Post by D6 on Jan 3, 2022 3:31:02 GMT -5
Thoughts in ****
Instant observations: Detroit Lions secure top-two NFL draft pick with 51-29 drubbing in Seattle
Instant observations: Detroit Lions secure top-two NFL draft pick with 51-29 drubbing in Seattle
Updated: Jan. 02, 2022, 9:14 p.m. | Published: Jan. 02, 2022, 7:49 p.m.
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
SEATTLE -- Amon St. Brown accounted for two more touchdowns, while Taylor Decker added one of his own -- yes, left tackle Taylor Decker -- and the Detroit Lions secured a top-two pick in this year’s NFL draft.
Other than that, there wasn’t much to feel good about in a 51-29 bloodletting on Sunday afternoon against the Seattle Seahawks. That’s the most points the Lions have allowed since 2017. And it could have been even worse had the Seahawks not taken a knee at the 1-yard line to end the game. Had Seattle punched that in instead, Detroit would have allowed its most points since 1968.
**** Good job by Pete Carroll not attempting to go for the TD at the Lions 1 yard line when the Lions couldn't stop the clock. The Lions host the Seahawks next season. Carroll sees the big picture, even if it turns out that he's no longer Seahawks HC, ****
Either way, some really bad stuff. The Lions have now lost two straight games without Jared Goff, who is sidelined by a knee injury, dropping them to 2-13-1 heading back home for their season finale next week against the Green Bay Packers.
**** A better than expected performance by the Lions passing game. The Lions Kickoff Return unit did well. Otherwise, every other facet of the game was worse than I expected or along the lines of what I expected. ****
No matter what happens in that game, the Lions are assured of picking no later than second in the draft. They haven’t picked that highly since taking Ndamukong Suh second overall in 2010. They’ve actually had quite a bit of luck with that pick, also taking Calvin Johnson in the 2-hole in 2007. Suh and Johnson went on to become the best defensive tackle and wide receiver in team history, respectively, and Johnson has already been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
**** The Packers clinched the NFC # 1 seed with their win over the Vikings on SNF. Any Packers player who even has a minor injury likely will be kept out of the game. Time will tell if the Lions beat a Packers team with numerous backups playing, instead of many key starters. But the value of a win over a Packers team that will very likely be resting many key players (at most some would play part of the game) is far less than if the Packers had something to play for regarding playoff seeding. ****
The Lions could still climb back to the No. 1 spot, where they spent most of the season, although that requires a win by Jacksonville against Indianapolis next weekend. And considering the Jaguars have lost eight games in a row, including a 50-10 drubbing against New England on Sunday, counting on that team to do anything against anybody seems perilous, much less against a team like the Colts, which is fighting for its playoff life.
**** Very unexpected results have happened in the final weekend of some previous NFL seasons. But unless the Colts COVID-19 situation worsens immensely, compared to their current situation, the Colts chances of winning their game in Jacksonville this coming Sunday is probably at least 98 %. ****
Detroit has been mathematically eliminated from that conversation for more than a month, although the emergence of St. Brown in the interim has become one of the year’s best developments. He caught more passes in the last month than everyone in the league except Cooper Kupp, and only three wide receivers had more yards than him.
**** Amon-St. Brown was one of not many Lions bright spots in the loss to the Seahawks. St. Brown is my choice for Lions Rookie of the Year AND Lions Offensive Player of the Year! ****
On Sunday, his roll continued with another eight catches for 111 yards, both team highs. He caught one touchdown (from 7 yards), plus ran for another (from 26 yards). He’s the first Lions wide receiver to run for a score since Calvin Johnson’s rookie season in 2007. And just for good measure, he added a 2-point conversion on the ground as well.
**** When adding Amon-St. Brown's blocking to the overall equation, the Hines Ward comparisons, in terms of the direction of the way St. Brown's career is going, is justified. ****
St. Brown is now officially the most productive Day 3 wide receiver in NFL history. Taken with the 112th overall pick, he has set the NFL record for most catches by any rookie taken after the third round.
**** Tremendous accomplishment. That much more when considering the overall season for the Lions Offense through 16 games. ****
Decker also added a touchdown catch in the third quarter, the second of his career. That’s a Lions record by an offensive lineman, and it cut Seattle’s lead to 38-22 late in the third quarter.
