Post by D6 on Oct 16, 2019 1:01:58 GMT -5
Thoughts in ****
www.mlive.com/lions/2019/10/observations-lions-squander-opportunities-in-another-heartbreaking-loss.htmlObservations: Lions squander opportunities in another heartbreaking loss
Updated Oct 15, 2019;
Posted Oct 14, 2019
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Matt Prater hit a career-high five field goals. Against Aaron Rodgers, that’s probably not a good thing. And it wasn’t.
The Detroit Lions led for more than 57 minutes at Lambeau Field, but failed to cash in on their opportunities to separate, and gave the ball back to Rodgers while clinging to just a two-point lead with 6:46 left. And Rodgers used every second of it to drive the other way for a 23-yard field goal from Mason Crosby that stunned Detroit 23-22 as time expired on Monday Night Football.Detroit played well enough to win, especially early, when it came out of the bye week with guns blazing. The coaching staff informed the team on Saturday night they would open the game with a flea flicker, and by God it worked, with Mathew Stafford sticking Green Bay with a 66-yard pass to Kenny Golladay.
Alas, the Lions settled for a field goal, a harbinger of things to come.
Detroit advanced inside Green Bay’s 10-yard line on each of its first three drives, but settled for just 13 points. T.J. Hockenson dropped another touchdown pass, and the Lions couldn’t do anything with a fumble forced by Dee Virgin on special teams deep in Packers territory.
So many opportunities, and too many of them missed. The Lions paid for it, too, when a series of officiating decisions went against them late. Notably, defensive end Trey Flowers was flagged for a pair of questionable hands to the face penalties in the fourth quarter, the latter of which came on a sack on third-and-4.
Green Bay should have faced fourth down right there and attempted a field goal. Instead, it retained possession and was able to run off the final 90-plus seconds, effectively ending the game with no chance for Matthew Stafford to counter.Stafford started fast, but cooled late. He finished 18 of 32 passing for 265 yards, and more importantly, no touchdown passes, although he did have one dropped in the end zone by Hockenson.
Detroit falls to 2-2-1 heading back home for another NFC North battle, this one against the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday. And now riding a two-game losing streak, that game is more important than ever if the Lions are serious about turning their surprising start into a serious run.
**** I waited to offer my thoughts about the game until getting control of my emotions. This was the worst officiated NFL game that I recall seeing. With the vast majority of bad calls going against the Lions. With practically all of them in the 4th QTR going against the Lions. If the NFL is going to maintain it's popularity and remaining credibility, they need to improve their officiating and use of replay substantially. Much more planned about the officiating.
The Lions inability to get TDs proved very costly, when combining this with the horrific officiating. The Lions running game was disappointing, especially with the Packers Run Defense not having a good start to the season through their first 5 games.
I'm reluctant to criticize T.J. Hockenson for the pass he didn't catch in the end zone, as it looked like a hands to the face penalty or pass interference should have been called on the Packers on the play.
The Lions pass protection was spotty after the team built a 13-0 lead. Kenny Wiggins got beat for a sack while at LG on a 3rd Down play. It reinforces why I think the Lions shouldn't rotate him into the game at Guard unless there's an injury. Rick Wagner once again didn't perform close to the contract numbers he received. While it looked like Taylor Decker made an assignment error on a play that resulted in a sack, otherwise I thought Decker did well protecting Matthew Stafford. As well as a run blocker. Wagner was a liability too often in pass protection and wasn't impressive as a run blocker. Frank Ragnow had a strong all around game. He looks like the best Lions Center in decades. Ragnow is having a Pro Bowl Caliber season. ****
Some more quick observations:
-- Anyone following my work knows I’m about the last person on earth to complain about officiating. And even in this one, if the Lions had converted more of their opportunities into points, they wouldn’t have lost had a few calls gone against them. That said, there’s no doubt a few calls went against them. There were the hands to the “face” calls against Flowers, the last of which was a back breaker, although replays show Flowers’ hands gripped around the neck of the shoulder pads, a move he says he’s done his whole career and throughout this game.Then there was the play where Kerryon Johnson caught the ball, transferred it from one hand to another as he took about three steps, then had the ball poked out and land out of bounds. That should have been a first down, as it was called on the field. At the very least, there wasn’t conclusive evidence to overturn it. But wouldn’t you know it, the play was overturned. The pass was ruled incomplete, and Johnson’s third-down pickup turned into a punt. Yikes.
