Post by D6 on Oct 30, 2022 23:56:08 GMT -5
Instant observations: Lions skid hits 5 games after another implosion vs. Miami
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Thoughts in ****
Instant observations: Lions skid hits 5 games after another implosion vs. Miami
Updated: Oct. 30, 2022, 4:52 p.m.|Published: Oct. 30, 2022, 4:02 p.m.
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
DETROIT -- No lead is safe from this Detroit Lions defense. Not a 14-point lead in Minnesota, which led to a four-game losing streak. Not a 14-point lead on Sunday against Miami either, leading to a 31-27 loss that stretched the worst losing streak in the NFL to five games.
They’re now 1-6 on the season, also an NFL worst. That positions them for the first overall pick in the draft of course, which will be a highly valuable piece for their frustrating rebuild, although that’s not where they were expected to be 24 games into this thing either.
No one expected them be back here, in last place for a fifth straight season.
But they are.
They have their league-worst defense to thank for that. They didn’t force a punt in the first three quarters for the third time in five games, a remarkable run of futility for Aaron Glenn’s unit. They simply do not have enough speed to handle Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, who combined for an astounding 294 yards and two touchdowns.
Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa didn’t throw an incomplete pass on third down until the final quarter, by which time he was 8 of 8 for 131 yards and two touchdowns on that crucial down. Impossible to win like that, and the Lions still haven’t won since all the way back in Week 2.
The Lions needed to score on every possession to stay ahead of whatever it was their defense was doing, and they did for a while. Running back Jamaal Williams ran for a pair of touchdowns in the first half while D’Andre Swift added another through the air off the bench, helping Detroit sprint to a 21-7 lead. And even when the Dolphins came back at them, the offense still delivered, turning a masterful fake punt into three more points as time expired on the first half.
The Lions ran into the locker room holding a 27-17 lead.
Then they ran back out of the locker room and didn’t score again.
Offensive tackles Penei Sewell (holding, false start) and Taylor Decker (false start) combined for three straight penalties on the first drive of the third quarter, putting Detroit in a first-and-30 situation. No one has plays for 30-yards-to-go situations, and the Lions weren’t able to climb out of that hole either.
Miami’s next drive: Touchdown.
On their next series, Decker was flagged for another false start before Jared Goff was taken for a third-down sack.
Miami’s next drive: Touchdown.
Just like that, a 10-point lead had turned into a four-point deficit faster than you can say isaaronglennonthehotseat. OK, fine, that doesn’t take so long to say. But ask this defense to hang onto a lead of any shape or size, and that won’t take long either. The Lions scored 45 points in their last game here, after all, and still lost. They built multiple double-digit leads against the Dolphins -- not one; two -- and couldn’t hang onto those either.
Lions owner Sheila Hamp held a rare session with reporters this week to express her confidence in the state of the rebuild, frustrating as it might be. Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes are safe for now, as they probably should be. They not only launched a total rebuild, but started with a total teardown before the rebuilding started. These things take time, especially when you don’t have a quarterback, and the Lions are worse for not having one of those to build around for the future. That should happen in next year’s draft, and at this pace, it could happen with the first overall pick.
That all said, it’s fair to say this rebuild is not inspiring confidence outside that building. They just can’t string together four quarters of football. That’s usually on account of their defense, although even a good effort last week in Dallas wasn’t enough because the offense didn’t score a touchdown.
They roared back to life against Miami, perhaps due to the return of D’Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown, and certainly the home cooking helped too. They even had a shot to take the lead down the stretch, but Jared Goff couldn’t connect on a fourth-and-1 bomb to Josh Reynolds inside the final 3 minutes. They never touched the ball again, thanks to yet another Tagovailoa completion on third down.
With a defense like theirs, the Lions needed to be perfect. They weren’t.
Hard to win games like that.
And they aren’t.
**** This Lions loss is not the fault of Jared Goff. A strong argument can be made that the Lions should take a QB in the 1st Round of the 2023 Draft, with either the Lions 1st Round pick resource or the LA Rams 1st Round resource. But in this game, Goff would have been the winning QB if the Lions had the Defense of most other NFL teams. Probably, around 3/4 of the Defenses of other NFL teams.
