Grading Lions’ Offense vs. Panthers
F
Detroit didn’t score a single point on the afternoon, getting shut out for the first time since 2009. It was an ugly day for the offense, who couldn’t execute the run or the pass and simply had too many mistakes to be able to overcome what was a game Carolina squad. Matthew Stafford was dinged up and was missing some key weapons, but that should be no excuse for not putting up a point against one of the worst defenses in the NFL statistically. The Lions offense was putrid all afternoon and picked the worst time for their worst performance. Darrell Bevell was a big part of the problem with his wobbly game plan. Not a great trajectory for this group heading into a key point of the season.
Grading Lions’ Defense vs. Panthers
F
The Lions defense didn’t get the stops they needed, and while they got 2 takeaways, the team didn’t make the stops they needed to make nor did they get off the field consistently enough. There’s no other grade but a failure for a team which allowed a former XFL quarterback to dominate them like the Lions did. The Panthers were down big names and it didn’t stop Detroit from getting gashed in a big way. That spells failure for a defense that has far too often not gotten the job done this season.
Grading Lions’ Special Teams vs. Panthers
F
Rare to see the special teams end up on the bad side of the grade sheet, but Matt Prater missed another long field goal and that helped the Lions remain shut out. The return groups didn’t do anything of note, and while Jack Fox still kicked the ball well, this grade is based on another bad Prater miss. It’s been a tough year for Prater and the hope is he can remain consistent. It hasn’t happened, which has been another problem for the Lions this season. As a result of the miss, it’s a failure from the special teams as well this past week.
Grading Lions’ Coaches vs. Panthers
F
Matt Patricia feels like his tenure is about to run out. The team was listless, struggled with mental errors and discipline and didn’t look like they cared. That’s an indictment on the boss. His lieutenants on offense and defense weren’t much better at all in terms of the game plan. It’s been a tough season for the team’s coaches and this was yet another bad week for a staff that can ill afford many more.
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