Post by D6 on Nov 29, 2019 0:53:07 GMT -5
Thoughts in ****
www.mlive.com/lions/2019/11/observations-david-blough-shines-early-then-lions-blow-another-lead.html
Observations: David Blough shines early, then Lions blow another lead against BearsUpdated 5:27 PM;Today 4:08 PM
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
DETROIT -- What is it about Mitchell Trubisky that the Lions can’t figure out?
The guy isn’t a very good quarterback. His struggles have been so profound this season that he was benched with a so-called “hip” injury two weeks ago. Of course, he also reeled off touchdown passes on three straight drives to beat Detroit the previous week.
And he just didn’t it again.
Trubisky threw three more touchdown passes against Detroit on Thanksgiving, the last of which was a 3-yarder to David Montgomery that spoiled the Lions’ upset bid by a 24-20 score at Ford Field.And, yes, that’s how bad things have gotten. The Lions (3-8-1) really were home 'dogs to a Bears (5-5) team that rolled into town with a losing record. Not that you should be surprised by that. They had lost seven of their last eight and were down to their third-string quarterback due to injuries to Matthew Stafford and Jeff Driskel.
Driskel’s benching due to a hamstring injury seemed like a disastrous break for Detroit, although David Blough actually played well early on. He turfed his first pass about 3 years short of T.J. Hockenson’s feet, then reached back and hit Kenny Golladay with a 75-yard touchdown pass on the next.
Not a bad start for the first undrafted rookie ever to start a game for the Lions (excluding strike seasons). Then he got the ball back and did it again, leading a 10-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that he capped with an 8-yard strike to Marvin Jones. And just like that, David Blough had the country Googling who exactly David Blough was.
Alas, he couldn’t maintain the magic. (He is actually a magician, by the way.)Blough completed 5 of his first 8 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Then Detroit punted on four of its next five series, and Blough completed just 17 of 30 the rest of the way.
Meanwhile, Trubisky ripped open the Lions defense once again, including hitting somebody named Jesper Horsted for an 18-yard touchdown that evened the score at 17-all late in the third quarter. Horsted is a Princeton product with four offensive snaps entering today. But he beat Will Harris for a touchdown that erased Detroit’s early lead.
The Lions have led in every game this season. But they still managed to lose for the eighth time in nine games, this time allowing Mitchell Trubisky to engineer a 100-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. It seemed Detroit blew a coverage, and Montgomery snared the 3-yard strike for a game-winning TD with 2:22 left.
Blough still got one more crack at it, and he made it interesting by driving as far as Chicago’s 26-yard line. He nearly hooked up with Danny Amendola inside the 10, too, but overthrew him slightly. One play later, he was sacked by Roquan Smith to set up a fourth-and-22. An interception ended it.And with that, the Lions had fallen to 3-8-1 despite leading in every game this season. Now they must win out just to beat last year’s ugly finish. And with the way they’re sliding heading into a trip to Minnesota, even that low bar seems unattainable as Detroit continues to disintegrate under the weight of outsized expectations and an overmatched defense.
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The Bears were 5-6 going into the game.
The first NFL Draft was in 1936. The Detroit Lions have been around since 1934.
David Blough performed as well as anyone could have realistically hoped. This latest Lions loss is not because of him. The # 1 difference in this game and the vast majority of other games the Lions are in is the Lions can't generate a pass rush with any consistency. The Lions opponents can. With Khalil Mack on the field for the Bears in the Defensive Scheme he's in, compared to what the Lions Defense had offer both regarding Scheme and personnel, I felt the Lions were at a disadvantage once the Bears began their eventual game winning drive at their own 10 yard line. Even with the Lions leading by 3 points. A relatively similar script plays out week after week. In the 2016 season, the Lions won 8 out of 9 in the middle of the season with thrilling finishes and numerous comebacks. The 2019 season is the antithesis. Unless Matt Patricia is willing to adjust his Defensive scheme in the off-season, putting a much greater emphasis on speed, quickness, and moves with the Pass Rush, I hope the Lions have a different Head Coach.
Danny Amendola should have caught the pass on 2nd Down on the Lions final set of downs that would give the Lions 1st and Goal with plenty of time remaining. It wasn't an easy catch to make but he's made more difficult catches.