By far, the primary reason the Lions lost this game was the team's Defense. Including, Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn. The Lions strategy of very often going with an extra defender in the box and a 3 Deep Zone probably greatly contributed to the Dolphins passing much more than rushing (running). The Lions bit on play action passes repeatedly in this game. Even on at least one 2nd and long yardage situations in the 4th QTR that resulted in a 1st Down. The Lions got the Dolphins off the field on their next set of downs but two 3rd Down penalties that were motion related contributed substantially to this. That was the only time the entire game the Dolphins even Punted.
The Lions Offense couldn't afford to make mistakes. Unfortunately, they made too many of them. Josh Reynolds not catching what would have been a TD in the last several seconds of the 2nd QTR led to the Lions needing to settle for a FG. Hence, instead of a 14 point lead (assuming the PAT was successful), the Lions 'only' led by 10.
The penalties on the Lions first 2 drives of the 2nd Half, especially the first drive, changed the complexion of the game. The 3rd Down sack on the Lions second drive of the 2nd half looked like a mental error by one of the Lions Offensive Lineman. A stunt wasn't picked up, which resulted in the sack after Jared Goff's first read was not open from Goff's perspective. The drop by Amon-Ra St. Brown on 2nd down and 12, on what became the Lions final set of downs for the game, cost the Lions at least 6 yards. The Lions never recovered from that drop. ****
Let’s get to some more instant observations:
-- When you allow that many points, it’s never one thing, and certainly not one player. That said, Amani Oruwariye was among the many things that allowed Miami to run laps around their defense. He just wasn’t fast enough. And hey, most of the league isn’t fast enough to cover Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Those guys are going crazy on everyone they play. But this wasn’t a one-game aberration either. Amani Oruwariye was so bad in the first month of the season -- the worst in the league at his position, according to ProFootballFocus -- that Detroit benched him in New England. He’s since regained his starting spot and did play well in last week’s loss against Dallas, but was abused again a week later against Miami. At this point, it seems like a matter of when -- not if -- he’ll lose his starting job for good. Might not be right away because Will Harris is now playing stack linebacker and Jerry Jacobs just got back from injury, but it’ll happen eventually. His contract is up at the end of the year, and here’s betting he’s someplace else by next season.
**** It looked like Amani Ourwariye was assignment sound the vast majority or the entire game. But his physical limitations were apparent. Chances are high at this time that Ourwariye will be playing elsewhere next season. Will Harris has a better chance of being re-signed by the Lions because of his versatility. ****
-- Jamaal Williams maintained his hold on the starting running back job despite the long-awaited return of D’Andre Swift. It was a nice gesture of confidence from the coaching staff, after Williams fumbled twice last week in Dallas, including losing one at the goal line. That was a critical play, costing the Lions the opportunity take a fourth-quarter lead. They never came that close again. A week later, Williams atoned for his sins by running for two touchdowns in the first half, which helped Detroit build a 21-7 lead. He now has eight rushing touchdowns, which breaks a club record that had been held by Barry Sanders and Billy Sims, who had seven apiece in seven games.
**** Jaamal Williams clearly had a winning level performance in this game. ****
-- Swift might have come off the bench, but he didn’t take long to make his presence felt, catching a 7-yard touchdown pass when he was in a one-on-one with a linebacker. That’s always going to be a win for him, and was a great concept from coordinator Ben Johnson. But Swift had a minimal impact the rest of the game, touching the football nine more times for 26 yards. It was his first game back from ankle and shoulder injuries, and despite practicing the last two weeks -- and practicing fully all last week -- he’s still clearly not himself.
****The decision by D'Andre Swift to go outside on a 1st and 15 running play, following a False Start by Penei Sewell (Taylor Decker also had a False Start on that play), led to Sewell being called for a Holding Penalty on a running play. Swift looked rusty in this game as a rusher (the TD reception route was impressive). ****
-- The Lions ran for just 82 yards as a team, snapping their streak of six 100-yard games to open the season, a high for them since 1976.