**** The first was against the LA Rams in December, 2018, when Jared Goff and Josh Reynolds were on the opposite sideline. This wasn't a good day for Taylor Decker as a run blocker, but his play blocking and TD catch were major positives in the context of a one sided loss. ****
But Boyle couldn’t keep it together, completing just four passes in the first half after the opening series and moving the chains just four times. Then he opened the second half with a back-breaking interception that led to yet another Seattle touchdown, then threw two more before the day was up.
**** For much of the game, Tim Boyle looked like a much better QB than his previous 2 games. Until the last interception, I would have given Boyle at least an average grade ( C ), with a C+ seriously considered. ****
Oh, right. The defense. That was the much bigger problem.
**** It definitely was in this game. I expected the Lions to have major problems matching up with Russell Wilson throwing to WRs D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. I didn't expect the Lions run Defense to struggle mightily against the Seahawks Running Game. This was even with the Lions putting an extra Defender in or near the box a substantial % of the time. ****
After opening the game with a three-and-out, the Seahawks scored on nine straight drives, a run that didn’t end until that knee at the goal line to end the game. And six of those scores were touchdowns, four of which were thrown by Russell Wilson, one of which was a floater to D.K. Metcalf that he got off just before Dean Marlowe got home. But Wilson put so much air under the football that Metcalf was able to run under it, and away from Will Harris for the score.
**** The floater to D.K. Metcalf was a tremendous throw by Russell Wilson! He needed to throw the ball before Metcalf completed his double move on Will Harris. With heavy pressure coming. It's evident that the pair practiced this type of play in the days leading up to the game. ****
If this was the final home game for Russell Wilson in Seattle, what a sendoff it was.
**** If Russell Wilson is traded from the Seahawks, I hope it's to an AFC Team.****
The Lions also had no plan for running back Rashaad Penny -- not a functional one anyway -- as Penny ran for 144 yards in the first half and finished with 170 yards on 25 carries. He scored twice as well.
**** The tackling against Rashaad Penny was horrible. Assignment mistakes (or lack of discipline) were also problematic too often, especially against Penny as a rusher. ****
Let’s get to some more instant observations:
-- Daring Dan Campbell went for it on fourth down another two times in Seattle, bringing his season total to 38. That’s just one off the single-season record set by the New England Patriots in 1995. I actually asked Campbell this week about why he’s gone for it so much. His response: “When you feel like you have trust in your players or in the play or where the game is at, I don’t know, it feels right. And so I want to do it. I think you’ve got to feel good about your players and the plan, and if you do, I think you go for it. I want to send a message that we’re playing to win, and we’re not playing to lose. There is a time to be conservative and there is a time to be aggressive. And so it’s just I think a little more in my nature to roll the dice, if you will. But I still feel like it’s a calculated risk.”
**** I agreed with the decision to go for the first down on 4th and 1 situation. Not getting the 1st Down was very costly in the context of the game. But a 47 Yard FG was far from a given in on and off rainy conditions. Even with numerous players out on Offense because of COVID-19 testing or injury, getting at least a yard in that situation should be the expectation. ****
Obviously the state of the roster has played a big role in Campbell’s aggressiveness. He has to find an edge somewhere, and he’s found it in the analytics. In fact, according to the analytics, no head coach has improved his winning percentage more on fourth down this season than Dan Campbell. Of course, once the roster improves, it’ll be interesting to see whether Campbell intends to continue playing those odds or if he’ll become more traditional (i.e. conservative) with his decision-making. I asked Campbell that too. His response: “I would like to believe the aggressive nature will stay. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will show up on fourth downs all of the time. That can show up on first and second down on some different things that we do. But I think, there again, if the timing is right and it’s one of those things that you really feel strongly about with your players and the play, the schemes, yeah, you d
**** I believe in future seasons, Dan Campbell won't be as aggressive as he was in most games this season. How much less aggressive is more difficult to predict.****
-- Let’s talk about Amon-Ra St. Brown, shall we? The rookie had to hear 111 names called before his in the draft, 16 of whom played his position. Then he showed up for his first day of work in Allen Park over the summer, and just looked like he belonged right away. Then the pads came on in training camp, and he immediately brawled with a defensive back on Day 1. A couple days later, he threw a punch at former first-round pick Jeff Okudah. As the 112th overall pick in this year’s draft.