The communication / recognition on the Offensive Line was better in this game than in many, if not most games this season. Yet, the failed communication / recognition on the 3rd Down play that resulted in a sack by LB Roquan Smith in the A Gap easily could have been the difference in the outcome of the game. With all of the starting Offensive Lineman in the game, it's perplexing a mistake of this magnitude was made in such a crucial game situation.****
Here are some more instant observations:
-- You might want to make sure you’re sitting for this one. If you have a weak stomach, you may want to find a trash can or maybe your aunt’s big, ugly hat. Are you ready? The Lions’ big first quarter pushed them to 92 points in the first frame for the season. Sounds like a lot, right? That’s because it is. In fact, it’s the second most points in the league. Which helps explain how they’ve led in every game this season, including this one. And yet they’re just 3-8-1 for the season. That’s kind of remarkable, and really speaks to just how bad this defense is. It has been handed an early lead every week, and they’ve still lost twice as much as they’ve won.-
- No, really, what is it about Mitchell Trubisky that the Lions can’t figure out? He now has six touchdown passes against them this season. And seven against everyone else. He completed 29 of 38 passes for 338 yards overall, with just one interception. His passer rating was a toasty 118.1, better than all but one of his other games this season -- the other one being his first game against Detroit. So his two best games have come against this defense, and almost half his touchdowns. Really discouraging stuff from Detroit, which still can’t figure out one of the worst quarterbacks in the league.
**** In recent seasons, the Lions Offense usually got off to slow starts in games. At least there has been improvement in that regard.
Considering the Lions have led in every game and 8 times in the 4th QTR of games, the Lions Defense has been as bad or worse than any Defense in the NFL this season. Coming close isn't acceptable. ****
-- Want to know how many other quarterbacks have thrown for at least two touchdowns in the first quarter of his professional debut in the last quarter-century? Marcus Mariota. That’s it. That’s the list. And now some kid named David Blough. Really impressive stuff from the kid early on. He has some nice mobility too, and did a nice job of avoiding mistakes while being aggressive. But the Bears seemed to figure out what Detroit was doing, too, and Blough cooled considerably as Chicago clawed back into the game. He finished 22 of 38 passing for 280 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.-
**** David Blough has moxie, instincts, and movement skills. He does a much better job than Jeff Driskel from the standpoint of anticipating where the receiver will be. Driskel far too often waited until the receiver made his break in the route before thrown the ball. Blough doesn't have the arm strength of Matthew Stafford ( few QB's even come close ). Driskel has a stronger arm than Blough. But Blough's anticipation gives him a chance to be effective. That much more if he's surrounded by a good supporting cast. Including on Defense and Special Teams. Blough's performance today would have resulted in a win if the Lions Defense and Special performed better. ****
- Barry. Billy. Mel. Those were the only former Lions players to rush for at least 55 yards in their first three professional games -- and then this Bo Scarbrough kid came along. He spent 18 months trying to stick with four different teams before getting his shot in Detroit. He pounded out 55 yards in his debut against Dallas, another 98 for his encore in Washington, and then another 83 yards on 21 carries against Chicago. And for a second straight week, he would have hit triple-digits if not for a penalty on one of his best runs. His numbers aren’t distorted by a big gain or two either. He’s just a strong, physical runner who breaks tackles and falls forward. Who knows how good he can be, but how he’s doing this feels sustainable. It really feels like Detroit has finally found a power complement to Kerryon Johnson, after failed experiments with guys like LeGarrette Blount and C.J. Anderson. Now if only they could get Johnson back on the field ...
**** While Ty Johnson has been very inconsistent picking up blitzes, Bo Scarbrough has done well in his opportunities. When combining this with what Scarbrough offers as a rusher, I think he has a good chance of having a future as part of a rushing tandem. ****
-- Don’t feel too bad if you’d never heard of Jesper Horsted. The dude is from Princeton. He had played four offensive snaps before today. Four. Not that it stopped him from beating Will Harris for an 18-yard touchdown that pulled Chicago even with Detroit at 17-all late in the third quarter. That’s not the first time that’s happened to Harris this season. It’s not even the first time it’s happened to Harris against a no-name Bears tight end, with Ben Braunecker getting him back in Chicago a couple weeks ago. The Lions like the rookie a lot, and that was part of the reason they felt comfortable trading Quandre Diggs to Seattle, but to say he’s already as good as Diggs (which Detroit has contended) would be a stretch. One might even call it a lie. Harris is bigger, and maybe that makes him a better scheme fit theoretically, but I don’t know how you can say Detroit’s defense hasn’t experienced some turbulence in the back end since making the move.-
**** Time will tell if Will Harris pans out. But the trade of Quandre Diggs has weakened the Lions this season. With a subpar pass rush, there's not much margin of error in coverage. ****
- Darius Slay has been fine this season. He’s been among Detroit’s lone bright spots on defense, even if he hasn’t performed at his usual Pro Bowl-caliber level. He’s been fine. But against Chicago, he was back to his old form, including picking off Mitchell Trubisky in the third quarter. It was his second pick of the season, giving him six straight seasons with multiple picks. The last Lions player to do that was Hall of Famer Lem Barney from 1967-77. The play also marked his 100th pass defense in 99 career games. He is just the ninth player in NFL history with 100 PDs in 100 games.