**** The Dolphins also had an extra Defender in the box much more often than not. However, they used man to man coverage much more often. If Jamison Williams becomes the WR the Lions envisioned when trading up for him, other teams could easily be more reluctant to use man to man coverage on the Lions. ****
-- Dan Campbell was uncharacteristically conservative in his decision-making, including laying up for a 43-yard field goal instead of going for a fourth-and-3 in the first half. But you can keep that man caged up for only so long, and he dialed up yet another fake punt just before halftime. This time, C.J. Moore -- in his first game back with the organization -- got the ball on a direct snap and raced up the left hash for the easy conversion. Moore once was among Detroit’s best special-teams players, although was dogged by injury in training camp and was cut heading into the regular season. With gunner Bobby Price going on injured reserve this past week, Detroit brought back Moore off Houston’s practice squad. And man, what a way to welcome him back. The conversion led to a field goal as the first half expired, stretching Detroit’s lead back out to 27-17.
**** Great decision by Dan Campbell attempting the Fake Punt, great Fake Punt play call by Special Teams Coordinator Dave Fipp and great execution by C.J. Moore, Josh Woods, and Justin Jackson on the play. The Fake Punt attempt made sense because of the Lions Defensive struggles in the 1st Half. The Lions built a 27-17 halftime lead, instead of the Dolphins getting the ball back with 3 timeouts left. ****
-- At what point are we going to start talking about Ifeatu Melifonwu as a bust candidate? He was the first return from the Matthew Stafford trade, a 2021 third-round pick who cuts an imposing figure. He looks the part, no question about that. Problem is it’s hard to play the part when you spend more than half your career in street clothes. Sure, he looked impressive when pressed into the starting lineup in the second game of his career (and against Aaron Rodgers, no less). But he suffered a thigh injury that night which kept him out of the next nine games. Then he played 19 snaps in his return to the field, only to suffer another injury that kept him out of the following game. This year, same deal. Melifonwu missed a lot of training camp while nursing a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first three games of the season. Then he played a combined 18 snaps against Seattle and New England before going down with an ankle injury that continues to prevent him from even practicing, let alone playing.
Total it all up, and Melifonwu has missed nearly twice as many games (15) as he’s played (nine) due to injuries to three different body parts. Throw in the position change along the way, from cornerback to safety, and now the rise of Kerby Joseph at safety, at some point you have to wonder whether he’ll ever find his way in Detroit.
**** Because all of the injuries Ifeatu Melifonwu suffered with the Lions shouldn't significantly affected his physical abilities, I'm reluctant to classify him as a bust candidate. That much more because he has a versatile skill set. ****
-- Speaking of Kerby Joseph, the rookie did a backflip while running out of the tunnel for the start of the game. At last, a good story about a tunnel in the state of Michigan. Oh, then he forced a fumble on the defense’s first drive. Coincidence? I think not.
**** Kerby Joseph was a bright spot in this game. Great job by Joseph forcing a fumble for the 2nd straight game. ****
-- Defensive lineman Michael Brockers was benched for a second straight week, yet another sign he’s in his final weeks in Detroit. The Lions might even do the deed before the end of the season, which would allow the veteran to land with a playoff contender for the twilight of his career. If not, there’s virtually no shot he’ll be in Detroit next year. Not with $10 million in potential cap savings for a guy not good enough to even dress for a defense that entered the weekend still dead-last in the league.
**** I can't envision another team having interest in Michael Brockers as a player at this point in his NFL playing career.****
-- Somehow, the Lions never challenged a call in the first six games of the season. Dan Campbell wanted to challenge the Brock Wright catch at the goal line last week in Dallas, but never got the green light from his people upstairs. (And good thing too, because that spot would have been upheld if reviewed.) A week later, Campbell got off his first challenge when Amon-Ra St. Brown was stripped as he tried to transfer a would-be catch to his left hand. It was ruled a non-catch, and the play was upheld upon review. Ford Field hated it, and I understand why, because St. Brown sure looked like he had possession. But did he actually have possession long enough? That’s the question at hand. I’ve given up trying to understand what is (and isn’t) a catch in the NFL, but the play appeared to be close enough to go either way. Given they called no-catch on the field, not a surprise they upheld no-catch on the review. Either way, St. Brown redeemed himself with a 21-yard catch on third down. Kalif Raymond grabbed a 43-yarder on the very next play, then Jamaal Williams plowed into the end zone for his second TD of the day and 21-7 lead.
