Post by D6 on Sept 21, 2021 20:10:31 GMT -5
Thoughts in ****
Instant observations: Season already swirling the drain after Detroit Lions shredded by Packers
Instant observations: Season already swirling the drain after Detroit Lions shredded by Packers
Updated: Sep. 21, 2021, 1:07 a.m. | Published: Sep. 20, 2021, 11:15 p.m.
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Dan Campbell era is two weeks old, and his back is already against the wall.
The Detroit Lions started fast in Green Bay, with Jared Goff throwing early touchdown passes to Quintez Cephus and T.J. Hockenson for an early 14-7 lead. But they came unglued during a decisive scoring run for the second consecutive week, getting outscored 28-3 over the final three quarters en route to a 35-17 loss on Monday night at Lambeau Field.
The Lions are now 0-2 on the young season, giving them a roughly 12% chance of making the playoffs based on NFL precedent since 1990. They’ve lost six straight games overall, dating to last December, and are just 1-12 against the NFC North since the start of the 2019 season. No, that is not a typo.
Detroit’s problems are well-documented, of course. That’s why the Quinntricia era was thrown in a dumpster behind their Allen Park training facility last November. Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell were hired to turn the page this offseason, and they said back then their goal was to unseat the Packers as the team to beat in the NFC North.
“I mean, let’s call it what it is,” Campbell said. “Those guys are finding ways to win, they’ve been successful, and I think that kind of starts there because it’s in the division, man. How do we get to where they’re at? That’s where we want to get, right?”
Yet Monday revealed just how far -- how very, very far -- they still have to go to close that gap.
**** The consensus opinion going into this season was the Lions are very, very far from closing the gap on the Packers. Last night's game was a reminder of this, nothing beyond this. The Lions exceeded my expectations in the first 2 1/ 2 QTRs of the game. Then, reality set in. That much more after another major injury setback at CB. ****
Goff actually started fast, connecting on 11 of his first 12 passes. That includes a beautiful 46-yarder up the left seam to Quintez Cephus on the game’s first drive, and then he capped the series with a 5-yard strike to a wide-open Cephus thanks to outstanding protection from his offensive line.
In the second quarter, Goff uncorked one of the best passes he’s thrown since his trade to the Lions back in January, an 8-yard bullet that caught T.J. Hockenson streaking through the back of the end zone in stride. Just like that, the Lions had a 14-7 lead that hushed a frenzied crowd on opening night at Lambeau Field. And with the way Goff was dealing -- 11 of 12 passing, 116 yards, two TDs -- it seemed Detroit just might be game for an upset.
Problem is, much like some of Matthew Stafford’s best days, Goff’s defense simply couldn’t keep pace.
**** Jared Goff was fantastic in the first half of the game and was still playing at a high level until the 4th and 1 incompletion to Quentez Cephus. After that, Goff made 3 costly mistakes and doubts about whether he's the Lions long term solution became a primary theme again.
The Lions Defense miscues, combined with Aaron Rodgers making 2 of the throws ( on the go ahead drive- opening drive of the 3rd QTR ) that will occur in the NFL in any season and Aaron Jones having a differential performance as a rusher and receiver, led to the Lions having very little margin of error. ****
Aaron Rodgers had his way with Detroit’s defense all night. It didn’t really matter so much in the first half because the Lions’ long scoring drives limited Rodgers to three series. But he found Aaron Jones with touchdown passes on two of those drives, then ran out of the tunnel for the second half and ripped off three more touchdown drives in a row.
Yes, that Aaron Rodgers. Who was twice as bad as any other starting quarterback in Week 1. Who was so bad, some were openly wondering whether he was actually trying to tank Green Bay’s season after their little drama over the offseason. Yeah, that guy -- who didn’t lead a single touchdown drive while getting benched against New Orleans in Week 1 -- led four straight touchdown drives against Detroit’s still-struggling defense (not including a knee to end the first half).
Rodgers’ quarterback rating was sub-40 against New Orleans. His passer rating would have been better if he would have thrown every single ball into the dirt, and that’s a fact. Then Detroit came to town, and he completed 22 of 27 passes for 255 yards, four touchdowns, no picks and a toasty passer rating of 145.6.
