LA Rams 28, Lions 19 : Game # 7 ( 2021 )

[D6]

Instant observations: Matthew Stafford, king of the fourth-quarter comeback, does it again in Lions homecoming

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Thoughts in ****


Instant observations: Matthew Stafford, king of the fourth-quarter comeback, does it again in Lions homecoming

Updated: Oct. 24, 2021, 9:27 p.m. | Published: Oct. 24, 2021, 7:22 p.m.




By Kyle Meinke | [e-mail]

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Matthew Stafford became the king of the fourth-quarter comeback in Detroit. Under Jim Caldwell, there wasn’t a quarterback in the league who led his team to more of them than that guy.


In his first game against his old team, that man did it again.

Stafford connected with Cooper Kupp on a go-ahead touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and finished with three touchdown passes overall in a 28-19 victory on Sunday against the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium. He’s now 6-1 in his first seven games of the post-Detroit era, and a veritable Super Bowl contender.

The Lions, well, aren’t.

They still haven’t won a game without Stafford in more than a decade. Heck, they still haven’t won a game of any kind in more than a year, period, dropping a league-worst 10 straight. They’re now 0-7 in the Dan Campbell era heading back home next week for a game against the Philadelphia Eagles, then a badly needed off week for the league’s worst team.

****The Lions have lost 11 straight games. ****

Of course, the worst team in the league hanging with one of the best is something almost no one saw coming. Detroit was one of the heaviest underdogs in the league in Week 7, at more than two touchdowns. Yet it hung around thanks to an almost unprecedented game plan from Dan Campbell.

After D’Andre Swift opened the game by taking a short pass 63 yards to the house, Campbell dialed up an unexpected onside kick. And it worked, with safety Tracy Walker diving on the football after it caromed off a Rams player. And when Detroit’s ensuing drive appeared to die, Campbell dug back into his bag of tricks for a daring fake punt on fourth-and-7.

All-Pro punter Jack Fox, a former high school quarterback, threw a perfect ball to defensive back Bobby Price that gained 17 yards. That led to an Austin Seibert field goal, and just like that, a team that hadn’t run a play with a lead all year suddenly held a 10-0 lead before Matthew Stafford even had a chance to run onto the field.

Of course, once that happened, Stafford showed why he’s been one of the five best quarterbacks in the league no matter how you measure it. He scored points on all three first-half possessions, including connecting with Van Johnson on an 11-yard touchdown pass, then Cooper Kupp on a 2-yard strike right before the half.

**** That should read, Van Jefferson. He's the son of Lions former WR Coach Shawn Jefferson.****

The Lions continued to hang around thanks in part to yet another iteration of trickeration. They ran a second fake punt to open the third quarter, this time dialing up a direct snap to C.J. Moore. The backup safety ran 28 yards before he was forced out of bounds up the left boundary. That led to a go-ahead field goal that made it 19-17 heading into the final quarter.

**** The success of the 3 trick plays on Special Teams gave the Lions a chance to pull off one of the largest upsets in NFL history. The Lions were unable to complete an improbable story. But to my surprise, the Lions had a chance to win the game barring an absolute football miracle until around a minute remaining in the game. It was a gutsy effort by the Lions on the road against a vastly superior team. ****

But nobody knows how much of a killer Stafford is in the fourth quarter quite like Detroit, and this time, the red-hot quarterback did it to his old team.

With rookie cornerback A.J. Parker out of the game due to a shoulder injury, Stafford went right at fill-in cornerback Daryl Worley for a 59-yard bomb to Kupp, then a 5-yard touchdown pass that pushed L.A. ahead for good at 25-19.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff tried to keep pace in his first trip back to Los Angeles, where he once led the Rams to a Super Bowl. But he fell out of favor the last two years because of too many turnovers -- committing more of them than any other player in the league the last two years -- and then was undone by yet another in his L.A. homecoming.

After driving 73 yards on 15 plays, Goff tried to force the football to T.J. Hockenson in the end zone with 4:53 left. But All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald hit him as he released the football, and All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey jumped the route for a back-breaking interception.

He threw another pick on the subsequent series, and that was that. Detroit made more of a game of it than anyone predicted, but it still wasn’t enough to stop the Matthew Stafford Show in Los Angeles.

****A.J. Parker had problems against Cooper Kupp but there was a clear downgrade with Daryl Worley. I hope the Lions move on from Worley and give someone else an opportunity.

