Post by D6 on Oct 4, 2021 0:14:00 GMT -5
Instant observations: Failed fourth-down tries doom another Detroit Lions comeback bid in Chicago
Thoughts in ****
Instant observations: Failed fourth-down tries doom another Detroit Lions comeback bid in Chicago
Updated: 5:20 p.m. | Published: 4:09 p.m.
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears in Week 4
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
CHICAGO -- Jared Goff doesn’t like to say much to reporters. But when he took the podium last Sunday, just minutes after the Detroit Lions were beaten in extraordinary fashion, the quarterback clearly had something to say. Because one question in, he went on at length about how it was the biggest gut punch he’s ever taken in his career.
Then he made a very bold promise.
“All I’m saying is we will remain true,” Goff said. “We will remain resilient. And the gut punches will stop.”
Then he hopped on a plane across Lake Michigan, and took another punch to the gut in a 24-14 loss on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. The Lions (0-4) are one of just two winless teams left and have lost eight straight games overall, the second-worst skid in the league. Only the Jaguars have lost more games consecutively.
The Chicago Bears (2-2) have struggled this year too, and managed just 47 yards in an ugly loss last week against the Cleveland Browns. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields completed just six passes in that game, took nine sacks and net just 1 yard passing in his first NFL start.
But Fields got another start against Detroit, with Andy Dalton still out with a bone bruise in his left knee, and ripped the Lions throughout the first half. He completed his first four passes for 93 yards, led touchdown drives on each of his first two series, and buried Detroit in a 21-0 hole with another long touchdown drive to open the second half.
He finished 12 of 18 passing for 215 yards, a dismal effort for the Lions against a rookie quarterback who looked lost just a week ago.
The Lions have only themselves to blame for their 21-0 hole too, after scoring zero points on four trips inside Chicago’s 10-yard line, including three in the first half. Jared Goff lost a fumble, had a Frank Ragnow shotgun snap bounce off him and back across the line of scrimmage into the hands of a defensive lineman -- a play that almost has to be seen to be believed -- plus a failed fourth-down attempt from the 5-yard line in the second quarter.
Detroit did manage to claw its way back into the game, sort of, kind of, just like it did in losses against San Francisco and Baltimore. Goff connected with Kalif Raymond on a nifty 4-yard touchdown pass at the end of the third quarter, then did it again from 25 yards in the fourth. That made it 24-14 with more than 11 minutes to play, plenty of time to come all the way back.
Goff kept things going on his next series, hitting Raymond with a 16-yard pass and rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown with a couple others, including on a fourth-down play. But facing another fourth-and-1 from Chicago’s 8-yard line, head coach Dan Campbell decided to go for it once again rather than kick the field goal and make it a one-possession game with more than 4 minutes to go. Goff’s pass to St. Brown sailed wide, Chicago took over and the Lions never threatened again.
That’s four trips inside the 10-yard line that scored zero points.
They’re one of just winless teams left, and have only themselves to blame.
**** Even before the Lions lost Frank Ragnow for the foreseeable future and Romeo Okwara for probably the season, the Lions were down 7-0, turned the ball over on the snap miscommunication mentioned in the article, and Justin Fields connected two plays later on 2nd and 11 from his own 10 yd line on a 64 yd. reception to WR Darnell Mooney, on a busted coverage ( likely by Bobby Price again. That was the play Romeo Okwara was injured on. ( There was nothing visual on the Fox TV telecast of the game that even indicated Okwara was injured). The Lions already put themselves in a hole. Then played without arguably the best Offensive player on the team and the best Defensive player. The effort in getting back into the game after the score was 21-0 was a positive. The Lions showed heart. But the combination of the cumulative key injuries, too many mental mistakes, a highly questionable decision to go for a 1st Down ( 2nd time in the game ) on 4tn Down when in short FG range, and the high quality of the Bears front 7 on Defense, all combined to prevent the Lions from getting closer than the final score of 24-14. ****
Let’s get to some observations:
-- Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow (toe) and edge rusher Romeo Okwara (ankle) left the game with injuries just moments apart in the second quarter. That’s perhaps the team’s best players on both side of the ball, gone from the game at almost the same time, a huge loss in a tough divisional game. Evan Brown replaced Ragnow at center, while Charles Harris and Austin Bryant spent most of the day replacing Okwara and Trey Flowers. Harris continued to produce too, notching his third sack in as many weeks and separating Justin Fields from the football. Chicago recovered, but was forced to punt, setting up the tighter-than-expected finish.
