Getty Lions players look on after a last second loss to the Vikings.
The Detroit Lions seemed dead in the water all afternoon against the Minnesota Vikings, but somehow, the team managed to hang around with a solid defensive effort and some timely offense.
Even though the Lions had a potential win in their back pocket, the team’s defense went way too conservative in the final minutes. Instead of mixing coverages and bringing pressure, the Lions sat back just like they did in a Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and it cost them again.
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Detroit rushed only three players in spite of the Minnesota Vikings having no timeouts, and it cost them. Kirk Cousins calmly surveyed the field, made the throws he needed to make and got his team into field goal range. There was no pushback from the Lions defense, who watched as the team hit a 54 yard field goal as a result and put another heartbreaker on Detroit.
Here’s an example:
At this point, the Lions have only themselves to blame for this latest defeat. Aaron Glenn needs to realize that not pressuring the quarterback and playing safe will ultimately lead to problems. The Lions aren’t good enough to cover up on the back end like teams with more playmakers are, so they need to do whatever they can to generate a big play in the trenches. Detroit had 4 total sacks on the day, so they were getting after the pocket in a big way.
Perhaps next time, the Lions will resist the urge to play it safe in crunch time. If they do, they might be able to find a win.
What else was learned in the loss? Here’s a look.
Dan Campbell’s Decision Making Was Much Better
Though Aaron Glenn and the defense whiffed with some miserable calls on the final series, Campbell had a much better day as a game manager. The Lions managed to hang around with field goals, and this time, Campbell didn’t let his macho mindset get in the way and made better decisions that allowed to let his team hang in the game more than Week 4. When it came time to be gutsy, the Lions managed to hit the right note by going for a two point conversion and hitting it. Campbell was much better overall in this game following a messy effort last week, and that’s good news for the team moving forward.
Detroit’s Defense Had a Good Day Overall
Even in spite of some of the mistakes, the Lions were great on defense all afternoon. They forced 2 turnovers, were aggressive and played well in spite of some of their obvious limitations in the defensive backfield. The Lions only gave up a total of 384 yards, and only a single touchdown. Any time a team can do that, they will have a shot to win the game. Though they buckled in crunch time, the Lions actually had a solid afternoon overall, and should have something to build on.
The Lions Will Win Multiple Close Games Soon
In spite of everything that has gone wrong, the Lions are getting closer and are closing in on being able to win a game. They’ve been burned in every way possible, so luck is going to even out at a certain point. The team keeps fighting and doing a great job to stay tough and put in work. In due time, the Lions will see themselves reap the rewards of their hard work in 2021. That feels like a safe bet even in spite of the problems and the limitations of the roster.
Lion? Amon-Ra St. Brown, Wide Receiver
St. Brown is clearly coming into his own, and enjoyed his best day as a pro in this contest, going for 65 yards on 7 receptions on the day. St. Brown showed off his speed multiple times and looks like a weapon in the making for the Lions offense. Without Quintez Cephus who is injured, the Lions are probably going to need someone to step up, and after this game, perhaps it can be St. Brown moving forward.
Lamb? Jared Goff, Quarterback
It wasn’t a great day for Goff, who had a pair of turnovers and only collected 203 yards passing. The Lions are going to need Goff to have much better games in order to have a chance moving forward, and this wasn’t a great effort in terms of consistency. Goff has to do a better job of avoiding turnovers so that he can lead his team.
Lions’ Stat to Note: 288
That’s the number of yards the Lions had on the day. Though the Vikings defense has the reputation of being stingy, the Lions still need to figure out how to do more in order to put away scores, especially in the red zone and to sustain drives. If the Lions go well over 350 yards today, they probably are able to win the game. This number was nowhere near enough.
Lions’ Quote to Note
“I just think, you have to make a decision on what you think is best. Your guys vs their guys vs. cover vs. pressure vs. who needs help.” -Dan Campbell. After the game, Campbell offered somewhat of an explanation for the team not bringing heat, seeming to hint it was a schematic situation that led the team to the decision. Either way, the Lions might have benefitted from a little pressure on the play.