**** A 54 Yard FG by Matt Prater resulted following the replay reversal. Though it was pretty close, I understand why the pass to Kerryon Johnson was overturned to incomplete. On the play before, which was 2nd and 2, Nick Bawden didn't look for a pass Matthew Stafford threw to him. Stafford did his part. The FB and RB didn't on consecutive plays. ****
Then there was Tracy Walker, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness when he collided with Packers receiver Geronimo Allison on the first play of the second half. Both players slid to the ground for a low pass, and their helmets touched, for lack of a better word. My question: How can it be unnecessary roughness when Walker was sliding low to the ground going for the ball? What is “unnecessary” about that? The letter of the rule says if he helmets touch, the defensive player is getting flagged, and by that measure, I see why that flag was thrown. But that’s awfully tough on Walker, who was like 1 inch off the ground making a play on the ball. What exactly is he supposed to do in that situation? I’ve rewatched that play a few time, and don’t see anything else he could have done. And yet he was flagged.-
**** I agree with the take regarding the Tracy Walker play.
Along with the two penalties on Trey Flowers, the non call of pass interference around the Packers 15 when Marvin Jones was in position to make a catch on a long pass with the Lions up by 2 past the mid point of the 4th QTR, was a horrible officiating decision. The Lions could have challenged that play. But with the NFL rately reversing plays involving pass interference, I can't blame Matt Patricia for not challenging the play. A lost timeout easily could have cost the Lions the game.
Also. the Packers had 13 men on the field on Defense on a play right before a sack. I believe that was the sack Wiggins got beat on. No penalty on that play but the Lions get flagged for 12 men on the field on a Packers FG attempt. ****
- Give Darrell Bevell credit, because the man has called a good game almost the entire year. It’s not perfect -- notably, the red-zone offense remains stuck in the mud, including tonight -- but there’s so much else to like about the system too, from the balance to the creativity, and we didn’t have to wait long to see that tonight. Lambeau Field was bumping at kickoff, and Detroit absolutely sucked the energy out of it by stunning the Packers with a game-opening flea flicker that went for 66 yards. The Lions settled for a field goal, but Stafford hooked up with Marvin Hall for 58 yards to open the next series, and before you knew it, Detroit was up 10-0.
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****Excellent job by Darrell Bevell with the two long passing plays that the Lions executed on consecutive drives to begin the game. This was a statement. ****
- Matthew Stafford had 168 yards in the first quarter on 8 of 9 passing -- that’s 18.7 yards every time he reached back for a pass -- but struggled to sustain that start. He had just 97 yards over the next three quarters combined, allowing Green Bay to climb back into this one when Detroit could have put some distance between itself and the Packers.-
**** Between the Lions pass protection issues at key moments, bad officiating, lack of execution on consecutive throws by Matthew Stafford by the starting FB and RB, a Running Game that wasn't efficient or effective, and the Packers having some talented DBs, Matthew Stafford didn't get the support he needed. Stafford was off target on a small number of throws but overall had a good to very good performance. ****
- What a revelation Justin Coleman has been. Detroit gave him more money than anyone else pays a nickel cornerback, and through five games, he’s been worth every penny. He was the No. 1 slot corner in the league coming into the weekend, per ProFootballFocus, then made one of the biggest plays of this one, intercepting a ball off the facemask of Darrius Shepherd near the goal line in the fourth quarter. That led to a field goal, a potential 10-point swing in all -- kind of a big deal in a game that was decided at the horn. Coleman tacked on five tackles and three passes defended, and leads Detroit in passes defended for the season. Throw in Rashaan Melvin and, oh I don’t know, that Darius Slay guy, and Detroit has its deepest cornerback group in God knows how long. It’s one of the best in the league, I know that.