**** Aaron Rodgers is easily a top 10 All-Time NFL QB. That was on display last night The Saints game was a rare exception. ****
And with that, another Lions season is already swirling the drain heading into a Week 3 game against the Baltimore Ravens at Ford Field.
Let’s get to some observations:
-- Is it possible Alex Anzalone just isn’t a very good linebacker? He was OK in New Orleans, then signed with Detroit over the offseason and was immediately named a captain. That’s usually a pretty good sign. But Anzalone has really struggled to open the season, including blowing several run fits against Green Bay, then getting burned for a 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Robert Tonyan on the first drive of the second half. That gave the Packers a 21-17 lead early in the third quarter.
**** The TD pass and catch was very high level play by Aaron Rodgers and Robert Tonyan. Alex Anzalone's coverage on that play was at the very least decent. The mental mistakes and / or lack of instincts by Anzalone on several plays, + a missed tackle, are the plays that deserve criticism. Especially his bad technique when he got caught holding Tonyan on a 1st and 20 play. The officials marked the ball wrong on that play( 10 yards to the Lions 11 yard line, instead of 5 yards ). The TV announcers didn't notice it. The Lions coaches and players didn't seem to notice either. Dan Campbell can't let that happen again. ****
Then after the Packers were flagged for offensive holding on the ensuing drive deep in Lions territory, setting up a first-and-20, Anzalone was flagged for defensive holding. That, ladies and gentlemen, is an automatic first down. And two plays later, ladies and gentlemen, Aaron Jones was standing in the end zone with his third touchdown catch of the night. And that, ladies and gentlemen, gave the Packers a 28-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
**** I didn't notice Derrick Barnes at all on Defense in this game. I think the time is approaching that Barnes should either be starting at ILB or playing at least 1/ 3 of the Defensive snaps. Especially, after his strong play in the pre-season, Jamie Collins's play average at best ( it seems below average and the run and in coverage ) and Anzalone struggling ) ****
Against Aaron Rodgers, that was the ballgame.
-- The last Packers running back to catch three touchdowns in a game, by the way: Andy Uram in a game against the Chicago Cardinals in 1942. Just to give you a little perspective on where Detroit’s defense is at.
****The Lions were 0-11 in 1942. That was almost certainly the worst Lions team in history, as at least the 2008 Lions were in several games late in the contests. Every NFL team back then lost many players because of WWII. But the Lions were amongst the worst teams throughout the time the United States was in tbe war ****
-- With their defensive plight deepening, you have to wonder when Detroit might give young linebacker Derrick Barnes a look. The rookie out of Purdue was so good during the preseason, quick enough to sweep sideline to sideline and a strong, physical tackler too. He barely played in the opener. Then the defense was worse in Green Bay, and he still didn’t play more than a few spare snaps. With Anzalone and Jamie Collins really struggling to anchor the defense, to get downhill, to do much of anything at all, you have to wonder whether it’s already time to see what the Barnes kid can do. Because it certainly can’t be any worse than this.
****Agreed! ****
-- Rookie cornerback Ifeati Melinfonwu got the start for Jeff Okudah, and actually held up pretty well in the first half, including using his helmet to break up the first pass thrown his way. But disaster struck at the start of the second half, when Melifonwu injured his thigh while allowing a 50-yard bomb to Davante Adams on third-and-long. That gave the Packers a fresh set of downs at Detroit’s 25-yard line, and left Detroit dangerously thin at cornerback. With Okudah already out for the season, the Lions were forced to turn to Bobby Price, a former undrafted safety who just moved to cornerback a few weeks ago.