So just to recap, the Lions finished this game without their Pro Bowl center, their top left tackle, their top two edge rushers, their No. 1 receiver, their top cornerback, their top cornerback’s replacement, none of which includes what happened to Jamie Collins or the benching of Will Harris or the benching of Bobby Price. Oof.
**** I'm optimistic the Lions will continue to battle. But this team has already lost many key players. Some that won't be coming back this season and might never regain their pre-injury abilities. My prediction of the Lions even going 5-12 didn't include an extensive major injury list to so many key players ( though I did factor in Taylor Decker's injury since it occurred before the start of the season.). The Lions are clearly now the favorite for the # 1 pick in 2022. A 0 to 2 win season currently seems more likely than getting to 5 wins ( or even 4 wins ) this season. ****
-- Much will be made of Dan Campbell’s decision to go for it on fourth down inside Chicago’s 10-yard line twice, including while trailing by just 10 points in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. A field goal would have made it a one-possession game. I try to avoid second-guessing playcalling, because calling plays is hard and second-guessing them is just too easy with the benefit of hindsight. But even in the moment, it seemed obvious Detroit should take the points, make it a one-possession game for the first time since the first play of the second quarter, and run a defense out there that was picking up momentum. Instead, Campbell opted for a quick throw out of the no-huddle. Jared Goff through wide of Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Detroit was basically out of the game.
**** I think the negative impact of Frank Ragnow's injury made it noticeably more difficult on 3rd and short and 4th and short situations. The Lions used spread passing formations. With an Offensive Line and( RB D'Andre Swift) that struggled to pass protect, the risk of going for a 1st Down on 4th Down, when a short FG was a viable option, was probably too high. ****
As for the first decision to go for it on fourth down, way back in the second quarter, I didn’t mind the decision. The Lions were already 0-3, they’ve struggled to score for long stretches in every game this season, and they already trailed Chicago 14-0 at the time. So I get it, because I don’t know how much three points would have helped a team that just can’t score period. The play didn’t work, of course -- Goff missed D’Andre Swift in the end zone -- but the defense got a quick stop and Detroit still got another possession moments later at the 45-yard line.
**** In addition not having Frank Ragnow in the middle of the line ( Evan Brown played relatively well but the drop-off from Ragnow was evident ), going for it on 4th and Goal from the 5 was too risky. If it was 4th and 3, or closer, I would have been comfortable with the decision. A deflected pass by Bears LB Alec Ogletree probably prevented a TD. But when it's 4th and 5, comparable to noticeably shorter, a completion into the end zone is significantly more difficult. Yes, the Lions did force the Bears to Punt without giving up a 1st Down( that didn't happen on the possession after the fumble on the snap miscommunication. ). But the Lions ended up turning the ball over after Edge Rusher Robert Quinn beat Penei Sewell off the outside edge, striping the ball from Goff. I don't blame Goff for that play. Sewell had a long afternoon. Growing pains were inevitable. They were abundant in this game, with Sewell and many other Lions players, and Dan Campbell.****
-- Will Harris has got to go. Hot take over a bad game, you say? Hell, no. There were people across the league that were shocked -- shocked -- that Bob Quinn took him in the third round in the 2019 draft. Then Harris showed up in Allen Park, was promoted to the starting lineup as a rookie after the Quandre Diggs trade, and was one of the worst safeties in the league. A year later, in 2020, he won the starting job coming out of training camp -- then was so bad that he was benched just two games into the season and finished as one of the worst safeties in the league.
Which brings us back ‘round to this year. And it’s been more of the same. He was the second-worst safety in the entire league heading into Sunday’s games, according to ProFootballFocus. Then he allowed a 64-yard pass by Justin Fields in the second quarter -- yes, the same Justin Fields who threw for 68 yards all last week -- before taking another bad path to Fields on a third-down play just moments later. Fields moved the chains, before David Montgomery ran over -- you guessed it -- Will Harris on his way into the end zone to extend Chicago’s lead to 14-0. Harris was benched after that, replaced by Daryl Worley and then Dean Marlowe, before eventually making his way back onto the field midway through the third quarter. Perhaps it’s time to make that benching permanent.