Clearly that kid isn’t afraid of anything or anyone. That attitude was a big reason why the Lions were targeting him heading into the final day of the draft. But as this season has progressed, he’s become so much more than just an enforcer. He isn’t the fastest and he’s certainly not the biggest, but he still gains separation with precision route-running. And over the last five weeks, he’s caught footballs on pace with nearly anyone in the league. When you consider how many injuries have befallen starters around him, including at quarterback the last two weeks, and yet he’s continued to produce, it’s pretty amazing. He ran for one touchdown, caught another, and even ran for a 2-point conversion attempt for good measure.
This season has been so tough in so many ways, but I’ll be damned if the Lions haven’t stubbed their toe on a real solution at slot receiver. They still have a lot of work to do on offense, including at wide receiver and even quarterback. But it sure looks like they’ve mined one of the biggest draft-day steals of the year in the slot.
**** Brad Holmes and everyone in the Lions organization heavily involved in the Lions drafting Amon-Ra St. Brown with pick # 112 in Round 4 of the 2021 Draft, did a terrific job! ****
-- Running back D’Andre Swift came off the bench in his long-awaited return from the shoulder injury that he suffered on Thanksgiving. Jamaal Williams earned the start in the backfield instead, while Craig Reynolds got the first carry. Swift did turn his second carry into 31 yards, but gained just 1 yards on his other three rushes combined.
**** The run blocking in this game on most plays (the 31 yard gain play by D'Andre Swift was an exception) wasn't good. ****
It might seem strange to see a valued asset like Swift return so late in a season that’s been so lost for ages, but he’s also missed a lot of time in his first two seasons in the league -- including seven games, along with most of both training camps -- and the coaching staff viewed these last two games as a nice development opportunity. That’s especially true as a pass-catcher, where Swift still has a lot of growing to do with understanding coverages. He finished with two catches on three targets for 7 yards against Seattle.
**** Because the Lions used D'Andre Swift far less than in the two games before his Shoulder Injury on Thanksgiving Day, I'm comfortable with Swift playing. ****
-- The Lions not only led the league in pre-snap penalties heading into the weekend (45), but the difference between them and anybody else was the same as the difference between the next 15 teams combined. That’s just unbelievably bad. Unless, of course, you’ve spent any time whatsoever watching the Lions this season. And then it’s totally believable, because those flags have popped up nearly every week. They’ve popped up at least five times on fourth down alone, forcing Detroit to settle for punts instead of going for it on fourth-and-short.
**** In this game, the penalty was on G Parker Ehinger, who was used as an extra Offensive Lineman on the play. Ehinger was a Practice Squad call-up for the game. The Lions had to depend on a number of players who aren't even on the 53 man roster. Or were recent additions because of injury. This was a huge reason why the Lions weren't in the game in the final few minutes. The Lions overcame that penalty. But the Lions didn't overcome the run blocking difficulties of TE Jared Pinkney against LB Jordyn Brooks. ****
You probably see where this is going. On Sunday, those pre-snap penalties popped up again, most notably when tight end Parker Ehinger jumped early on third-and-goal in the third quarter. That wiped out a would-be touchdown, and forced Detroit into a third-and-goal from the 7-yard line while already trailing 38-7. Yikes. Amon-Ra St. Brown did strap on his cape and bail out Ehinger with a touchdown catch, his second score of the day. Still. Nobody has jumped more often than the Lions this season -- they entered the game with 25, nearly double the NFL average of 16.3 -- and that is a plague that must be resolved by Dan Campbell next offseason. Because this is untenable.
**** This definitely needs to improvement enormously. ****
-- You might be asking yourself at this point, who the heck is Parker Ehinger. And that’s OK. If you knew who Parker Ehinger was before this game, you probably watch too much football. Ehinger was just promoted off the practice squad this week because of all the attrition up front and at tight end, where guys like -- and you might want to make sure you’re sitting for this -- but guys like T.J. Hockenson (IR), Brock Wright (COVID) Darren Fells (asked for release), Hunter Bryant (non-football injury), Josh Hill (retirement) and Charlie Taumoepeau (car accident) were all unavailable. Which I guess is how you wind up starting a guy like Jared Pinkney, a tight end who was signed off the Rams’ practice squad just a few days ago. Ehinger also played in jumbo packages -- then became the latest Lions player to jump before the snap.