**** Even a 1/2 yard closer to the end zone could have made a difference in the Lions ending up scoring a TD at Dallas, instead of the fumble that occurred on the next play.
Regarding the challenge with the Amon-Ra St. Brown play, I thought he didn't take 3 steps after catching the ball. Based on that criteria, I think the right decision was made by not overturning the call. In the first half, I understand why Dan Campbell challenged the play. If the same play occurred in the 2nd half, I would have been strongly against a challenge.****
-- After busting out as a safety, Will Harris moved to cornerback this season. After losing a job battle there, he’s now moved to his third position as a stack linebacker. Harris’ move is the latest midseason adjustment from Aaron Glenn, whose defense ranks dead last in the league by a lot of measures. Previous moves have worked well, especially inserting rookie defensive lineman Josh Paschal into the starting lineup. Aidan Hutchinson has also begun rushing from a stand-up position, which is designed to make the rookie more comfortable. As for Harris, he did some good things, although the defensive performance speaks for itself. Just not good enough from anybody.
**** The performance by Will Harris wasn't good enough. But I don't think he was a liability in this game. Not even close to enough impact by either Aidan Hutchinson or Josh Paschal in this game. ****
-- Return man Maurice Alexander (ankle), tight end Brock Wright (brain) and cornerback A.J. Parker (hip) all left the game with injuries.
**** Hopefully, none of the injuries are serious. A.J. Parker was overmatched in coverage on a couple of plays in this game, before he went down with the injury.
.........
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions vs. Dolphins preview: Game # 7 ( 2022 )
www.mlive.com/lions/2022/10/instant-observations-lions-losing-streak-hits-5-after-coughing-up-double-digit-lead.html
I predicted the correct score. But it was the Dolphins that ended up scoring 31 points, not the Lions. <sigh>
...........
Thoughts in ****
Instant observations: Lions skid hits 5 games after another implosion vs. Miami
Updated: Oct. 30, 2022, 4:52 p.m.|Published: Oct. 30, 2022, 4:02 p.m.
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
DETROIT -- No lead is safe from this Detroit Lions defense. Not a 14-point lead in Minnesota, which led to a four-game losing streak. Not a 14-point lead on Sunday against Miami either, leading to a 31-27 loss that stretched the worst losing streak in the NFL to five games.
They’re now 1-6 on the season, also an NFL worst. That positions them for the first overall pick in the draft of course, which will be a highly valuable piece for their frustrating rebuild, although that’s not where they were expected to be 24 games into this thing either.
No one expected them be back here, in last place for a fifth straight season.
But they are.
They have their league-worst defense to thank for that. They didn’t force a punt in the first three quarters for the third time in five games, a remarkable run of futility for Aaron Glenn’s unit. They simply do not have enough speed to handle Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, who combined for an astounding 294 yards and two touchdowns.
Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa didn’t throw an incomplete pass on third down until the final quarter, by which time he was 8 of 8 for 131 yards and two touchdowns on that crucial down. Impossible to win like that, and the Lions still haven’t won since all the way back in Week 2.
The Lions needed to score on every possession to stay ahead of whatever it was their defense was doing, and they did for a while. Running back Jamaal Williams ran for a pair of touchdowns in the first half while D’Andre Swift added another through the air off the bench, helping Detroit sprint to a 21-7 lead. And even when the Dolphins came back at them, the offense still delivered, turning a masterful fake punt into three more points as time expired on the first half.
The Lions ran into the locker room holding a 27-17 lead.
Then they ran back out of the locker room and didn’t score again.
Offensive tackles Penei Sewell (holding, false start) and Taylor Decker (false start) combined for three straight penalties on the first drive of the third quarter, putting Detroit in a first-and-30 situation. No one has plays for 30-yards-to-go situations, and the Lions weren’t able to climb out of that hole either.
