Post by D6 on Sept 30, 2019 2:26:52 GMT -5
Thoughts in ****
www.mlive.com/lions/2019/09/observations-lions-lose-heart-breaker-but-measure-up-against-nfls-elite.html
Observations: Lions lose heartbreaker, but measure up against NFL’s elite
Updated Sep 29, 2019; Posted Sep 29, 2019
Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs - September 29, 2019
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
DETROIT -- If this was a measuring stick game for the Lions, consider them measured up.
But that won’t make this loss hurt any less.
Matthew Stafford connected with Kenny Golladay on a go-ahead touchdown pass Sunday against Kansas City, but 2:20 was still showing on the clock, an eternity for the best passing attack in professional football. And Patrick Mahomes didn’t disappoint.Facing a fourth-and-8 that could have ended the game, Mahomes ran free for 15 yards, extending a series that went 13 plays and culminated with Darrel Williams plowing into the end zone with 20 seconds left to finally put away Detroit 34-30 on a wild Sunday at Ford Field.
That spoiled a valiant upset bid from the Lions (2-1-1), who contained Mahomes for much of the day, including holding Kansas City to a season-low 13 points in the first half. Mahomes finished with 315 yards passing, a season low, and no touchdown passes, which snapped a streak of 14 games where he had at least two scoring passes. That’s just one game short of the NFL record.
He completed zero downfield passes (on night attempts) in a game for the first time in his career.
And Detroit did it despite playing without half its starting secondary, as top corner Darius Slay was sidelined by a hamstring injury and then top safety Quandre Diggs was lost in the first quarter to a hamstring injury of his own.
Detroit weathered a wild third quarter that featured five straight fumbles by the two teams, two of which were lost by the Lions in the red zone, and one of which was coughed up by running back Kerryon Johnson right at the goal line. The Lions thought the play was over, but the referees never blew the whistle. Chiefs cornerback Baushad Breeland scooped up the ball and returned it 100 yards for a score that gave Kansas City a 20-13 lead.Detroit could have led by the same score had Johnson made it just a few more inches to cross the goal line. Instead, it was six the other way. A swing like that is so difficult to overcome against a power such as Kansas City, although the Lions very nearly did it.
Stafford led a nine-play, 79-yard drive late in the fourth quarter that featured him running over a linebacker despite his sore hip, hooking up with Marvin Hall -- playing for the injured Danny Amendola -- deep downfield, then finding Kenny Golladay for a toe-tapper along the left sideline of the end zone for a 30-27 lead.
The play stood after a review, which showed Golladay dragging his second foot within a shadow of the end line. It was his second score of the half, and Detroit was one defensive stop from pulling the upset.
But with 2:26 still showing on the clock, it was just too much time for this Chiefs offense. And the defense, bending so much through the day, finally broke against the NFL’s best.
Detroit did have one more opportunity after the TD, getting back the ball with 20 seconds left, then Stafford finding Marvin Jones and Logan Thomas with quick passes to set up two Hail Marys from Kansas City’s 44-yard line. Both fell incomplete, ending a wild game that will burn today but shows this Lions team just might be onto something good.They’re off next week before traveling to Green Bay for a showdown with the Packers on Monday Night Football.
**** The Lions were much more competitive in this game than I thought was going to be the case once I saw the Lions Game Day Inactive List. It was a heck of an effort by the Lions against a Chiefs team that's a prime AFC Super Bowl contender. The Lions Defense unable to keep Patrick Mahomes in contain on the 4th and 8 play in the final 2 minutes of the game was arguably the biggest play of the game. Especially, because of when it occurred. It was either that play or one of the key 3rd QTR plays in the Red Zone that was a horrible result for the Lions.