**** The throw by Aaron Rodgers on that play was tremendous. Ifeati Melinfonwu mistimed his reaction ( he was early ) but his positioning was good. It's very fortunate he suffered the injury that likely will keep him out for many games. Melinfonwu was aided by the Lions Safeties playing deep on the vast majority of plays but I was more than pleased with his performance. He's played well overall in games, after struggling in practice in the off-season and in the early half of training camp. ****
-- I saw general manager Brad Holmes smiling at the bratwurst station in the press box during halftime, and I can’t help but wonder whether that offensive line was front of mind. Because that offensive line was very, very good. Jared Goff had all day to throw in the first half, including on a 46-yard pass to Quintez Cephus on the first drive of the game, then had enough time to make himself a sandwich before finding Cephus running wide open in the end zone to cap off that drive with a 5-yard strike. Green Bay busted a coverage on that play, and Goff was able to find it because of the time he had to sit back and let the play develop.
**** Other than set of downs that led to the Lions only first half punt, I thought the Lions Offensive Line played at a very high level in the first half. ****
What a huge start that was Detroit, to get something good going after the slow start last week. It took some of the wind out of the Lambeau Field crowd as well, and helped set the tone for an excellent first half from the offense. And that excellence started up front.
Holmes could have gone a lot of different ways with the seventh overall pick, and Penei Sewell was among the leaders for the pick no matter who you asked. But with Taylor Decker out at least three games after undergoing finger surgery, the Sewell pick is paying bigger dividends than even Holmes could have imagined at that time. Because the Lions’ front was pretty good last week, and it was dominant throughout most of the night in Green Bay, even though they’re without one of the best left tackles in the game. When was the last time Detroit had this kind of depth up front? Has it ever?
**** The only significant negative for Penei Sewell in the first half was the holding penalty on a running play. This, following a false start by T.J. Hockenson ( who otherwise had another strong all around performance )****
-- Goff’s struggles are well-documented, from the last two years in Los Angeles to his rough few weeks in training camp and the conservative-to-a-fault approach while falling behind big in the opener. But he finished that game well, turned a 28-point deficit into a single-score game, then opened this one on fire too. That 46-yard pass to Cephus on the first series? We just haven’t seen much of that. That 8-yard touchdown pass to Hockenson in the second quarter? That’s as precise as a pitch-and-catch as you’ll see in the league so far this season. Those guys have worked so hard to develop their chemistry, and it’s already evident.
But Goff struggled to keep it going in the second half. He missed Cephus on a fourth-and-short pass to turn over the ball on downs, which led to a Green Bay touchdown. Then on his next series, he fumbled the exchange with center Frank Ragnow as the rains began to pour down, which led to another touchdown. That made it 35-17, and the game was basically over. And an interception with 3:25 left robbed him of another chance to make a crooked score look a little better in garbage time.
**** Packers Rookie CB Eric Stokes, who did a great job in man to man coverage in the game, had excellent coverage against Quintez Cephus on the play. The mistake that was made by either Goff or the coaches was Goff not taking advantage of the coverage matchup between. Amon-Ra St.Brown vs. S Andrew Amos. St .Brown was wide open.
In between the drives that resulted in the two turnovers, the ball slipped out of Goff's hand on a 3rd and 3 play. Goff recovered the fumble but the loss of yards on what's classified as a sack ended that drive. That led to Jack Fox having a terrific 56 yard punt, with great punt coverage by the Lions as well. ****
Goff’s final line: 26 of 36 passing for 246 yards, two touchdowns, one pick, one fumble and a passer rating of 97.7.
-- Mentioned Cephus a couple times already, but on another tough night for the Lions, he deserves one more mention. He came off the bench last week, and caught a touchdown pass during that furious comeback attempt against San Francisco, plus picked up a 2-point conversion. Then the Tyrell Williams (brain) injury forced him into the starting lineup in his return to Wisconsin -- where he starred for the Badgers -- and provided some early fireworks with that 46-yard catch to set up his 5-yard score. He finished with four catches for 63 yards, and now has a touchdown catch in each of his last three games dating back to last season. For a team dangerously thin at receiver, I think Cephus has earned more playing time even when Williams returns to the field.
**** Agreed. Bob Quinn made far too many drafting and overall personnel mistakes. To Quinn's credit, Cephus looks like a 5th Round bargain. His slow 40 time turned out to be a major break for the Lions and Quinn took advantage of the opportunity. ****
.........