Miami’s next drive: Touchdown.
On their next series, Decker was flagged for another false start before Jared Goff was taken for a third-down sack.
Miami’s next drive: Touchdown.
Just like that, a 10-point lead had turned into a four-point deficit faster than you can say isaaronglennonthehotseat. OK, fine, that doesn’t take so long to say. But ask this defense to hang onto a lead of any shape or size, and that won’t take long either. The Lions scored 45 points in their last game here, after all, and still lost. They built multiple double-digit leads against the Dolphins -- not one; two -- and couldn’t hang onto those either.
Lions owner Sheila Hamp held a rare session with reporters this week to express her confidence in the state of the rebuild, frustrating as it might be. Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes are safe for now, as they probably should be. They not only launched a total rebuild, but started with a total teardown before the rebuilding started. These things take time, especially when you don’t have a quarterback, and the Lions are worse for not having one of those to build around for the future. That should happen in next year’s draft, and at this pace, it could happen with the first overall pick.
That all said, it’s fair to say this rebuild is not inspiring confidence outside that building. They just can’t string together four quarters of football. That’s usually on account of their defense, although even a good effort last week in Dallas wasn’t enough because the offense didn’t score a touchdown.
They roared back to life against Miami, perhaps due to the return of D’Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown, and certainly the home cooking helped too. They even had a shot to take the lead down the stretch, but Jared Goff couldn’t connect on a fourth-and-1 bomb to Josh Reynolds inside the final 3 minutes. They never touched the ball again, thanks to yet another Tagovailoa completion on third down.
With a defense like theirs, the Lions needed to be perfect. They weren’t.
Hard to win games like that.
And they aren’t.
**** This Lions loss is not the fault of Jared Goff. A strong argument can be made that the Lions should take a QB in the 1st Round of the 2023 Draft, with either the Lions 1st Round pick resource or the LA Rams 1st Round resource. But in this game, Goff would have been the winning QB if the Lions had the Defense of most other NFL teams. Probably, around 3/4 of the Defenses of other NFL teams.
By far, the primary reason the Lions lost this game was the team's Defense. Including, Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn. The Lions strategy of very often going with an extra defender in the box and a 3 Deep Zone probably greatly contributed to the Dolphins passing much more than rushing (running). The Lions bit on play action passes repeatedly in this game. Even on at least one 2nd and long yardage situations in the 4th QTR that resulted in a 1st Down. The Lions got the Dolphins off the field on their next set of downs but two 3rd Down penalties that were motion related contributed substantially to this. That was the only time the entire game the Dolphins even Punted.
The Lions Offense couldn't afford to make mistakes. Unfortunately, they made too many of them. Josh Reynolds not catching what would have been a TD in the last several seconds of the 2nd QTR led to the Lions needing to settle for a FG. Hence, instead of a 14 point lead (assuming the PAT was successful), the Lions 'only' led by 10.
The penalties on the Lions first 2 drives of the 2nd Half, especially the first drive, changed the complexion of the game. The 3rd Down sack on the Lions second drive of the 2nd half looked like a mental error by one of the Lions Offensive Lineman. A stunt wasn't picked up, which resulted in the sack after Jared Goff's first read was not open from Goff's perspective. The drop by Amon-Ra St. Brown on 2nd down and 12, on what became the Lions final set of downs for the game, cost the Lions at least 6 yards. The Lions never recovered from that drop. ****
Let’s get to some more instant observations:
-- When you allow that many points, it’s never one thing, and certainly not one player. That said, Amani Oruwariye was among the many things that allowed Miami to run laps around their defense. He just wasn’t fast enough. And hey, most of the league isn’t fast enough to cover Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Those guys are going crazy on everyone they play. But this wasn’t a one-game aberration either. Amani Oruwariye was so bad in the first month of the season -- the worst in the league at his position, according to ProFootballFocus -- that Detroit benched him in New England. He’s since regained his starting spot and did play well in last week’s loss against Dallas, but was abused again a week later against Miami. At this point, it seems like a matter of when -- not if -- he’ll lose his starting job for good. Might not be right away because Will Harris is now playing stack linebacker and Jerry Jacobs just got back from injury, but it’ll happen eventually. His contract is up at the end of the year, and here’s betting he’s someplace else by next season.