Jonah Jackson got beat by Aaron Donald on the play in which Jalen Ramsey came down with an interception. I'm reluctant to criticize Jared Goff on that play. A sack or intentional grounding penalty would have put the Lions in 3rd and Long. Based on the situations in the game, I understand Goff attempted the throw. ****


****

Let’s get to some instant observations.

-- Matthew Stafford spent much of his pregame routine reuniting with his old team, including having a long chat with quarterback David Blough and receiver Tom Kennedy, then speaking for about 5 minutes with team president Rod Wood. After heading to the locker room to suit up, he returned to the field for pregame warmups, then took a few moments to run over and hug Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp. Stafford ended his 12 seasons in Detroit by asking Ford Hamp and Wood for a trade. After the new administration was in place, Detroit agreed to ship Stafford to Los Angeles for Goff and three draft picks, including two first-rounders. Now Stafford ranks among the five best quarterbacks in the league no matter how you measure it, and he killed the Lions on Sunday once he finally got to take the field. He completed 28 of 41 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead strike to Kupp in the fourth quarter. That was the 33rd fourth-quarter comeback of his career, 31 of which came in Detroit.

**** Matthew Stafford deserves plenty of credit for the LA Rams comeback win. He also benefited greatly from his supporting cast on both sides of the ball and the officials not calling Offense Pass Interference even once ( there were a few passing plays that a solid case can be made that Offensive P.I. could have been called. Yet, Lions CB Jerry Jacobs got called from Defensive P.I. at catch point, when the call didn't appear to be justified. ****


-- The only reason the Lions were even in this game, against a team better everywhere on the field and especially at quarterback, was Dan Campbell’s outrageous temerity. No one saw the onside kick coming. Then they faked the punt, and Detroit -- which hadn’t led all season -- led 10-0 before Matthew Stafford even had a chance to touch the football. That’s a bold strategy, and a bold, out-of-the-box game plan is the only way Detroit’s decimated roster was going to hang against a Super Bowl contender. And then he faked another punt in the third quarter, moving into position for yet another score.

But this is where Campbell’s daring ways went awry. On fourth-and-1, Campbell once again preferred to go for it rather than kick a field goal while trailing 17-16. There’s no problem with that strategy -- field goals weren’t going to win this game against a red-hot Matthew Stafford -- although the playcall was bewildering. Detroit elected to go with a run up the middle out of a no-huddle look, even though D’Andre Swift was on the field (instead of power back Jamaal Williams) and backup center Evan Brown was on the field against L.A.’s talented defensive front (instead of Pro Bowler Frank Ragnow). The play was blown up, and Detroit forfeited the opportunity to take a lead.

**** I agree that the specific 4th and 1 call was a mistake. In general, I would have preferred the Lions to go for the FG. The 3 points would have put the Lions back ahead and given the Lions a little more margin of error. ****

-- Julian Okwara is surging for the Lions defense, and he helped keep momentum on Detroit’s side after the failed fourth-down attempt. When Los Angeles decided to go for it on a fourth-and-1 of its own on the ensuing drive, Okwara busted through the line and got a finger on Stafford’s pass. Okwara also racked up his second sack in as many weeks, and forced Stafford into a fumble as well. Not bad from a guy who never had a sack as a rookie last season, then opened this season as a healthy scratch. He’s coming on strong. And with Romeo Okwara out for the year and Trey Flowers banged up once again, his sudden rise is helping to hold together this defense.

****IMHO, Julian Okwara has the most natural ability of any of the Lions edge players in the Defensive Front 7 ( including his brother, from a pre-injury standpoint ) He might even have the most talent of any Lions player on the Lions Defense. It remains to be seen if Julian Okwara ascends to one of the top edge players in the NFL. But there's big time upside potential with him. ****

-- Trey Flowers’ tough season hit another snag, leaving the Rams game in the third quarter with another knee injury. Flowers already missed two games with another knee injury and has been limited at every single practice of the season. He’s been a strong all-around player, but just not the difference-maker he was signed -- and very much paid -- to be. The Lions are going to face a tough dilemma next offseason on whether to keep Flowers around on a bloated contract, or cut him and save more than $10 million (but lose one of their better defensive players in the process).