Of the 2 plays in the 3rd QTR in which the replay system worked against the Lions, the one in which Kenny Golladay's TD was overturned as an incomplete pass result is the call that's disturbing on this end. That play proves that a completion vs. an incompletion is a subjective call. Once a TD was called on the field, the call shouldn't have been reversed. There wasn't indisputable evidence to reverse the call. The fact that Matthew Stafford was stripped of the ball on the next play resulting in Chiefs DT Chris Jones recovering the ball impacts the bad replay decision by the NFL that much more. The Kerryon Johnson fumble, 100 yard Return for a TD by the Chiefs that was in essence a 14 point swing, looked like the right decision. The Lions need to learn from that play in multiple ways.
On the final play of the game, it looked like Marvin Jones was interfered with inside the Chiefs 5 yard line. The NFL should have reviewed that call. The bottom line is the NFL Replay system is highly flawed.
The injuries to Quandre Diggs and T.J. Hockenson are a huge concern moving forward. There's also no telling how Matthew Stafford will be following the bye week. It was a gutsy winning level performance by Stafford. ****
Here are some more instant observations:
-- Stafford made his 132nd straight regular-season start, the sixth longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history, despite suffering a hip injury that limited him in practice on Friday. But Detroit’s decision to activate both backup quarterbacks behind him -- an extremely rare move -- is telling about the kind of pain with which he’s dealing. The Lions clearly thought there was a chance he would not be able to finish the game, and it was easy to see why. Stafford appeared to be in pain throughout the game, moving stiffly and awkwardly between snaps and on the bench. It didn’t appear to affect his game much, as he completed 21 of 34 passes for 291 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, plus lowering his shoulder into a linebacker for a key run late in the fourth quarter. But it might have affected his mobility overall. Stafford was sacked four times, after not being sacked at all the last two weeks, and moved around less than he had the last three weeks.-
**** The key question is whether treatments substantial help Stafford in the coming days and when the Lions return to practice? Stafford is the only player on the team that's irreplaceable. ****
- Stafford’s three touchdown passes gives him 246 for his career, moving him past John Hadle (244) and into sole possession of 24th place on the all-time list. Up next is Boomer Esiason with 247.
**** If Matthew Stafford is healthy enough over the next few seasons to perform at or near his current level, he's going to move way up in the NFL record book in a number of passing categories. ****
-- Welcome back, Kerryon. The second-year back has been running well, and his line has been blocking well (for the most part), but the running game struggled to get going against overloaded boxes. Nobody in Detroit was panicking this week, and sure enough, Johnson got rolling against a less-stout front. He set a new game-high for the season in the first half alone (65 yards on 12 carries) and finished with 125 yards on 26 carries overall, the third time he’s cracked triple digits in 14 career games. But he also had the goal-line fumble, which was returned for a touchdown the other way, a pivotal turn in the loss.-
**** The fumble was a huge costly mistake in an otherwise strong collective performance. Kerryon Johnson wasn't as consistent in pass protection though. ****
- Already down top cornerback Darius Slay, the Lions lost top safety Quandre Diggs to a hamstring injury in the first quarter. Then Mike Ford, the injury replacement for Slay at cornerback, left the game in the third quarter with an injury of his own. He eventually returned. But Detroit’s defense hardly missed a beat, holding Kansas City to a season-low 13 points in the first half. Mahomes finished with 315 yards, a season low, and no touchdowns. His passer rating (81.0) was his worst since Week 5 of last year, and the third worst of his career overall. But in the fourth quarter, the reigning MVP did enough to hold off Detroit, including scrambling for 15 yards on that key fourth-and-8 to extend a series that wound up going 13 plays for the game-winning score.
-- Justin Coleman was among the cast of Lions defenders who stepped up in Slay’s absence, punching out the ball to break up a Patrick Mahomes pass into the end zone, then later ripping the ball out of Sammy Watkins’ hands for a fumble. That led to a touchdown catch by Kenny Golladay, giving Detroit a 23-20 lead in the third quarter. In a way, Coleman played a key role in a 14-point swing, with the TD he took off the board for KC and then the TD he set up for Detroit. Big plays from a cornerback who has played very well in his first quarter of a season with the Lions. He was also credited with two passes defended.-
**** The CB play in this game, including what S Tracy Walker provided in coverage ( he was in man to man coverage often ), was a positive. The Lions handled the loss of Darius Slay this time around much better than in Chicago last November.