**** On top of all of this, FB Jason Cabinda was out with a Knee Injury. ****
-- Other emergency starters included receiver Tom Kennedy, guard Tommy Kraemer (with Halapoulivaati Vaitai out due to COVID) and linebacker Anthony Pittman, the pride of Wayne State University. Pittman has spent most of the last three years on Detroit’s practice squad, but played a greater role for the Lions down the stretch. Then with Alex Anzalone and others out in Seattle, Pittman got his first NFL start. He did not record a statistic on a tough day for the defense.
**** Tommy Kraemer struggled for the most part as a run blocker. He also gave up a pass pressure to former Lion Kerry Hyder. Kraemer's best all around game appeared to be vs. Arizona, when he started at LG when Jonah Jackson was out with a back injury. ****
-- Receiver Trinity Benson got a chance to suit up for the first time since Nov. 14. He’s been such a disappointment after arriving in that trade from Denver during cut week. He’s been a healthy scratch most of the year. And when he did get a chance to get out there on Sunday, his first target sailed between his hands. He finished with two catches for 31 yards. I realize the Lions didn’t give up much for him -- they sent fifth- and seventh-round picks to Denver while exchanging sixth-round picks to complete the deal -- but it’s hard to imagine him being any worse. The Lions have had some of the worst outside receiver play in the league this year, lost a bunch of guys to injuries, and Benson still couldn’t even suit up most weeks.
**** Trinity Benson had some positives. He did catch 2 passes for 31 yards, with good routes. He also caused a fumble on the interception return by Ugo Amadi. This coming off-season and summer is critical for him, in terms of his chances of being with the Lions on the 53 man roster when the 2022 season opens. ****
-- The Seahawks held a moment of silence for the late John Madden before the game. The legendary coach, broadcaster and video game magnate died this week at 85 years old.
**** John Madden is greatly missed but his impact lives on. Under the circumstance of John Madden passing away, it was great seeing tributes for him at NFL games and on NFL Telecasts.****
......
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Seahawks preview: Game # 16 ( 2021 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1304/lions-seahawks-preview-game-2021
Instant observations: Detroit Lions secure top-two NFL draft pick with 51-29 drubbing in Seattle
Instant observations: Detroit Lions secure top-two NFL draft pick with 51-29 drubbing in Seattle
Updated: Jan. 02, 2022, 9:14 p.m. | Published: Jan. 02, 2022, 7:49 p.m.
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
SEATTLE -- Amon St. Brown accounted for two more touchdowns, while Taylor Decker added one of his own -- yes, left tackle Taylor Decker -- and the Detroit Lions secured a top-two pick in this year’s NFL draft.
Other than that, there wasn’t much to feel good about in a 51-29 bloodletting on Sunday afternoon against the Seattle Seahawks. That’s the most points the Lions have allowed since 2017. And it could have been even worse had the Seahawks not taken a knee at the 1-yard line to end the game. Had Seattle punched that in instead, Detroit would have allowed its most points since 1968.
**** Good job by Pete Carroll not attempting to go for the TD at the Lions 1 yard line when the Lions couldn't stop the clock. The Lions host the Seahawks next season. Carroll sees the big picture, even if it turns out that he's no longer Seahawks HC, ****
Either way, some really bad stuff. The Lions have now lost two straight games without Jared Goff, who is sidelined by a knee injury, dropping them to 2-13-1 heading back home for their season finale next week against the Green Bay Packers.
**** A better than expected performance by the Lions passing game. The Lions Kickoff Return unit did well. Otherwise, every other facet of the game was worse than I expected or along the lines of what I expected. ****
No matter what happens in that game, the Lions are assured of picking no later than second in the draft. They haven’t picked that highly since taking Ndamukong Suh second overall in 2010. They’ve actually had quite a bit of luck with that pick, also taking Calvin Johnson in the 2-hole in 2007. Suh and Johnson went on to become the best defensive tackle and wide receiver in team history, respectively, and Johnson has already been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
**** The Packers clinched the NFC # 1 seed with their win over the Vikings on SNF. Any Packers player who even has a minor injury likely will be kept out of the game. Time will tell if the Lions beat a Packers team with numerous backups playing, instead of many key starters. But the value of a win over a Packers team that will very likely be resting many key players (at most some would play part of the game) is far less than if the Packers had something to play for regarding playoff seeding. ****
The Lions could still climb back to the No. 1 spot, where they spent most of the season, although that requires a win by Jacksonville against Indianapolis next weekend. And considering the Jaguars have lost eight games in a row, including a 50-10 drubbing against New England on Sunday, counting on that team to do anything against anybody seems perilous, much less against a team like the Colts, which is fighting for its playoff life.