**** I'm going to assume that the 64 yard pass wasn't Will Harris' fault unless evidence proves otherwise. However, the other plays mentioned were poor plays by Harris. The bad angle on the 3rd Down escape run by Justin Fields was very damaging to the Lions.
Dean Marlowe and Daryl Worley also missed at least one tackle they should have made. Tracy Walker was the Lions only Safety who I thought played well in this game and likely the only one who could be a long term solution on the current roster. Marlowe probably is the best ( relatively speaking ) stopgap option on the roster, opposite Walker. ****
-- Cornerback Bobby Price was also benched against Chicago, getting the hook after he allowed Darnell Mooney to get behind him for a 32-yard catch deep in the red zone to open the third quarter. That led to another touchdown that made it 21-0, a score that seemed too much for this team to overcome, and proved to be so.
**** Bobby Price shows plenty of potential at times but is extremely inconsistent. Price is in a difficult spot, being that he began Training Camp as a Safety. Ideally, he would exclusively on Special Teams this season when games haven't been decided. The Lions options are limited after losing to injury the 2 CBs that were ahead of Price on the depth chart as LCB options. ****
-- The Lions finally got on the board late in the third quarter, with Jared Goff hooking up with Kalif Raymond on a 4-yard touchdown pass that drew Detroit within 21-7. Then they got together again for another score in the fourth quarter, a 25-yard rip up the right seam. And Raymond was open for a third touchdown, but Goff overshot him.
**** The play Jared Goff overshot Kalif Raymond was earlier in the game. Raymond didn't catch a deep ball in the red zone that he should have on the drive the Lions failed on 4tb and 1 ( never getting the ball back for multiple reasons and mistakes. ). Goff overthrew Amon-Ra St. Brown on a deep pass in the 4tb QTR that would have at the very least given the Lions the ball around the Bears 10 yd. line. Missed opportunities were plentiful for the Lions. ****
Raymond’s big day shouldn’t be surprising. Detroit’s receivers have been awful this year -- I double-dog dare you to find another set of receivers who have done less this season -- but Raymond has played pretty well. That guy never had more than nine catches in his first five seasons in the league. Through four games with Detroit, he now has 14 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns. That might not seem like much, but for a team that has gotten two quarters out of one of its outside receivers (Tyrell Williams) and cut the other one coming out of camp (Breshad Perriman), Raymond’s performance stands out. And his numbersd would be even better if Goff did a better job hitting him in stride, because Raymond is probably Detroit’s most explosive athlete not named D’Andre Swift.
****Quintez Cephus is the Lions WR through 4 games who I believe has been the best and most consistent WR on the team. Cephus doesn't have great ability but he brings energy and feel ( instinct ) that is much needed at WR. ****
-- Penei Sewell’s play drifted off at left tackle last week. This might have been his worst game yet. He was beaten cleanly by Robert Quinn off the edge in the second quarter, and Quinn got a full head of steam before separating Jared Goff from the football, the third time Detroit failed to score inside the 10-yard line in the first half alone. Sewell also was flagged for a false start, just a couple days after he was talking about the need to clean up the dead-play penalties, then allowed another sack in the fourth quarter.
Chicago’s front seven is among the best in the league, so you’d expect some struggles from a rookie. Then again, it was another reminder that Penei Sewell is indeed a rookie. There’s a reason Detroit prefers him on the right side, and he’ll likely play him there whenever Taylor Decker returns, which could happen as soon as next week.
**** Until this game, I thought that Sewell AND the Lions would benefit the remainder of the season, if he remained on the Left Side for the rest of the season. Now I feel differently. The Lions need Taylor Decker back to help try to stop the bleeding on Goff's blind side. Matt Nelson wasn't stellar as a pass blocker in this game and like Sewell, got needed help at times. But compared to Sewell, Nelson was far less a liability as a pass blocker.
Nelson's ability in apace ( Frenchy mentioned this a few days ago, regarding Nelson's pulling ability ) was a major asset on at least 3 passes in Chicago. Including, two in the 4th QTR. ****
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Bears preview: Game # 4 ( 2021 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1202/lions-bears-preview-game-2021