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Packers preview: Game # 2 ( 2021 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1185/lions-packers-preview-game-2021
Instant observations: Season already swirling the drain after Detroit Lions shredded by Packers
Instant observations: Season already swirling the drain after Detroit Lions shredded by Packers
Updated: Sep. 21, 2021, 1:07 a.m. | Published: Sep. 20, 2021, 11:15 p.m.
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Dan Campbell era is two weeks old, and his back is already against the wall.
The Detroit Lions started fast in Green Bay, with Jared Goff throwing early touchdown passes to Quintez Cephus and T.J. Hockenson for an early 14-7 lead. But they came unglued during a decisive scoring run for the second consecutive week, getting outscored 28-3 over the final three quarters en route to a 35-17 loss on Monday night at Lambeau Field.
The Lions are now 0-2 on the young season, giving them a roughly 12% chance of making the playoffs based on NFL precedent since 1990. They’ve lost six straight games overall, dating to last December, and are just 1-12 against the NFC North since the start of the 2019 season. No, that is not a typo.
Detroit’s problems are well-documented, of course. That’s why the Quinntricia era was thrown in a dumpster behind their Allen Park training facility last November. Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell were hired to turn the page this offseason, and they said back then their goal was to unseat the Packers as the team to beat in the NFC North.
“I mean, let’s call it what it is,” Campbell said. “Those guys are finding ways to win, they’ve been successful, and I think that kind of starts there because it’s in the division, man. How do we get to where they’re at? That’s where we want to get, right?”
Yet Monday revealed just how far -- how very, very far -- they still have to go to close that gap.
**** The consensus opinion going into this season was the Lions are very, very far from closing the gap on the Packers. Last night's game was a reminder of this, nothing beyond this. The Lions exceeded my expectations in the first 2 1/ 2 QTRs of the game. Then, reality set in. That much more after another major injury setback at CB. ****
Goff actually started fast, connecting on 11 of his first 12 passes. That includes a beautiful 46-yarder up the left seam to Quintez Cephus on the game’s first drive, and then he capped the series with a 5-yard strike to a wide-open Cephus thanks to outstanding protection from his offensive line.
In the second quarter, Goff uncorked one of the best passes he’s thrown since his trade to the Lions back in January, an 8-yard bullet that caught T.J. Hockenson streaking through the back of the end zone in stride. Just like that, the Lions had a 14-7 lead that hushed a frenzied crowd on opening night at Lambeau Field. And with the way Goff was dealing -- 11 of 12 passing, 116 yards, two TDs -- it seemed Detroit just might be game for an upset.
Problem is, much like some of Matthew Stafford’s best days, Goff’s defense simply couldn’t keep pace.
**** Jared Goff was fantastic in the first half of the game and was still playing at a high level until the 4th and 1 incompletion to Quentez Cephus. After that, Goff made 3 costly mistakes and doubts about whether he's the Lions long term solution became a primary theme again.
The Lions Defense miscues, combined with Aaron Rodgers making 2 of the throws ( on the go ahead drive- opening drive of the 3rd QTR ) that will occur in the NFL in any season and Aaron Jones having a differential performance as a rusher and receiver, led to the Lions having very little margin of error. ****
Aaron Rodgers had his way with Detroit’s defense all night. It didn’t really matter so much in the first half because the Lions’ long scoring drives limited Rodgers to three series. But he found Aaron Jones with touchdown passes on two of those drives, then ran out of the tunnel for the second half and ripped off three more touchdown drives in a row.
Yes, that Aaron Rodgers. Who was twice as bad as any other starting quarterback in Week 1. Who was so bad, some were openly wondering whether he was actually trying to tank Green Bay’s season after their little drama over the offseason. Yeah, that guy -- who didn’t lead a single touchdown drive while getting benched against New Orleans in Week 1 -- led four straight touchdown drives against Detroit’s still-struggling defense (not including a knee to end the first half).
Rodgers’ quarterback rating was sub-40 against New Orleans. His passer rating would have been better if he would have thrown every single ball into the dirt, and that’s a fact. Then Detroit came to town, and he completed 22 of 27 passes for 255 yards, four touchdowns, no picks and a toasty passer rating of 145.6.
