The Detroit Lions had the best possible start to a football game that they could have against the New Orleans Saints. They managed to get an early touchdown, then an interception and an early score.
In spite of that fact, Detroit had nothing good going their way and would be heading for yet another miserable loss. Nobody knew it at the time, but the Saints would be right at home with their backs against the wall. The Saints rallied for 35 unanswered points, then managed to hang on for a 35-29 victory against the Lions.
Defensively, everything has fallen apart for the Lions. The team couldn’t stop the run, they couldn’t stop the pass in critical moments and they certainly couldn’t get much pressure on the quarterback. All of those facts wouldn’t be so galling if it wasn’t seemingly happening every single week to the team.
The Lions have not been able to do anything consistently except blow games, and an inconsistent defense is the major reason why they fell behind, then lost another hunt on the day. When Matt Patricia is a defensive genius and his defense falls apart, it is even more frustrating to fans and those who watch the franchise week in and week out.
There was supposed to be improvement in 2020, but instead, it’s only been more of the same, and perhaps in uglier fashion than in other seasons. That’s not a positive development whatsoever for Patricia and the Lions in a must-win season.
What else was learned from this loss? Here’s a look at other lessons from another miserably failed hunt.
Matthew Stafford Takes Ownership for Loss
The team’s defense was bad, but Matthew Stafford may have been worse. He got the team off to a good start, and while the team struggled in the middle stages, Stafford himself made the critical mistake with an errant interception throw in the end zone. Detroit’s defense was miserable, but this week, there was nobody helping to bail them out whatsoever. The quarterback has to meet the defense halfway, and this week, it didn’t happen. Stafford wasn’t phenomenal by any means, and had he been just average, it may have been enough to win the game. It’s going to be a long week of soul searching during the bye.
Darrell Bevell’s Offense Struggles When Not Scripted
The team’s offensive game plan was suspect on the afternoon, with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell struggling to get into much of a rhythm outside the early calls the team looked vanilla and predictable and didn’t wire it up like last season. It seems a bit premature to proclaim that Bevell has run his course in Detroit, but it’s not been a great looking season from the team’s offense and the coach has to own that. Bevell has to be better with play calls in situations, and not stay so married to the run when his team can throw the ball.
Big Franchise Changes Are Not Likely
Who’s getting fired? Are there going to be any drastic personnel moves in the short term? Lions fans might be rooting for this, but none of it seems likely in the coming weeks, as ugly as the facts are for the team right now. The Lions are 1-3 and might not look like they are going anywhere. They might also look like they should make some moves, but that’s not been the history of the franchise. To expect them to deviate now and get bold would be a fool’s errand. In the weeks ahead, Patricia might not be so lucky if the losses mount, but with a Week 5 bye, it sure doesn’t seem like the Lions are primed to pull the plug.
Lions’ MVP vs. Saints: Kenny Golladay, WR
At the very least, the Lions got Golladay back in the end zone again for another week, with a strike across the middle of the field early in the game. Golladay didn’t get to do much on the day and he still ended up with 62 yards and a score. That’s a nice impact for the big play wideout.
Lions’ Lamb of the Game: The Defense
One week after playing a leading role, the Lions got gashed by a team that was missing 6 starters. If there was ever a day for Detroit to step up and take advantage, it was this one. Instead, they melted once again. That’s on the coaching staff and offense, but the defense allowed all of the frustration to happen much of the afternoon. Getting run over by a beleaguered team in the trenches? That’s bad.
Lions’ Stat to Note vs. Saints: 13:32
That’s the amount of difference in time of possession in the game that was advantage Saints. Detroit didn’t possess the ball because they couldn’t get New Orleans off the field whatsoever. This is the biggest problem the team had. When they did get the ball, it wasn’t easy enough for them to keep it or make the most with it. Simply put, the Saints sucked the life out of them.
Lions Quote to Note
“Not where we want to be right now.” -Matthew Stafford. It seems like the understatement of the century to say that the 1-3 Lions aren’t where anyone expected they’d be or where they want to be. Still, Stafford was there to remind folks after the game of how badly things have been going.
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Hunt Report: Lions Defense Bottoming Out Under Matt Patricia