Getty Rob Gronkowski gashes the Lions defense.
The Detroit Lions have started over plenty in their franchise history, but never has it felt as if the team was truthfully more at rock bottom
Many will argue 2008 was the low point, where the Lions put the finishing touches on an 0-16 season. That season, though, the Lions fought in all of their games and nearly all the scores were at least competitive. As 2020 mercifully pushes to a close, it’s hard to see the fight in many on the team, which is disappointing in a major way.
As the Lions were demolished 47-7 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was effortless most of the day for the road team. Start to finish, the Lions allowed the Buccaneers to do whatever they wanted. There was very little pride on the field, and it showed. Yes, the Lions were up against it in terms of a COVID-19 situation and other injuries, but on an NFL field, their team was buried and completely embarrassed. Everyone knew the game would be a loss for Detroit, but a loss of this magnitude? It was still galling.
Detroit was missing their head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and multiple players. Even such, this is an NFL team looking nearly as bad as a college cupcake late in the season, which is simply not something NFL fans see every year. Even the hapless New York Jets have a bit of fight in them.
So this is it, Detroit. Rock bottom for a football franchise that can’t field a competitive defense or provide an offense that puts up much resistance at all. The team doesn’t have a full-time head coach or general manager, and yet things feel more in disarray than they’ve ever been before.
If as the saying goes, things are darkest before dawn, morning feels like it has to be on the horizon in Detroit. After all, how could things get much worse?
The Win Doesn’t Say Much About Tampa Bay
Folks were rushing to bust out the anointing oils for Tom Brady during this laugher, but reality says this wasn’t even a test for the Buccaneers. Brady was executing against a defense that had a coaching assistant calling the plays and a wideout coach as a head coach. The Buccaneers might be a fine team, but let’s wait a bit before proclaiming Brady’s career to be saved and the Buccaneers to be Super Bowl contenders. There will be other games in the next month that provide better clues than this one as it relates to that.
Jamal Agnew Should Be Brought Back
Even with the Lions getting dominated, Agnew proved why he is one of the most dangerous return men in the NFL and a guy that the Lions have to keep around. Hopefully, the next general manager realizes this fact and puts a bag in front of Agnew, because he deserves it. With his punt return for the score providing a lone moment of excitement in the game, Agnew proved that he can be another building block for Detroit moving forward in 2021.
Lions’ MVP vs. Buccaneers: Matthew Stafford, QB
Stafford barely did anything on the afternoon and was hurt again very early in the game. Still, he deserves some major props for even setting foot on the field. A lesser man and competitor would have mailed it in, but not Stafford, as he sustained another injury but kept on going. That’s excellent to see, and Lions fans have to be reaching the point where they’re mad Stafford has to put up with such nonsense. He’s the MVP simply for dealing with this mess.
Lions’ Lamb vs. Buccaneers: The Defense
There’s very little you don’t already know about how bad the Lions were in this game, but Detroit’s defense not only allowed Tom Brady to carve them up, but Blaine Gabbert as well. Players like Jahlani Tavai and Jarrad Davis proved why they are viewed as busts, and Detroit showed why their biggest failure was finding a way to procure depth for their defensive roster. It’s been obvious for weeks, but the next bosses have to tear down the defense and completely start over. Things are that dire on one side of the ball.
Lions’ Stat to Note: 47
That’s the number of points the Lions allowed in the game, which was. Tampa Bay had 410 yards at halftime and pushed the total to an embarrassing 588 yards when all was said and done. The Lions are a bad team, and this was a very bad effort on defense no matter what else was going on with the team this week. It just keeps getting worse and worse for Detroit.
READ NEXT: D’Andre Swift Shows Why He’s Lone Bright Spot for Lions