Justin Coleman also broke up what would have been a TD pass to Sammy Watkins in the 2nd QTR. The Chiefs settled for a FG. ****
- Jamal Agnew continued his redemption tour by making another big play on special teams, and this time, he didn’t even need the ball to do it. Agnew opened the second half by punching the ball out of Mecole Hardman’s hands on the kickoff. It was a huge play, with Kansas City having just knotted the score at 13-all at the end of the first half and then getting back the ball to open the third. Agnew resumed his duties as the full-time return man too, including on punt return, where Danny Amendola started last week. Amendola did not play against Kansas City because of a chest injury.
**** Excellent play by Jamal Agnew. It should have resulted in Lions points and would have if not for bad decision in reversing Kenny Golladay's TD. ****
-- The Lions looked like they had turned that Agnew-forced turnover into a touchdown, with Kenny Golladay making a circus catch in the end zone. But the officials overturned the score upon review, determining the ball was loose as Golladay fell onto the end line. That provided disastrous, as Matthew Stafford fumbled on the next play. After punching out the ball on special teams and then driving deep into Chiefs territory, the Lions came away with zero points. Against a team like this, as I said, disastrous.p
**** The Lions drive following the fumble recovery began in Chiefs territory. The Lions were already in Matt Prater's FG range. ****
-- In addition to Coleman and Agnew, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Trey Flowers were credited with forcing fumbles in that wacky third quarter. Reeves-Maybin, Coleman and A’Shawn Robinson were credited with fumble recoveries.
**** Great play by Trey Flowers, who I thought had a strong all around game.****
-- T.J. Hockenson scored the first touchdown of the day, a neat little 5-yarder that stretched Detroit’s lead to 10-0 in the first quarter. But disaster struck in the third quarter when he tried to leap two defenders after making a catch over the middle. They didn’t go for it, and Hockenson wound up spinning through the air before landing on his head. It was a serious sight, with Hockenson laying motionless on the field for several moments before finally moving his legs, to some loud cheers from the home crowd. He was carted to the locker room and evaluated for a brain injury. Now the attention turns to the long-term health of the No. 8 overall pick.
**** Bad decision by T.J. Hockenson. Hopefully, he didn't suffer a concussion or any other injury that's concerning moving forward. Unfortunately, that probably won't be the case.****
-- The Lions opened the game by driving 68 yards over 10 plays, but the possession died inside the 5 when Matthew Stafford was sacked on third down. It was his first sack since Week 1, after going back-to-back games without a sack for the first time since 2011. He took four sacks for the day.
**** The first sack was a coverage sack. The Lions only had 3 players go out into patterns on the play. The Chiefs had 7 in coverage. ****
-- Starting receiver Danny Amendola missed the game with a chest injury, which was a bit of a surprise. He missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but there was hope around Allen Park that he’d still be able to go. That didn’t happen. Without him, Marvin Hall and Tom Kennedy were up. Hall served as the de facto third receiver, although the Lions actually started running back J.D. McKissic in the slot. T.J. Hockenson also played a lot there too, as Detroit rolled with a ton of two- and three-tight end sets.-
****J.D. McKissic and Marvin Hall stepped up. Hall's catch inside the 10 on a long pass down the left sideline helped set up the Lions go ahead TD to Kenny Golladay that made the score 30-27 following the PAT. McKissic is one of the Lions top playmakers. ****
- In the third quarter, the Lions did a great job to draw Kansas City offsides after lining up for a 58-yard kick. Matt Prater pounded through the ensuing attempt from 53, making him 48 of 63 for his career from 50-plus yards. His career conversion rate from beyond 50 yards (76.2%) trails only Robbie Gould in NFL history (76.3%). Prater made all three attempts for the game, also hitting from 25 and 48 yards.
**** This is the Matt Prater that is amongst the best FG kickers ever.****
......