**** Very unexpected results have happened in the final weekend of some previous NFL seasons. But unless the Colts COVID-19 situation worsens immensely, compared to their current situation, the Colts chances of winning their game in Jacksonville this coming Sunday is probably at least 98 %. ****
Detroit has been mathematically eliminated from that conversation for more than a month, although the emergence of St. Brown in the interim has become one of the year’s best developments. He caught more passes in the last month than everyone in the league except Cooper Kupp, and only three wide receivers had more yards than him.
**** Amon-St. Brown was one of not many Lions bright spots in the loss to the Seahawks. St. Brown is my choice for Lions Rookie of the Year AND Lions Offensive Player of the Year! ****
On Sunday, his roll continued with another eight catches for 111 yards, both team highs. He caught one touchdown (from 7 yards), plus ran for another (from 26 yards). He’s the first Lions wide receiver to run for a score since Calvin Johnson’s rookie season in 2007. And just for good measure, he added a 2-point conversion on the ground as well.
**** When adding Amon-St. Brown's blocking to the overall equation, the Hines Ward comparisons, in terms of the direction of the way St. Brown's career is going, is justified. ****
St. Brown is now officially the most productive Day 3 wide receiver in NFL history. Taken with the 112th overall pick, he has set the NFL record for most catches by any rookie taken after the third round.
**** Tremendous accomplishment. That much more when considering the overall season for the Lions Offense through 16 games. ****
Decker also added a touchdown catch in the third quarter, the second of his career. That’s a Lions record by an offensive lineman, and it cut Seattle’s lead to 38-22 late in the third quarter.
**** The first was against the LA Rams in December, 2018, when Jared Goff and Josh Reynolds were on the opposite sideline. This wasn't a good day for Taylor Decker as a run blocker, but his play blocking and TD catch were major positives in the context of a one sided loss. ****
But Boyle couldn’t keep it together, completing just four passes in the first half after the opening series and moving the chains just four times. Then he opened the second half with a back-breaking interception that led to yet another Seattle touchdown, then threw two more before the day was up.
**** For much of the game, Tim Boyle looked like a much better QB than his previous 2 games. Until the last interception, I would have given Boyle at least an average grade ( C ), with a C+ seriously considered. ****
Oh, right. The defense. That was the much bigger problem.
**** It definitely was in this game. I expected the Lions to have major problems matching up with Russell Wilson throwing to WRs D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. I didn't expect the Lions run Defense to struggle mightily against the Seahawks Running Game. This was even with the Lions putting an extra Defender in or near the box a substantial % of the time. ****
After opening the game with a three-and-out, the Seahawks scored on nine straight drives, a run that didn’t end until that knee at the goal line to end the game. And six of those scores were touchdowns, four of which were thrown by Russell Wilson, one of which was a floater to D.K. Metcalf that he got off just before Dean Marlowe got home. But Wilson put so much air under the football that Metcalf was able to run under it, and away from Will Harris for the score.
**** The floater to D.K. Metcalf was a tremendous throw by Russell Wilson! He needed to throw the ball before Metcalf completed his double move on Will Harris. With heavy pressure coming. It's evident that the pair practiced this type of play in the days leading up to the game. ****
If this was the final home game for Russell Wilson in Seattle, what a sendoff it was.
**** If Russell Wilson is traded from the Seahawks, I hope it's to an AFC Team.****
The Lions also had no plan for running back Rashaad Penny -- not a functional one anyway -- as Penny ran for 144 yards in the first half and finished with 170 yards on 25 carries. He scored twice as well.