**** Aaron Rodgers is easily a top 10 All-Time NFL QB. That was on display last night The Saints game was a rare exception. ****
And with that, another Lions season is already swirling the drain heading into a Week 3 game against the Baltimore Ravens at Ford Field.
Let’s get to some observations:
-- Is it possible Alex Anzalone just isn’t a very good linebacker? He was OK in New Orleans, then signed with Detroit over the offseason and was immediately named a captain. That’s usually a pretty good sign. But Anzalone has really struggled to open the season, including blowing several run fits against Green Bay, then getting burned for a 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Robert Tonyan on the first drive of the second half. That gave the Packers a 21-17 lead early in the third quarter.
**** The TD pass and catch was very high level play by Aaron Rodgers and Robert Tonyan. Alex Anzalone's coverage on that play was at the very least decent. The mental mistakes and / or lack of instincts by Anzalone on several plays, + a missed tackle, are the plays that deserve criticism. Especially his bad technique when he got caught holding Tonyan on a 1st and 20 play. The officials marked the ball wrong on that play( 10 yards to the Lions 11 yard line, instead of 5 yards ). The TV announcers didn't notice it. The Lions coaches and players didn't seem to notice either. Dan Campbell can't let that happen again. ****
Then after the Packers were flagged for offensive holding on the ensuing drive deep in Lions territory, setting up a first-and-20, Anzalone was flagged for defensive holding. That, ladies and gentlemen, is an automatic first down. And two plays later, ladies and gentlemen, Aaron Jones was standing in the end zone with his third touchdown catch of the night. And that, ladies and gentlemen, gave the Packers a 28-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
**** I didn't notice Derrick Barnes at all on Defense in this game. I think the time is approaching that Barnes should either be starting at ILB or playing at least 1/ 3 of the Defensive snaps. Especially, after his strong play in the pre-season, Jamie Collins's play average at best ( it seems below average and the run and in coverage ) and Anzalone struggling ) ****
Against Aaron Rodgers, that was the ballgame.
-- The last Packers running back to catch three touchdowns in a game, by the way: Andy Uram in a game against the Chicago Cardinals in 1942. Just to give you a little perspective on where Detroit’s defense is at.
****The Lions were 0-11 in 1942. That was almost certainly the worst Lions team in history, as at least the 2008 Lions were in several games late in the contests. Every NFL team back then lost many players because of WWII. But the Lions were amongst the worst teams throughout the time the United States was in tbe war ****
-- With their defensive plight deepening, you have to wonder when Detroit might give young linebacker Derrick Barnes a look. The rookie out of Purdue was so good during the preseason, quick enough to sweep sideline to sideline and a strong, physical tackler too. He barely played in the opener. Then the defense was worse in Green Bay, and he still didn’t play more than a few spare snaps. With Anzalone and Jamie Collins really struggling to anchor the defense, to get downhill, to do much of anything at all, you have to wonder whether it’s already time to see what the Barnes kid can do. Because it certainly can’t be any worse than this.
****Agreed! ****
-- Rookie cornerback Ifeati Melinfonwu got the start for Jeff Okudah, and actually held up pretty well in the first half, including using his helmet to break up the first pass thrown his way. But disaster struck at the start of the second half, when Melifonwu injured his thigh while allowing a 50-yard bomb to Davante Adams on third-and-long. That gave the Packers a fresh set of downs at Detroit’s 25-yard line, and left Detroit dangerously thin at cornerback. With Okudah already out for the season, the Lions were forced to turn to Bobby Price, a former undrafted safety who just moved to cornerback a few weeks ago.