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions vs. Chiefs preview: Game # 4 ( 2019 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/404/lions-chiefs-preview-game-2019
www.mlive.com/lions/2019/09/observations-lions-lose-heart-breaker-but-measure-up-against-nfls-elite.html
Observations: Lions lose heartbreaker, but measure up against NFL’s elite
Updated Sep 29, 2019; Posted Sep 29, 2019
Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs - September 29, 2019
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
DETROIT -- If this was a measuring stick game for the Lions, consider them measured up.
But that won’t make this loss hurt any less.
Matthew Stafford connected with Kenny Golladay on a go-ahead touchdown pass Sunday against Kansas City, but 2:20 was still showing on the clock, an eternity for the best passing attack in professional football. And Patrick Mahomes didn’t disappoint.Facing a fourth-and-8 that could have ended the game, Mahomes ran free for 15 yards, extending a series that went 13 plays and culminated with Darrel Williams plowing into the end zone with 20 seconds left to finally put away Detroit 34-30 on a wild Sunday at Ford Field.
That spoiled a valiant upset bid from the Lions (2-1-1), who contained Mahomes for much of the day, including holding Kansas City to a season-low 13 points in the first half. Mahomes finished with 315 yards passing, a season low, and no touchdown passes, which snapped a streak of 14 games where he had at least two scoring passes. That’s just one game short of the NFL record.
He completed zero downfield passes (on night attempts) in a game for the first time in his career.
And Detroit did it despite playing without half its starting secondary, as top corner Darius Slay was sidelined by a hamstring injury and then top safety Quandre Diggs was lost in the first quarter to a hamstring injury of his own.
Detroit weathered a wild third quarter that featured five straight fumbles by the two teams, two of which were lost by the Lions in the red zone, and one of which was coughed up by running back Kerryon Johnson right at the goal line. The Lions thought the play was over, but the referees never blew the whistle. Chiefs cornerback Baushad Breeland scooped up the ball and returned it 100 yards for a score that gave Kansas City a 20-13 lead.Detroit could have led by the same score had Johnson made it just a few more inches to cross the goal line. Instead, it was six the other way. A swing like that is so difficult to overcome against a power such as Kansas City, although the Lions very nearly did it.
Stafford led a nine-play, 79-yard drive late in the fourth quarter that featured him running over a linebacker despite his sore hip, hooking up with Marvin Hall -- playing for the injured Danny Amendola -- deep downfield, then finding Kenny Golladay for a toe-tapper along the left sideline of the end zone for a 30-27 lead.
The play stood after a review, which showed Golladay dragging his second foot within a shadow of the end line. It was his second score of the half, and Detroit was one defensive stop from pulling the upset.
But with 2:26 still showing on the clock, it was just too much time for this Chiefs offense. And the defense, bending so much through the day, finally broke against the NFL’s best.
Detroit did have one more opportunity after the TD, getting back the ball with 20 seconds left, then Stafford finding Marvin Jones and Logan Thomas with quick passes to set up two Hail Marys from Kansas City’s 44-yard line. Both fell incomplete, ending a wild game that will burn today but shows this Lions team just might be onto something good.They’re off next week before traveling to Green Bay for a showdown with the Packers on Monday Night Football.
**** The Lions were much more competitive in this game than I thought was going to be the case once I saw the Lions Game Day Inactive List. It was a heck of an effort by the Lions against a Chiefs team that's a prime AFC Super Bowl contender. The Lions Defense unable to keep Patrick Mahomes in contain on the 4th and 8 play in the final 2 minutes of the game was arguably the biggest play of the game. Especially, because of when it occurred. It was either that play or one of the key 3rd QTR plays in the Red Zone that was a horrible result for the Lions.
Of the 2 plays in the 3rd QTR in which the replay system worked against the Lions, the one in which Kenny Golladay's TD was overturned as an incomplete pass result is the call that's disturbing on this end. That play proves that a completion vs. an incompletion is a subjective call. Once a TD was called on the field, the call shouldn't have been reversed. There wasn't indisputable evidence to reverse the call. The fact that Matthew Stafford was stripped of the ball on the next play resulting in Chiefs DT Chris Jones recovering the ball impacts the bad replay decision by the NFL that much more. The Kerryon Johnson fumble, 100 yard Return for a TD by the Chiefs that was in essence a 14 point swing, looked like the right decision. The Lions need to learn from that play in multiple ways.