**** The tackling against Rashaad Penny was horrible. Assignment mistakes (or lack of discipline) were also problematic too often, especially against Penny as a rusher. ****
Let’s get to some more instant observations:
-- Daring Dan Campbell went for it on fourth down another two times in Seattle, bringing his season total to 38. That’s just one off the single-season record set by the New England Patriots in 1995. I actually asked Campbell this week about why he’s gone for it so much. His response: “When you feel like you have trust in your players or in the play or where the game is at, I don’t know, it feels right. And so I want to do it. I think you’ve got to feel good about your players and the plan, and if you do, I think you go for it. I want to send a message that we’re playing to win, and we’re not playing to lose. There is a time to be conservative and there is a time to be aggressive. And so it’s just I think a little more in my nature to roll the dice, if you will. But I still feel like it’s a calculated risk.”
**** I agreed with the decision to go for the first down on 4th and 1 situation. Not getting the 1st Down was very costly in the context of the game. But a 47 Yard FG was far from a given in on and off rainy conditions. Even with numerous players out on Offense because of COVID-19 testing or injury, getting at least a yard in that situation should be the expectation. ****
Obviously the state of the roster has played a big role in Campbell’s aggressiveness. He has to find an edge somewhere, and he’s found it in the analytics. In fact, according to the analytics, no head coach has improved his winning percentage more on fourth down this season than Dan Campbell. Of course, once the roster improves, it’ll be interesting to see whether Campbell intends to continue playing those odds or if he’ll become more traditional (i.e. conservative) with his decision-making. I asked Campbell that too. His response: “I would like to believe the aggressive nature will stay. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will show up on fourth downs all of the time. That can show up on first and second down on some different things that we do. But I think, there again, if the timing is right and it’s one of those things that you really feel strongly about with your players and the play, the schemes, yeah, you d
**** I believe in future seasons, Dan Campbell won't be as aggressive as he was in most games this season. How much less aggressive is more difficult to predict.****
-- Let’s talk about Amon-Ra St. Brown, shall we? The rookie had to hear 111 names called before his in the draft, 16 of whom played his position. Then he showed up for his first day of work in Allen Park over the summer, and just looked like he belonged right away. Then the pads came on in training camp, and he immediately brawled with a defensive back on Day 1. A couple days later, he threw a punch at former first-round pick Jeff Okudah. As the 112th overall pick in this year’s draft.
Clearly that kid isn’t afraid of anything or anyone. That attitude was a big reason why the Lions were targeting him heading into the final day of the draft. But as this season has progressed, he’s become so much more than just an enforcer. He isn’t the fastest and he’s certainly not the biggest, but he still gains separation with precision route-running. And over the last five weeks, he’s caught footballs on pace with nearly anyone in the league. When you consider how many injuries have befallen starters around him, including at quarterback the last two weeks, and yet he’s continued to produce, it’s pretty amazing. He ran for one touchdown, caught another, and even ran for a 2-point conversion attempt for good measure.
This season has been so tough in so many ways, but I’ll be damned if the Lions haven’t stubbed their toe on a real solution at slot receiver. They still have a lot of work to do on offense, including at wide receiver and even quarterback. But it sure looks like they’ve mined one of the biggest draft-day steals of the year in the slot.
**** Brad Holmes and everyone in the Lions organization heavily involved in the Lions drafting Amon-Ra St. Brown with pick # 112 in Round 4 of the 2021 Draft, did a terrific job! ****
-- Running back D’Andre Swift came off the bench in his long-awaited return from the shoulder injury that he suffered on Thanksgiving. Jamaal Williams earned the start in the backfield instead, while Craig Reynolds got the first carry. Swift did turn his second carry into 31 yards, but gained just 1 yards on his other three rushes combined.
**** The run blocking in this game on most plays (the 31 yard gain play by D'Andre Swift was an exception) wasn't good. ****
It might seem strange to see a valued asset like Swift return so late in a season that’s been so lost for ages, but he’s also missed a lot of time in his first two seasons in the league -- including seven games, along with most of both training camps -- and the coaching staff viewed these last two games as a nice development opportunity. That’s especially true as a pass-catcher, where Swift still has a lot of growing to do with understanding coverages. He finished with two catches on three targets for 7 yards against Seattle.