**** It looked like Amani Ourwariye was assignment sound the vast majority or the entire game. But his physical limitations were apparent. Chances are high at this time that Ourwariye will be playing elsewhere next season. Will Harris has a better chance of being re-signed by the Lions because of his versatility. ****
-- Jamaal Williams maintained his hold on the starting running back job despite the long-awaited return of D’Andre Swift. It was a nice gesture of confidence from the coaching staff, after Williams fumbled twice last week in Dallas, including losing one at the goal line. That was a critical play, costing the Lions the opportunity take a fourth-quarter lead. They never came that close again. A week later, Williams atoned for his sins by running for two touchdowns in the first half, which helped Detroit build a 21-7 lead. He now has eight rushing touchdowns, which breaks a club record that had been held by Barry Sanders and Billy Sims, who had seven apiece in seven games.
**** Jaamal Williams clearly had a winning level performance in this game. ****
-- Swift might have come off the bench, but he didn’t take long to make his presence felt, catching a 7-yard touchdown pass when he was in a one-on-one with a linebacker. That’s always going to be a win for him, and was a great concept from coordinator Ben Johnson. But Swift had a minimal impact the rest of the game, touching the football nine more times for 26 yards. It was his first game back from ankle and shoulder injuries, and despite practicing the last two weeks -- and practicing fully all last week -- he’s still clearly not himself.
****The decision by D'Andre Swift to go outside on a 1st and 15 running play, following a False Start by Penei Sewell (Taylor Decker also had a False Start on that play), led to Sewell being called for a Holding Penalty on a running play. Swift looked rusty in this game as a rusher (the TD reception route was impressive). ****
-- The Lions ran for just 82 yards as a team, snapping their streak of six 100-yard games to open the season, a high for them since 1976.
**** The Dolphins also had an extra Defender in the box much more often than not. However, they used man to man coverage much more often. If Jamison Williams becomes the WR the Lions envisioned when trading up for him, other teams could easily be more reluctant to use man to man coverage on the Lions. ****
-- Dan Campbell was uncharacteristically conservative in his decision-making, including laying up for a 43-yard field goal instead of going for a fourth-and-3 in the first half. But you can keep that man caged up for only so long, and he dialed up yet another fake punt just before halftime. This time, C.J. Moore -- in his first game back with the organization -- got the ball on a direct snap and raced up the left hash for the easy conversion. Moore once was among Detroit’s best special-teams players, although was dogged by injury in training camp and was cut heading into the regular season. With gunner Bobby Price going on injured reserve this past week, Detroit brought back Moore off Houston’s practice squad. And man, what a way to welcome him back. The conversion led to a field goal as the first half expired, stretching Detroit’s lead back out to 27-17.
**** Great decision by Dan Campbell attempting the Fake Punt, great Fake Punt play call by Special Teams Coordinator Dave Fipp and great execution by C.J. Moore, Josh Woods, and Justin Jackson on the play. The Fake Punt attempt made sense because of the Lions Defensive struggles in the 1st Half. The Lions built a 27-17 halftime lead, instead of the Dolphins getting the ball back with 3 timeouts left. ****
-- At what point are we going to start talking about Ifeatu Melifonwu as a bust candidate? He was the first return from the Matthew Stafford trade, a 2021 third-round pick who cuts an imposing figure. He looks the part, no question about that. Problem is it’s hard to play the part when you spend more than half your career in street clothes. Sure, he looked impressive when pressed into the starting lineup in the second game of his career (and against Aaron Rodgers, no less). But he suffered a thigh injury that night which kept him out of the next nine games. Then he played 19 snaps in his return to the field, only to suffer another injury that kept him out of the following game. This year, same deal. Melifonwu missed a lot of training camp while nursing a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first three games of the season. Then he played a combined 18 snaps against Seattle and New England before going down with an ankle injury that continues to prevent him from even practicing, let alone playing.
