close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

Numbers: Detroit Lions offense self-destructs
news

Numbers: Detroit Lions offense self-destructs

The Detroit Lions suffered a crushing defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

In a game where the Lions doubled the Buccaneers’ total yards and time of possession by nearly eight minutes, they ultimately couldn’t make enough plays to hold serve and win at home in a Divisional Round rematch.

Below are the numbers for each position group, based on the Lions’ performance in the 20-16 loss to the Buccaneers.

Quarterback: C-

Jared Goff was held without a touchdown pass in Sunday’s game, the first time that’s happened since Week 7 of last year, when Detroit was soundly defeated by Baltimore. He threw two interceptions and avoided trouble on several other throws.

It wasn’t all bad for Goff. He hit Jameson Williams with a well-placed deep ball over the shoulder one snap after throwing his first interception. The first of his two interceptions can be attributed to an apparent missed pass interference call on the defender covering Williams.

Goff struggled when the offense needed the momentum most, though. His second interception came at a crushing moment, when he was intercepted inside the opponent’s 10-yard line. The Lions came up empty-handed on each of their last three drives.

After the interception, the Lions gave it away on downs when Goff missed the sticks, and then again to end the game when he missed the ball intended for Tom Kennedy. He finished 34 of 55 for 307 yards, but the turnovers and poorly timed throws would eventually haunt the Lions as they came up short.

Running back: B+

The Lions’ run game faltered early in the game, but Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery both found a rhythm in the second half. In a surprising turn, Montgomery was pushed more as a receiver, while Gibbs handled the bulk of the carries.

Gibbs went for over 100 yards combined between his rushing and receiving totals, and recorded 84 yards on the ground. He had a crucial fourth-down conversion on a smart sweep play in the fourth quarter. Montgomery, meanwhile, had the Lions’ lone touchdown.

Wide Receiver: B+

St. Brown proved once again that he has the ability to bounce back, as he rebounded from last week’s quiet performance with 11 catches for 119 yards. However, he took some hard hits and left the game on the final drive with an injury that Campbell did not believe would be long-term.

Jameson Williams lit up Ford Field with his big 50-yard catch in the first quarter and finished with 79 receiving yards on five catches. He also rushed for 15 yards on an end-around and was one of the key blockers on Gibbs’ fourth-down conversion.

Kalif Raymond made multiple catches in the fourth quarter on the Lions’ final series, finishing with three grabs for 27 yards. Tim Patrick also showed his physicality in his debut, hauling in two catches for 12 yards and shaking off a defender at the end of one of his runs.

Tight end: B

Sam LaPorta was a non-factor for much of the afternoon, finishing with just two catches. On an afternoon when the Lions struggled in the red zone, it was sometimes confusing to see the tight end no longer a factor.

Brock Wright wasn’t targeted, but along with Williams, was a key player in Gibbs’ big fourth-down run in the fourth quarter.

Offensive Line: B+

The Lions didn’t allow a single sack on Sunday, but the group wasn’t quite perfect. Goff’s second interception was the result of pressure that seemed to be allowed by the right side of the interior, and the interception came one play after Frank Ragnow was whistled for holding. In all, they allowed 10 quarterback hits.

On the ground game, the unit put together a mostly solid effort. There were some negative runs mixed in, but the group averaged 5.1 yards per carry. Penei Sewell had a nice block to erase Montgomery’s touchdown run.

Defense Line: A-

Aidan Hutchinson was the star on Sunday, with 4.5 sacks. Three of those sacks came in the first quarter, as he had a takedown in each of Tampa Bay’s first three series. Hutchinson had four solo sacks and split one with Levi Onwuzurike.

With Marcus Davenport injured, the Lions gave Onwuzurike the start at defensive end opposite Hutchinson. Onwuzurike had four total tackles and his combined sack with Hutchinson forced a fumble for Baker Mayfield.

Alim McNeill was first through the line on an eventual tackle for loss by Jack Campbell, and recorded a tackle for loss himself. DJ Reader had an assisted tackle on his Lions debut.

Linebackers: B

The Lions lost a captain in their defense when Alex Anzalone suffered a brain injury in what was deemed a friendly fire incident when he was hit in the head by teammate Derrick Barnes. Anzalone finished with four tackles and his status for next week is uncertain as Campbell did not provide an update.

Jack Campbell tied a team-high with six tackles, two of which were for loss. Derrick Barnes played both at linebacker and on the edge as a walk-up SAM backer, impressing with five tackles and a key pass deflection that forced a punt and got the ball back to the offense for the final drive.

Malcolm Rodriguez played a role again, splitting snaps with Campbell and making two tackles. However, he missed a chance on a Mayfield scramble one play before the Buccaneers’ passer scampered in for what was the winning score.

Secondary: B

After a couple of close interceptions last week, Brian Branch sparked the defense with his first interception of the year. It was a leaping effort late in the first half. He also had a key pass deflection in the end zone that would help Tampa score a field goal on their first possession.

Terrion Arnold was penalized twice for the second consecutive game, including a pass interference in the first series. He briefly left the game with a finger injury, but quickly returned. After Ennis Rakestraw suffered an injury in the warm-up, Kindle Vildor was the one to come in when Arnold was sent off.

Amik Robertson got a bad read on a fake bubble screen, biting hard on the fake with Chris Godwin running free behind him for Tampa Bay’s first touchdown. It was a solid effort to keep Mike Evans under wraps, considering he had just three catches, but Chris Godwin picked up the slack with a 117-yard effort.

Special teams: B+

The Lions successfully capitalized on their first fake punt of the season, when Jack Fox delivered a 17-yard pass to rookie running back Sione Vaki. Fox also had a solid day, throwing both punts inside the 20, including one from the 9-yard line in the fourth quarter.

Jake Bates remained perfect on the year with three kickoffs, as he hit from 22, 35 and 32 yards. All of his kickoffs were touchbacks, as the Lions remain cautious with the league’s new kickoff system.

There was the costly blunder at the end of the first half, but that indecisiveness is largely a reflection of the coaching staff.

Coaching: D

As noted above, the mismanagement at the end of the first half proved extremely costly. With the Lions in position for a field goal attempt at the very end of the quarter, the Lions opted to throw a short pass over the middle.

When St. Brown was tackled in bounds, Goff chased the offense to the line in an attempt to spike the ball and stop the clock. Campbell had already sent out the field goal team and the result was a penalty for having too many men on the field.

Campbell took full responsibility for the mistake, but it was devastating nonetheless. In a game the Lions lost by four, adding three points late in the first half would have drastically changed the team’s approach on the final drives of the fourth quarter.

The offense struggled mightily in the red zone, as Ben Johnson’s play-calling did little to fool the opposition. On the final series, the Lions did not attempt a single pass in the end zone, despite needing to score.

Defensively, Aaron Glenn put on a lot of pressure the entire game. The result was five sacks for the group, and they could have had more if they hadn’t beaten Mayfield multiple times.

Campbell’s admission of responsibility points to one of the reasons he’s so beloved in the locker room, but the untimely mistake has consequences. It makes for an interesting week as the team tries to fight back.