**** Trey Flowers came back into the game.

If the Lions trade or release Trey Flowers, replacing his skill set won't be easy. ****

-- Detroit’s defensive issues deepened later in the second half when rookie cornerback A.J. Parker went down with an injury of his own. With Jeff Okudah and Ifeati Melifonwu already on injured reserve, the Lions had to reach deep onto their bench and play the recently signed Daryl Worley. And Stafford immediately picked on him for a 59-yard pass to Cooper Kupp on third-and-12, then a 5-yard touchdown pass that gave Los Angeles the lead.

**** Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford took advantage of the Lions misfortune, which is what any good HC and QB would do. ****

-- Once again, D’Andre Swift was the best player on the field for Detroit. He opened the game by taking a short pass from Goff, then weaving through traffic for a 63-yard touchdown. That’s a huge play for a team that hadn’t played with a lead all year, in part because they hadn’t scored a first-half touchdown since Week 2, and just six first-half points of any kind in the last month. So Detroit built some early momentum in L.A., then used all those trick plays to take a quick 10-0 lead and hang around all day against one of the best teams in the league. Swift was also terrific down the stretch, including an 11-yard run on third-and-11 with the Lions trailing by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Alas, Goff threw two picks and Detroit came up short once again.

****D'Andre Swift had a strong overall performance. Yet, he probably should have caught the pass that deflected off his hands resulting Goff's 2nd interception and the end of any remote chance at an improbable comeback win. ****

-- After the Lions lost a sixth straight game last week, and doing so in uglier fashion than all of the others, Dan Campbell promised to consider changes to the lineup. In the end, he made almost none. Receiver KhaDarel Hodge was benched in favor of Geronimo Allison, who was recently signed off the practice squad, a pretty good sign it was Hodge blowing all those assignments last week against Cincinnati. Veteran safety Dean Marlowe also was a healthy scratch, as Detroit opted to go with practice-squader Jalen Eliott as the backup safety instead. But that’s it.

****Jalen Elliott made a key block on D.J. Moore's 28 yard fake punt run for a 1st Down.

I'm not assuming KhaDarel Hodge was blowing multiple assignments against Cincinnati. ****

-- Cooper Kupp tore up the Lions all day no matter who was on him, finishing with 10 catches (on 13 targets) for 156 yards and two touchdowns. That connection has been so good all season. In fact, historically good. In his first seven games since the Stafford trade, Kupp has more than 800 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. The number of players with 800/9 in his first seven games of a season: None. You can bet that guy is happy Jared Goff is long gone, because he’s eating up the league like no one ever has before to start a season.

**** The Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp tandem is Pro Bowl caliber. Stafford also has good chemistry with WRs Robert Woods and Van Jefferson. ****

-- The Lions have elected to overnight in the Los Angeles area rather than take a late flight back home. The strategy is to keep the players’ sleep cycle consistent before catching a late-morning flight back to Detroit.

**** It makes sense. A 3 time zone red eye flight can take it's toll. ****

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This thread is a continuation of the following thread:

Lions at. LA Rams preview : Game # 7 ( 2021 )

detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1228/lions-rams-preview-game-2021

[D6]

Inside the locker room: Jared Goff relishes pregame reunions but downplays L.A. homecoming as ‘any other game’

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The very long 4th QTR drive by the Lions that resulted in Jalen Ramsey's interception is yet another example of the Lions struggles to get large chunk plays caught up to the team. The longer a drive goes, the more likely something will go wrong that will directly end the drive without points or indirectly lead to a drive failing.

[D6]

Detroit fans well-represented in Los Angeles for Lions vs. Rams

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The Lions have a great fan base. For a team that hasn't won a game this season and the Lions overall track record in the Super Bowl being worse than every other team, it's nothing short of amazing how much support the Lions have.

[D6]

Why Detroit Lions' D'Andre Swift is 'a stud, can't get him the ball enough'
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The loss of Frank Ragnow has greatly limited the Lions running game. Evan Brown is a try hard intelligent Center who isn't physically capable of providing the power and movement skills that Frank Ragnow brings to the table when relatively healthy. As much impact D'Andre Swift is making in the passing game, I think he would be a top 10 rushing performer if the Lions had all of the expected pieces on Offense, with a legit # 1 WR.

Jonah Jackson is far too inconsistent. At times, including yesterday's game, he looks like one of the best LGs in the NFL. But the opposite is also the case in some games. Getting beat by Aaron Donald in a one on one situation seems inevitable. Yet, there are mistakes that Jackson makes against far lesser opposition that shouldn't happen.