Total it all up, and Melifonwu has missed nearly twice as many games (15) as he’s played (nine) due to injuries to three different body parts. Throw in the position change along the way, from cornerback to safety, and now the rise of Kerby Joseph at safety, at some point you have to wonder whether he’ll ever find his way in Detroit.
**** Because all of the injuries Ifeatu Melifonwu suffered with the Lions shouldn't significantly affected his physical abilities, I'm reluctant to classify him as a bust candidate. That much more because he has a versatile skill set. ****
-- Speaking of Kerby Joseph, the rookie did a backflip while running out of the tunnel for the start of the game. At last, a good story about a tunnel in the state of Michigan. Oh, then he forced a fumble on the defense’s first drive. Coincidence? I think not.
**** Kerby Joseph was a bright spot in this game. Great job by Joseph forcing a fumble for the 2nd straight game. ****
-- Defensive lineman Michael Brockers was benched for a second straight week, yet another sign he’s in his final weeks in Detroit. The Lions might even do the deed before the end of the season, which would allow the veteran to land with a playoff contender for the twilight of his career. If not, there’s virtually no shot he’ll be in Detroit next year. Not with $10 million in potential cap savings for a guy not good enough to even dress for a defense that entered the weekend still dead-last in the league.
**** I can't envision another team having interest in Michael Brockers as a player at this point in his NFL playing career.****
-- Somehow, the Lions never challenged a call in the first six games of the season. Dan Campbell wanted to challenge the Brock Wright catch at the goal line last week in Dallas, but never got the green light from his people upstairs. (And good thing too, because that spot would have been upheld if reviewed.) A week later, Campbell got off his first challenge when Amon-Ra St. Brown was stripped as he tried to transfer a would-be catch to his left hand. It was ruled a non-catch, and the play was upheld upon review. Ford Field hated it, and I understand why, because St. Brown sure looked like he had possession. But did he actually have possession long enough? That’s the question at hand. I’ve given up trying to understand what is (and isn’t) a catch in the NFL, but the play appeared to be close enough to go either way. Given they called no-catch on the field, not a surprise they upheld no-catch on the review. Either way, St. Brown redeemed himself with a 21-yard catch on third down. Kalif Raymond grabbed a 43-yarder on the very next play, then Jamaal Williams plowed into the end zone for his second TD of the day and 21-7 lead.
**** Even a 1/2 yard closer to the end zone could have made a difference in the Lions ending up scoring a TD at Dallas, instead of the fumble that occurred on the next play.
Regarding the challenge with the Amon-Ra St. Brown play, I thought he didn't take 3 steps after catching the ball. Based on that criteria, I think the right decision was made by not overturning the call. In the first half, I understand why Dan Campbell challenged the play. If the same play occurred in the 2nd half, I would have been strongly against a challenge.****
-- After busting out as a safety, Will Harris moved to cornerback this season. After losing a job battle there, he’s now moved to his third position as a stack linebacker. Harris’ move is the latest midseason adjustment from Aaron Glenn, whose defense ranks dead last in the league by a lot of measures. Previous moves have worked well, especially inserting rookie defensive lineman Josh Paschal into the starting lineup. Aidan Hutchinson has also begun rushing from a stand-up position, which is designed to make the rookie more comfortable. As for Harris, he did some good things, although the defensive performance speaks for itself. Just not good enough from anybody.
**** The performance by Will Harris wasn't good enough. But I don't think he was a liability in this game. Not even close to enough impact by either Aidan Hutchinson or Josh Paschal in this game. ****
-- Return man Maurice Alexander (ankle), tight end Brock Wright (brain) and cornerback A.J. Parker (hip) all left the game with injuries.
**** Hopefully, none of the injuries are serious. A.J. Parker was overmatched in coverage on a couple of plays in this game, before he went down with the injury.
.........
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions vs. Dolphins preview: Game # 7 ( 2022 )
www.mlive.com/lions/2022/10/instant-observations-lions-losing-streak-hits-5-after-coughing-up-double-digit-lead.html
I predicted the correct score. But it was the Dolphins that ended up scoring 31 points, not the Lions. <sigh>