On the final play of the game, it looked like Marvin Jones was interfered with inside the Chiefs 5 yard line. The NFL should have reviewed that call. The bottom line is the NFL Replay system is highly flawed.
The injuries to Quandre Diggs and T.J. Hockenson are a huge concern moving forward. There's also no telling how Matthew Stafford will be following the bye week. It was a gutsy winning level performance by Stafford. ****
Here are some more instant observations:
-- Stafford made his 132nd straight regular-season start, the sixth longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history, despite suffering a hip injury that limited him in practice on Friday. But Detroit’s decision to activate both backup quarterbacks behind him -- an extremely rare move -- is telling about the kind of pain with which he’s dealing. The Lions clearly thought there was a chance he would not be able to finish the game, and it was easy to see why. Stafford appeared to be in pain throughout the game, moving stiffly and awkwardly between snaps and on the bench. It didn’t appear to affect his game much, as he completed 21 of 34 passes for 291 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, plus lowering his shoulder into a linebacker for a key run late in the fourth quarter. But it might have affected his mobility overall. Stafford was sacked four times, after not being sacked at all the last two weeks, and moved around less than he had the last three weeks.-
**** The key question is whether treatments substantial help Stafford in the coming days and when the Lions return to practice? Stafford is the only player on the team that's irreplaceable. ****
- Stafford’s three touchdown passes gives him 246 for his career, moving him past John Hadle (244) and into sole possession of 24th place on the all-time list. Up next is Boomer Esiason with 247.
**** If Matthew Stafford is healthy enough over the next few seasons to perform at or near his current level, he's going to move way up in the NFL record book in a number of passing categories. ****
-- Welcome back, Kerryon. The second-year back has been running well, and his line has been blocking well (for the most part), but the running game struggled to get going against overloaded boxes. Nobody in Detroit was panicking this week, and sure enough, Johnson got rolling against a less-stout front. He set a new game-high for the season in the first half alone (65 yards on 12 carries) and finished with 125 yards on 26 carries overall, the third time he’s cracked triple digits in 14 career games. But he also had the goal-line fumble, which was returned for a touchdown the other way, a pivotal turn in the loss.-
**** The fumble was a huge costly mistake in an otherwise strong collective performance. Kerryon Johnson wasn't as consistent in pass protection though. ****
- Already down top cornerback Darius Slay, the Lions lost top safety Quandre Diggs to a hamstring injury in the first quarter. Then Mike Ford, the injury replacement for Slay at cornerback, left the game in the third quarter with an injury of his own. He eventually returned. But Detroit’s defense hardly missed a beat, holding Kansas City to a season-low 13 points in the first half. Mahomes finished with 315 yards, a season low, and no touchdowns. His passer rating (81.0) was his worst since Week 5 of last year, and the third worst of his career overall. But in the fourth quarter, the reigning MVP did enough to hold off Detroit, including scrambling for 15 yards on that key fourth-and-8 to extend a series that wound up going 13 plays for the game-winning score.
-- Justin Coleman was among the cast of Lions defenders who stepped up in Slay’s absence, punching out the ball to break up a Patrick Mahomes pass into the end zone, then later ripping the ball out of Sammy Watkins’ hands for a fumble. That led to a touchdown catch by Kenny Golladay, giving Detroit a 23-20 lead in the third quarter. In a way, Coleman played a key role in a 14-point swing, with the TD he took off the board for KC and then the TD he set up for Detroit. Big plays from a cornerback who has played very well in his first quarter of a season with the Lions. He was also credited with two passes defended.-
**** The CB play in this game, including what S Tracy Walker provided in coverage ( he was in man to man coverage often ), was a positive. The Lions handled the loss of Darius Slay this time around much better than in Chicago last November.