Playing with a rookie LT ( Penei Sewell played well for the most part yesterday ) probably is a factor in much of Jackson's inconsistencies. Jackson did play one of his most consistent games this season, despite the one play that might have been the difference in the outcome of the game. He needs to follow this up, minus the negative impact play, against the Eagles and in every game after that.

Amon-Ra St.Brown was a decoy on at least one successful pass in the middle of the field, when St. Brown motioned in the backfield to the outside left. I'm not sure why St. Brown didn't get receiving opportunities beyond plays that he wasn't open.

[frenchylions]

I really enjoyed this game, Campbell and his assistants had decided they could not win this game based on conventional plays ... so they went "unconventional" and I liked it !!

This loss looks like a small "moral" victory for the Lions !

[D6]

Well stated.

Other than on Special Teams, the Lions were at an enormous disadvantage regarding the respective teams on the field. The LA Rams had to work much harder for the win than the vast majority of people that follow the NFL ( including me ) expected .

How the Lions respond at home against an Eagles team that is no where near the level of the Rams will indicate to me whether the Lions as a team benefited from the team effort and approach yesterday.

[D6]

3 things we learned: Lions LT Penei Sewell has been outstanding in the face of adversity

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Other than one or edge rush pressures, I thought this was a very good performance by Penei Sewell. It seemed like his best game since at least the MNF game in Green Bay.

Alex Anzalone had a strong game and JRM rebounded from a long afternoon vs. Cincinnati with a much better game at the LA Rams.

The Lions need to get the headset situation rectified. It can't be stated enough that the Lions margin of error is extremely low.

[D6]

Justin Rogers’ Detroit Lions grades: Special teams shine in defeat

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The missed blocks by Brock Wright, combined with only one WR producing as a receiver should bring down the WR/ TE grade at least to a C. Probably slightly lower.

I would give the Lions Offensive Line slightly higher than a C but not as high as a C+.

Beyond Brock Wright's run blocking struggles on 3 key plays, I don't think the Lions overall run blocking was good enough based on the LA Rams playing both Safeties deeper more often than typically has been the case with the Lions this season. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, the Lions are greatly missing the impact in the running game that Frank Ragnow usually provided before going down with a season ending injury.

There were also too many times that the Rams got pressure on Jared Goff ( including the two sacks ) in big spots. Matt Nelson is a backup caliber RT who has been called upon to start all 7 games. It caught up to the Lions again, in the loss to the Rams. Especially, in the passing game.

An A+ signifies close to perfection. It wasn't Jack Fox's best game as a Punter. An 'A' grade, if A+ is the highest possible grade, would be my grade for the Lions Special Teams in this game.

[D6]

Four Downs: Jared Goff doesn’t have enough to overcome Lions’ roster deficiencies

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Again, it didn't look lime Jared Goff could have avoided a bad result on the play that resulted in Jalen Ramsey's interception. A sack or intentional grounding penalty much more likely than not would have put the Lions in 3rd Down and close to 20 yards to go. In such tight quarters deep in LA Rams penalty, it's hard picture this Lions Offense scoring a TD or moving the chains, barring a huge mistake by the Rams. Unless Dan Campbell would have decided for the Lions to attempt a FG to cut the Rams lead to 3 points, Goff likely didn't cost the Lions points as a result Of the interception.

[D6]

Snap counts: Detroit Lions continue to tinker with rotations at wide receiver, safety in Week 7

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I'm far from convinced that Kalif Raymond will be able to produce on a consistent basis like he did in this game. Having said that, the Lions have reached the point at WR that the team can't afford for Raymond to miss a game or even be significantly limited on the field.

This game was the first opportunity for Jashon Cornell. I hope the Lions give him more than 4 snaps in the each of the games ahead. He made his presence felt on at least one play.

Godwin Igwebuike and Josh Woods continue to impress on Special Teams Coverage.

[D6]

Stock up, stock down from the Lions loss to the Rams

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The Lions only TD in the game was the 63 yard reception to D'Andre Swift.

Austin Seibert has done a great job. He overcame a bout with COVID-19 and hasn't missed a beat.

I understand why Jerry Jacobs is on the Stock Down list, though I don't agree. Good execution by Matthew Stafford and co. Granted, Jacobs' timing on some plays could have been better. Yet, it's more of a game that Jacobs can build on.