**** Darius Slay and Amani Oruwariye performed well in this game. Justin Coleman didn't. Anthony Miller certainly got the best of Coleman in big spots. Even with a subpar pass rush, more is needed from Coleman. The hit out of bounds by Coleman that wiped out a Bears penalty on the opening Kickoff was very costly. After offsetting penalties, the Bears ended up with the ball around midfield after Cordelle Patterson's 57 yard Kickoff Return. The Bears then drove for a TD with very little resistance.****
-- The Lions have now started three quarterbacks this season. For Kenny Golladay, it hasn’t mattered. He posted the first 1,000-yard season of his career last year, and has continued to roll this season. Against the Bears, he shook Prince Amukamara with a double-move and then walked into the end zone for that 75-yard touchdown. But he wasn’t done. He racked up 138 receiving yards and one touchdown in the first half, joining guys named Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams as the only Lions players to have done that kind of first-half damage since 1991. He finished with four catches for 158 yards overall, continuing to cement his place as one of the league’s best WR1s. It’s going to be fascinating to see what happens in the next calendar year, with his rookie contract up after 2020. Because this still remains very much a passing team, and Golladay is still their best downfield threat.-
**** As good as Kenny Golladay performed as as receiver, his block in tbe back penalty that wiped out a substantial 4th QTR gain on a Bo Scarbrough run was costly. Granted, the run likely doesn't happen because of the penalty. But the Lions ended up in a 2nd and 14 situation because of the penalty. The Lions ended up having to punt. Then came the Bears 90 yard TD drive. ****
- Marvin Jones added three catches for 40 yards and one touchdown. That pushes him across the 5,000-yard mark for his career. He joins Mike Evans, Julio Jones and A.J. Green as the only active players with at least 5,000 receiving yards and 40 touchdowns while averaging at least 14.5 yards per catch.
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****A False Start penalty by Marvin Jones that adversely affected a 1st Half Drive and Jones not coming down with a ball that was a little high on the Lions final drive ( though the Lions converted on 3rd Down as a result of a Kenny Golladay reception ) are negatives from this game. ****
- Da’Shawn Hand played in just his third game of the season because of elbow and ankle injuries, and did so in the starting lineup because of the knee injury that knocked out Snacks Harrison. He finished with one tackle.
****Da'Shawn Hand likely is still dealing with the ankle injury as had less impact in this game than any I can recall. The loss of Damon Harrison was a significant factor in the loss. The Bears ran the ball better today than in most of their games. ****
-- With Jamal Agnew missing another game with an ankle injury, Chris Lacy started at kick returner -- just one day after being signed from the practice squad -- and Danny Amendola got the nod at punt returner.
- **** Chris Lacy didn't have a viable opportunity for a return. J.D. McKissic was the Lions kickoff returner on the Lions final kickoff return play.
Danny Amendola made good decisions as a Punt Return. Efficient. ****
- The loss is Detroit’s third in a row on Thanksgiving, dropping the club to 37-41-2 all time on the holiday. Its last win was by a 16-13 score against Minnesota back in 2016.
**** For a franchise that is home every Thanksgiving Day, this overall record is horrible. ****
-- There were some talks locally about whether fans should boycott the Thanksgiving game as a kind of protest over the team’s slide. But if there was anyone boycotting, it sure didn’t look like it. Ford Field was about 90% full at kickoff and filled in throughout the first quarter. The crowd was more tepid than usual, though, and there were enough Chicago fans on hand for a faint “Let’s Go Bears!" chant to break out in the fourth quarter. That’s the second straight home game where you could hear cheers for Detroit’s opponents.-
**** The Lions record has plenty to do with large numbers opposing fans at games in Detroit. ****
- Former great Barry Sanders was in the house and served as an honorary captain at the pregame coin toss.
****It was a pleasure listening to Barry Sanders being interviewed by the Fox Announcers in the 2nd QTR. ****
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This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions vs. Bears preview: Game # 12 ( 2019 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/504/lions-bears-preview-game-2019