**** The throw by Aaron Rodgers on that play was tremendous. Ifeati Melinfonwu mistimed his reaction ( he was early ) but his positioning was good. It's very fortunate he suffered the injury that likely will keep him out for many games. Melinfonwu was aided by the Lions Safeties playing deep on the vast majority of plays but I was more than pleased with his performance. He's played well overall in games, after struggling in practice in the off-season and in the early half of training camp. ****
-- I saw general manager Brad Holmes smiling at the bratwurst station in the press box during halftime, and I can’t help but wonder whether that offensive line was front of mind. Because that offensive line was very, very good. Jared Goff had all day to throw in the first half, including on a 46-yard pass to Quintez Cephus on the first drive of the game, then had enough time to make himself a sandwich before finding Cephus running wide open in the end zone to cap off that drive with a 5-yard strike. Green Bay busted a coverage on that play, and Goff was able to find it because of the time he had to sit back and let the play develop.
**** Other than set of downs that led to the Lions only first half punt, I thought the Lions Offensive Line played at a very high level in the first half. ****
What a huge start that was Detroit, to get something good going after the slow start last week. It took some of the wind out of the Lambeau Field crowd as well, and helped set the tone for an excellent first half from the offense. And that excellence started up front.
Holmes could have gone a lot of different ways with the seventh overall pick, and Penei Sewell was among the leaders for the pick no matter who you asked. But with Taylor Decker out at least three games after undergoing finger surgery, the Sewell pick is paying bigger dividends than even Holmes could have imagined at that time. Because the Lions’ front was pretty good last week, and it was dominant throughout most of the night in Green Bay, even though they’re without one of the best left tackles in the game. When was the last time Detroit had this kind of depth up front? Has it ever?
**** The only significant negative for Penei Sewell in the first half was the holding penalty on a running play. This, following a false start by T.J. Hockenson ( who otherwise had another strong all around performance )****
-- Goff’s struggles are well-documented, from the last two years in Los Angeles to his rough few weeks in training camp and the conservative-to-a-fault approach while falling behind big in the opener. But he finished that game well, turned a 28-point deficit into a single-score game, then opened this one on fire too. That 46-yard pass to Cephus on the first series? We just haven’t seen much of that. That 8-yard touchdown pass to Hockenson in the second quarter? That’s as precise as a pitch-and-catch as you’ll see in the league so far this season. Those guys have worked so hard to develop their chemistry, and it’s already evident.
But Goff struggled to keep it going in the second half. He missed Cephus on a fourth-and-short pass to turn over the ball on downs, which led to a Green Bay touchdown. Then on his next series, he fumbled the exchange with center Frank Ragnow as the rains began to pour down, which led to another touchdown. That made it 35-17, and the game was basically over. And an interception with 3:25 left robbed him of another chance to make a crooked score look a little better in garbage time.
**** Packers Rookie CB Eric Stokes, who did a great job in man to man coverage in the game, had excellent coverage against Quintez Cephus on the play. The mistake that was made by either Goff or the coaches was Goff not taking advantage of the coverage matchup between. Amon-Ra St.Brown vs. S Andrew Amos. St .Brown was wide open.
In between the drives that resulted in the two turnovers, the ball slipped out of Goff's hand on a 3rd and 3 play. Goff recovered the fumble but the loss of yards on what's classified as a sack ended that drive. That led to Jack Fox having a terrific 56 yard punt, with great punt coverage by the Lions as well. ****
Goff’s final line: 26 of 36 passing for 246 yards, two touchdowns, one pick, one fumble and a passer rating of 97.7.
-- Mentioned Cephus a couple times already, but on another tough night for the Lions, he deserves one more mention. He came off the bench last week, and caught a touchdown pass during that furious comeback attempt against San Francisco, plus picked up a 2-point conversion. Then the Tyrell Williams (brain) injury forced him into the starting lineup in his return to Wisconsin -- where he starred for the Badgers -- and provided some early fireworks with that 46-yard catch to set up his 5-yard score. He finished with four catches for 63 yards, and now has a touchdown catch in each of his last three games dating back to last season. For a team dangerously thin at receiver, I think Cephus has earned more playing time even when Williams returns to the field.
**** Agreed. Bob Quinn made far too many drafting and overall personnel mistakes. To Quinn's credit, Cephus looks like a 5th Round bargain. His slow 40 time turned out to be a major break for the Lions and Quinn took advantage of the opportunity. ****
.........
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Packers preview: Game # 2 ( 2021 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1185/lions-packers-preview-game-2021