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**** Justin Coleman is making a case to be the Lions Defensive MVP. Darius Slay was a shutdown CB in this game. ****
- You know who else has been worth the money? You know who. I’ll give you a hint: It’s the guy who kicked five field goals, one of which was from 54 yards. Matt Prater scored 16 points by himself, the most by an opposing kicker at Lambeau Field since Mark Moseley on Oct. 17, 1983. He also joined Sebastian Janikowski and Jason Hanson as the only kickers in NFL history to make at least 50 field goals of at least 50 yards. Simply put, Prater is one of the steadiest kickers in the league, which really stands out in a division that has had its share of kicking woes the last couple years.-
****Matt Prater could win NFC Special Teams Player of the week even though the Lions lost the game. Prater was sensational on a pretty cold night. ****
- T.J. Hockenson is struggling right now. He dropped a would-be touchdown in the end zone, forcing Detroit to settle for yet another field goal. He already had another drop in the end zone this season, plus stepped on the back line while making another. He finished with four catches against Green Bay, but for just 21 yards.
-- Green Bay dropped a pair of touchdown passes during a drive in the second quarter, and it looked like the Lions would hold for a field goal. Instead, they committed yet another special teams mistake. They’ve actually gotten better after a slow start to the season, but this one -- 12 men on the field for a field-goal try -- was a back breaker. And two plays later, Jamaal Williams was dancing in the end zone, and Detroit’s commanding early lead was down to 13-7. That’s just bad, sloppy football from a special teams unit that is under fire after costing Detroit big time tonight.
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**** Horrible mistake that was a major factor in the outcome of the game. When the door is open for Aaron Rodgers, there's a good chance he will make the opposition pay when all is said and done in the game. ****
- The Lions opened the weekend leading the league in fumbles forced. Not bad for a team that finished 31st last year in takeaways. A’Shawn Robinson recovered two fumbles in the first four games, then added a forced fumble on the second series of this one, leading to Detroit’s only touchdown of the night. The Lions have now recovered a fumble in three straight games for the first time since 2007.-
**** A"Shawn Robinson continues to be the Lions best Interior Defensive Lineman this season. Damon Harrison had a sack but he wasn't the key reason for the sack on the play that backed the Packers up deep in their own territory. Harrison hasn't had the impact vs. the run that he did last season. ****
- Dee Virgin added another forced fumble on special teams when he arrived just after a punt and blasted the return man, separating him from the ball. It was a huge play, after Green Bay had just closed the first half with a field goal, then opened the second half with another to knot the game at 13-13. The Lions couldn’t find the end zone though, and settled for yet another field goal, this one giving them a 16-13 lead midway through the third quarter.
**** Great play by Dee Virgin, who is arguably the Lions best Special Teams Coverage player. The coverage units have been very good through 5 games. ****
-- The Lions played without starting safety Quandre Diggs, then lost his injury fill-in, Tavon Wilson, late in the fourth quarter. That pressed rookie Will Harris into a big role at a critical time against one of the best quarterbacks to ever do it.
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**** Tavon Wilson struggled vs. the run in the first half. Much better all around performance in the 2nd half prior to the injury late in the game. Wilson recovered the fumble on the Punt Return? ****
- Long snapper Don Muhlbach played in the 233rd game of his career, moving him into the top 100 in NFL history. Muhlbach has played all those games for Detroit, second to only Jason Hanson in franchise history.
**** Tremendous career accomplishment!****
-- The Lions’ loss sinks them to 17-20-1 all time on Monday Night Football, and 1-2-1 against the Packers.
-- With the Packers wearing all-white, Detroit opted to go with its regular home duds, with a blue top and grey pants. This marks the first time the club has worn blue jerseys in Green Bay since a 20-16 victory over the Packers on Sept. 30, 1956 at City Stadium.