**** Because the Lions used D'Andre Swift far less than in the two games before his Shoulder Injury on Thanksgiving Day, I'm comfortable with Swift playing. ****
-- The Lions not only led the league in pre-snap penalties heading into the weekend (45), but the difference between them and anybody else was the same as the difference between the next 15 teams combined. That’s just unbelievably bad. Unless, of course, you’ve spent any time whatsoever watching the Lions this season. And then it’s totally believable, because those flags have popped up nearly every week. They’ve popped up at least five times on fourth down alone, forcing Detroit to settle for punts instead of going for it on fourth-and-short.
**** In this game, the penalty was on G Parker Ehinger, who was used as an extra Offensive Lineman on the play. Ehinger was a Practice Squad call-up for the game. The Lions had to depend on a number of players who aren't even on the 53 man roster. Or were recent additions because of injury. This was a huge reason why the Lions weren't in the game in the final few minutes. The Lions overcame that penalty. But the Lions didn't overcome the run blocking difficulties of TE Jared Pinkney against LB Jordyn Brooks. ****
You probably see where this is going. On Sunday, those pre-snap penalties popped up again, most notably when tight end Parker Ehinger jumped early on third-and-goal in the third quarter. That wiped out a would-be touchdown, and forced Detroit into a third-and-goal from the 7-yard line while already trailing 38-7. Yikes. Amon-Ra St. Brown did strap on his cape and bail out Ehinger with a touchdown catch, his second score of the day. Still. Nobody has jumped more often than the Lions this season -- they entered the game with 25, nearly double the NFL average of 16.3 -- and that is a plague that must be resolved by Dan Campbell next offseason. Because this is untenable.
**** This definitely needs to improvement enormously. ****
-- You might be asking yourself at this point, who the heck is Parker Ehinger. And that’s OK. If you knew who Parker Ehinger was before this game, you probably watch too much football. Ehinger was just promoted off the practice squad this week because of all the attrition up front and at tight end, where guys like -- and you might want to make sure you’re sitting for this -- but guys like T.J. Hockenson (IR), Brock Wright (COVID) Darren Fells (asked for release), Hunter Bryant (non-football injury), Josh Hill (retirement) and Charlie Taumoepeau (car accident) were all unavailable. Which I guess is how you wind up starting a guy like Jared Pinkney, a tight end who was signed off the Rams’ practice squad just a few days ago. Ehinger also played in jumbo packages -- then became the latest Lions player to jump before the snap.
**** On top of all of this, FB Jason Cabinda was out with a Knee Injury. ****
-- Other emergency starters included receiver Tom Kennedy, guard Tommy Kraemer (with Halapoulivaati Vaitai out due to COVID) and linebacker Anthony Pittman, the pride of Wayne State University. Pittman has spent most of the last three years on Detroit’s practice squad, but played a greater role for the Lions down the stretch. Then with Alex Anzalone and others out in Seattle, Pittman got his first NFL start. He did not record a statistic on a tough day for the defense.
**** Tommy Kraemer struggled for the most part as a run blocker. He also gave up a pass pressure to former Lion Kerry Hyder. Kraemer's best all around game appeared to be vs. Arizona, when he started at LG when Jonah Jackson was out with a back injury. ****
-- Receiver Trinity Benson got a chance to suit up for the first time since Nov. 14. He’s been such a disappointment after arriving in that trade from Denver during cut week. He’s been a healthy scratch most of the year. And when he did get a chance to get out there on Sunday, his first target sailed between his hands. He finished with two catches for 31 yards. I realize the Lions didn’t give up much for him -- they sent fifth- and seventh-round picks to Denver while exchanging sixth-round picks to complete the deal -- but it’s hard to imagine him being any worse. The Lions have had some of the worst outside receiver play in the league this year, lost a bunch of guys to injuries, and Benson still couldn’t even suit up most weeks.
**** Trinity Benson had some positives. He did catch 2 passes for 31 yards, with good routes. He also caused a fumble on the interception return by Ugo Amadi. This coming off-season and summer is critical for him, in terms of his chances of being with the Lions on the 53 man roster when the 2022 season opens. ****
-- The Seahawks held a moment of silence for the late John Madden before the game. The legendary coach, broadcaster and video game magnate died this week at 85 years old.
**** John Madden is greatly missed but his impact lives on. Under the circumstance of John Madden passing away, it was great seeing tributes for him at NFL games and on NFL Telecasts.****
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This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Seahawks preview: Game # 16 ( 2021 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1304/lions-seahawks-preview-game-2021