Justin Coleman also broke up what would have been a TD pass to Sammy Watkins in the 2nd QTR. The Chiefs settled for a FG. ****
- Jamal Agnew continued his redemption tour by making another big play on special teams, and this time, he didn’t even need the ball to do it. Agnew opened the second half by punching the ball out of Mecole Hardman’s hands on the kickoff. It was a huge play, with Kansas City having just knotted the score at 13-all at the end of the first half and then getting back the ball to open the third. Agnew resumed his duties as the full-time return man too, including on punt return, where Danny Amendola started last week. Amendola did not play against Kansas City because of a chest injury.
**** Excellent play by Jamal Agnew. It should have resulted in Lions points and would have if not for bad decision in reversing Kenny Golladay's TD. ****
-- The Lions looked like they had turned that Agnew-forced turnover into a touchdown, with Kenny Golladay making a circus catch in the end zone. But the officials overturned the score upon review, determining the ball was loose as Golladay fell onto the end line. That provided disastrous, as Matthew Stafford fumbled on the next play. After punching out the ball on special teams and then driving deep into Chiefs territory, the Lions came away with zero points. Against a team like this, as I said, disastrous.p
**** The Lions drive following the fumble recovery began in Chiefs territory. The Lions were already in Matt Prater's FG range. ****
-- In addition to Coleman and Agnew, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Trey Flowers were credited with forcing fumbles in that wacky third quarter. Reeves-Maybin, Coleman and A’Shawn Robinson were credited with fumble recoveries.
**** Great play by Trey Flowers, who I thought had a strong all around game.****
-- T.J. Hockenson scored the first touchdown of the day, a neat little 5-yarder that stretched Detroit’s lead to 10-0 in the first quarter. But disaster struck in the third quarter when he tried to leap two defenders after making a catch over the middle. They didn’t go for it, and Hockenson wound up spinning through the air before landing on his head. It was a serious sight, with Hockenson laying motionless on the field for several moments before finally moving his legs, to some loud cheers from the home crowd. He was carted to the locker room and evaluated for a brain injury. Now the attention turns to the long-term health of the No. 8 overall pick.
**** Bad decision by T.J. Hockenson. Hopefully, he didn't suffer a concussion or any other injury that's concerning moving forward. Unfortunately, that probably won't be the case.****
-- The Lions opened the game by driving 68 yards over 10 plays, but the possession died inside the 5 when Matthew Stafford was sacked on third down. It was his first sack since Week 1, after going back-to-back games without a sack for the first time since 2011. He took four sacks for the day.
**** The first sack was a coverage sack. The Lions only had 3 players go out into patterns on the play. The Chiefs had 7 in coverage. ****
-- Starting receiver Danny Amendola missed the game with a chest injury, which was a bit of a surprise. He missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but there was hope around Allen Park that he’d still be able to go. That didn’t happen. Without him, Marvin Hall and Tom Kennedy were up. Hall served as the de facto third receiver, although the Lions actually started running back J.D. McKissic in the slot. T.J. Hockenson also played a lot there too, as Detroit rolled with a ton of two- and three-tight end sets.-
****J.D. McKissic and Marvin Hall stepped up. Hall's catch inside the 10 on a long pass down the left sideline helped set up the Lions go ahead TD to Kenny Golladay that made the score 30-27 following the PAT. McKissic is one of the Lions top playmakers. ****
- In the third quarter, the Lions did a great job to draw Kansas City offsides after lining up for a 58-yard kick. Matt Prater pounded through the ensuing attempt from 53, making him 48 of 63 for his career from 50-plus yards. His career conversion rate from beyond 50 yards (76.2%) trails only Robbie Gould in NFL history (76.3%). Prater made all three attempts for the game, also hitting from 25 and 48 yards.
**** This is the Matt Prater that is amongst the best FG kickers ever.****
......
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions vs. Chiefs preview: Game # 4 ( 2019 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/404/lions-chiefs-preview-game-2019