**** It was the first time I saw the Lions wear blue jerseys in Green Bay or on the road against the Packers in general. That was the biggest surprise of the game for me. ****
This thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Packers preview: Game # 5 ( 2019 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/422/lions-packers-preview-game-2019
www.mlive.com/lions/2019/10/observations-lions-squander-opportunities-in-another-heartbreaking-loss.htmlObservations: Lions squander opportunities in another heartbreaking loss
Updated Oct 15, 2019;
Posted Oct 14, 2019
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Matt Prater hit a career-high five field goals. Against Aaron Rodgers, that’s probably not a good thing. And it wasn’t.
The Detroit Lions led for more than 57 minutes at Lambeau Field, but failed to cash in on their opportunities to separate, and gave the ball back to Rodgers while clinging to just a two-point lead with 6:46 left. And Rodgers used every second of it to drive the other way for a 23-yard field goal from Mason Crosby that stunned Detroit 23-22 as time expired on Monday Night Football.Detroit played well enough to win, especially early, when it came out of the bye week with guns blazing. The coaching staff informed the team on Saturday night they would open the game with a flea flicker, and by God it worked, with Mathew Stafford sticking Green Bay with a 66-yard pass to Kenny Golladay.
Alas, the Lions settled for a field goal, a harbinger of things to come.
Detroit advanced inside Green Bay’s 10-yard line on each of its first three drives, but settled for just 13 points. T.J. Hockenson dropped another touchdown pass, and the Lions couldn’t do anything with a fumble forced by Dee Virgin on special teams deep in Packers territory.
So many opportunities, and too many of them missed. The Lions paid for it, too, when a series of officiating decisions went against them late. Notably, defensive end Trey Flowers was flagged for a pair of questionable hands to the face penalties in the fourth quarter, the latter of which came on a sack on third-and-4.
Green Bay should have faced fourth down right there and attempted a field goal. Instead, it retained possession and was able to run off the final 90-plus seconds, effectively ending the game with no chance for Matthew Stafford to counter.Stafford started fast, but cooled late. He finished 18 of 32 passing for 265 yards, and more importantly, no touchdown passes, although he did have one dropped in the end zone by Hockenson.
Detroit falls to 2-2-1 heading back home for another NFC North battle, this one against the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday. And now riding a two-game losing streak, that game is more important than ever if the Lions are serious about turning their surprising start into a serious run.
**** I waited to offer my thoughts about the game until getting control of my emotions. This was the worst officiated NFL game that I recall seeing. With the vast majority of bad calls going against the Lions. With practically all of them in the 4th QTR going against the Lions. If the NFL is going to maintain it's popularity and remaining credibility, they need to improve their officiating and use of replay substantially. Much more planned about the officiating.
The Lions inability to get TDs proved very costly, when combining this with the horrific officiating. The Lions running game was disappointing, especially with the Packers Run Defense not having a good start to the season through their first 5 games.
I'm reluctant to criticize T.J. Hockenson for the pass he didn't catch in the end zone, as it looked like a hands to the face penalty or pass interference should have been called on the Packers on the play.
The Lions pass protection was spotty after the team built a 13-0 lead. Kenny Wiggins got beat for a sack while at LG on a 3rd Down play. It reinforces why I think the Lions shouldn't rotate him into the game at Guard unless there's an injury. Rick Wagner once again didn't perform close to the contract numbers he received. While it looked like Taylor Decker made an assignment error on a play that resulted in a sack, otherwise I thought Decker did well protecting Matthew Stafford. As well as a run blocker. Wagner was a liability too often in pass protection and wasn't impressive as a run blocker. Frank Ragnow had a strong all around game. He looks like the best Lions Center in decades. Ragnow is having a Pro Bowl Caliber season. ****
Some more quick observations:
-- Anyone following my work knows I’m about the last person on earth to complain about officiating. And even in this one, if the Lions had converted more of their opportunities into points, they wouldn’t have lost had a few calls gone against them. That said, there’s no doubt a few calls went against them. There were the hands to the “face” calls against Flowers, the last of which was a back breaker, although replays show Flowers’ hands gripped around the neck of the shoulder pads, a move he says he’s done his whole career and throughout this game.Then there was the play where Kerryon Johnson caught the ball, transferred it from one hand to another as he took about three steps, then had the ball poked out and land out of bounds. That should have been a first down, as it was called on the field. At the very least, there wasn’t conclusive evidence to overturn it. But wouldn’t you know it, the play was overturned. The pass was ruled incomplete, and Johnson’s third-down pickup turned into a punt. Yikes.
**** A 54 Yard FG by Matt Prater resulted following the replay reversal. Though it was pretty close, I understand why the pass to Kerryon Johnson was overturned to incomplete. On the play before, which was 2nd and 2, Nick Bawden didn't look for a pass Matthew Stafford threw to him. Stafford did his part. The FB and RB didn't on consecutive plays. ****
Then there was Tracy Walker, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness when he collided with Packers receiver Geronimo Allison on the first play of the second half. Both players slid to the ground for a low pass, and their helmets touched, for lack of a better word. My question: How can it be unnecessary roughness when Walker was sliding low to the ground going for the ball? What is “unnecessary” about that? The letter of the rule says if he helmets touch, the defensive player is getting flagged, and by that measure, I see why that flag was thrown. But that’s awfully tough on Walker, who was like 1 inch off the ground making a play on the ball. What exactly is he supposed to do in that situation? I’ve rewatched that play a few time, and don’t see anything else he could have done. And yet he was flagged.-
**** I agree with the take regarding the Tracy Walker play.
Along with the two penalties on Trey Flowers, the non call of pass interference around the Packers 15 when Marvin Jones was in position to make a catch on a long pass with the Lions up by 2 past the mid point of the 4th QTR, was a horrible officiating decision. The Lions could have challenged that play. But with the NFL rately reversing plays involving pass interference, I can't blame Matt Patricia for not challenging the play. A lost timeout easily could have cost the Lions the game.
Also. the Packers had 13 men on the field on Defense on a play right before a sack. I believe that was the sack Wiggins got beat on. No penalty on that play but the Lions get flagged for 12 men on the field on a Packers FG attempt. ****
- Give Darrell Bevell credit, because the man has called a good game almost the entire year. It’s not perfect -- notably, the red-zone offense remains stuck in the mud, including tonight -- but there’s so much else to like about the system too, from the balance to the creativity, and we didn’t have to wait long to see that tonight. Lambeau Field was bumping at kickoff, and Detroit absolutely sucked the energy out of it by stunning the Packers with a game-opening flea flicker that went for 66 yards. The Lions settled for a field goal, but Stafford hooked up with Marvin Hall for 58 yards to open the next series, and before you knew it, Detroit was up 10-0.
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****Excellent job by Darrell Bevell with the two long passing plays that the Lions executed on consecutive drives to begin the game. This was a statement. ****
- Matthew Stafford had 168 yards in the first quarter on 8 of 9 passing -- that’s 18.7 yards every time he reached back for a pass -- but struggled to sustain that start. He had just 97 yards over the next three quarters combined, allowing Green Bay to climb back into this one when Detroit could have put some distance between itself and the Packers.-
**** Between the Lions pass protection issues at key moments, bad officiating, lack of execution on consecutive throws by Matthew Stafford by the starting FB and RB, a Running Game that wasn't efficient or effective, and the Packers having some talented DBs, Matthew Stafford didn't get the support he needed. Stafford was off target on a small number of throws but overall had a good to very good performance. ****
- What a revelation Justin Coleman has been. Detroit gave him more money than anyone else pays a nickel cornerback, and through five games, he’s been worth every penny. He was the No. 1 slot corner in the league coming into the weekend, per ProFootballFocus, then made one of the biggest plays of this one, intercepting a ball off the facemask of Darrius Shepherd near the goal line in the fourth quarter. That led to a field goal, a potential 10-point swing in all -- kind of a big deal in a game that was decided at the horn. Coleman tacked on five tackles and three passes defended, and leads Detroit in passes defended for the season. Throw in Rashaan Melvin and, oh I don’t know, that Darius Slay guy, and Detroit has its deepest cornerback group in God knows how long. It’s one of the best in the league, I know that.
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**** Justin Coleman is making a case to be the Lions Defensive MVP. Darius Slay was a shutdown CB in this game. ****
- You know who else has been worth the money? You know who. I’ll give you a hint: It’s the guy who kicked five field goals, one of which was from 54 yards. Matt Prater scored 16 points by himself, the most by an opposing kicker at Lambeau Field since Mark Moseley on Oct. 17, 1983. He also joined Sebastian Janikowski and Jason Hanson as the only kickers in NFL history to make at least 50 field goals of at least 50 yards. Simply put, Prater is one of the steadiest kickers in the league, which really stands out in a division that has had its share of kicking woes the last couple years.-
****Matt Prater could win NFC Special Teams Player of the week even though the Lions lost the game. Prater was sensational on a pretty cold night. ****
- T.J. Hockenson is struggling right now. He dropped a would-be touchdown in the end zone, forcing Detroit to settle for yet another field goal. He already had another drop in the end zone this season, plus stepped on the back line while making another. He finished with four catches against Green Bay, but for just 21 yards.
-- Green Bay dropped a pair of touchdown passes during a drive in the second quarter, and it looked like the Lions would hold for a field goal. Instead, they committed yet another special teams mistake. They’ve actually gotten better after a slow start to the season, but this one -- 12 men on the field for a field-goal try -- was a back breaker. And two plays later, Jamaal Williams was dancing in the end zone, and Detroit’s commanding early lead was down to 13-7. That’s just bad, sloppy football from a special teams unit that is under fire after costing Detroit big time tonight.
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**** Horrible mistake that was a major factor in the outcome of the game. When the door is open for Aaron Rodgers, there's a good chance he will make the opposition pay when all is said and done in the game. ****
- The Lions opened the weekend leading the league in fumbles forced. Not bad for a team that finished 31st last year in takeaways. A’Shawn Robinson recovered two fumbles in the first four games, then added a forced fumble on the second series of this one, leading to Detroit’s only touchdown of the night. The Lions have now recovered a fumble in three straight games for the first time since 2007.-
**** A"Shawn Robinson continues to be the Lions best Interior Defensive Lineman this season. Damon Harrison had a sack but he wasn't the key reason for the sack on the play that backed the Packers up deep in their own territory. Harrison hasn't had the impact vs. the run that he did last season. ****
- Dee Virgin added another forced fumble on special teams when he arrived just after a punt and blasted the return man, separating him from the ball. It was a huge play, after Green Bay had just closed the first half with a field goal, then opened the second half with another to knot the game at 13-13. The Lions couldn’t find the end zone though, and settled for yet another field goal, this one giving them a 16-13 lead midway through the third quarter.
**** Great play by Dee Virgin, who is arguably the Lions best Special Teams Coverage player. The coverage units have been very good through 5 games. ****
-- The Lions played without starting safety Quandre Diggs, then lost his injury fill-in, Tavon Wilson, late in the fourth quarter. That pressed rookie Will Harris into a big role at a critical time against one of the best quarterbacks to ever do it.
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**** Tavon Wilson struggled vs. the run in the first half. Much better all around performance in the 2nd half prior to the injury late in the game. Wilson recovered the fumble on the Punt Return? ****
- Long snapper Don Muhlbach played in the 233rd game of his career, moving him into the top 100 in NFL history. Muhlbach has played all those games for Detroit, second to only Jason Hanson in franchise history.
**** Tremendous career accomplishment!****
-- The Lions’ loss sinks them to 17-20-1 all time on Monday Night Football, and 1-2-1 against the Packers.
-- With the Packers wearing all-white, Detroit opted to go with its regular home duds, with a blue top and grey pants. This marks the first time the club has worn blue jerseys in Green Bay since a 20-16 victory over the Packers on Sept. 30, 1956 at City Stadium.
**** It was the first time I saw the Lions wear blue jerseys in Green Bay or on the road against the Packers in general. That was the biggest surprise of the game for me. ****
This thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Packers preview: Game # 5 ( 2019 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/422/lions-packers-preview-game-2019
