Post by D6 on Nov 11, 2019 0:42:20 GMT -5
Thoughts in ****
www.mlive.com/lions/2019/11/observations-lions-struggle-without-matthew-stafford-in-loss-to-lowly-bears.html
Observations: Lions struggle without Matthew Stafford in loss to lowly Bears
Updated 5:30 PM;Today 4:13 PM
70
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears - November 10, 2019
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
CHICAGO -- Mitchell Trubisky had just thrown his third touchdown pass in as many drives. Yes, that Mitchell Trubisky. You know, one of the worst quarterbacks in the league this season. He’d just thrown his third touchdown pass, and the Lions were facing a second-and-10 while already down 20-6.
And they ran Paul Perkins right up the middle. It got 2 yards.
The Lions went on to lose 20-13 on Sunday against Chicago, in a game every bit as ugly as that score indicates. They were playing without quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Kerryon Johnson, then lost replacement running back Ty Johnson -- and, later, right tackle Rick Wagner for good measure.Just like that, Detroit’s top-five offense was neutered beyond recognition. A unit that had more 20-yard passes than any other team in the league was struggling to complete anything beyond 5. So even when they faced, say, a second-and-long, they were running a guy like Paul Perkins, who was in for Ty Johnson, who was in for Tra Carson, who was in for Kerryon Johnson, into the heart of one of the best defenses in the league.
It didn’t work. Nothing did.
Jeff Driskel completed 7 of his first 8 passes, but it was immediately evident he’d be doing very little work downfield. Everything was dink and dunk. It worked early, as the Lions tallied the game’s first two scores. But they also couldn’t find the end zone, and settled for a 6-0 lead.
Then their defense -- already on pace for their worst season in franchise history -- fell apart against one of the worst offenses in the league.
The killer run began at the end of the first half, when safety Will Harris was beat by Ben Braunecker -- a third-string tight end -- and Trubisky hit his man for an 18-yard touchdown. That gave Chicago a 7-6 lead heading into halftime. Then coming out of the break, Lions cornerback Justin Coleman and linebacker Christian Jones ran into each other and Trubisky found Tarik Cohen for an uncontested 9-yard touchdown. The next series, it was a 24-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Gabriel.
That’s three straight touchdown passes from a guy who didn’t have any touchdowns at all in five of his seven games this season. Just like that, Detroit trailed 20-6. And with Jeff Driskel in the game, it might have well been 100-6.
He did make a game of it late, driving to Chicago’s 25-yard line with 7 seconds left. But his final pass fluttered harmlessly through the back of the end zone, and he crossed the line of scrimmage before cutting that ball loose anyway. Matthew Stafford, he is not.
The loss was Detroit’s fifth in six games and drops the club to 3-5-1 on the season -- good for dead last in the NFC North. And with the way that defense is playing, and the way their quarterback is hurting, along with so many others, you have to wonder if that’s where they’ll stay for good.
**** Every Lions loss is disappointing. But this one wasn't surprising. Once the Bears began to throw intermediate and deep passes, the Lions Defense was exposed on 3 straight Bears drives. The Lions run Defense was good for the most part. The Bears coaches realized that they had to open up. It paid dividends for them.
With the limitations the Lions were dealing with on Offense, that much more after Ty Johnson and Rick Wagner suffered concussions in the 1st Half, the Lions Defense needed to keep the Bears out of the end zone. Though the Lions fought to the end and were within one play and a PAT of tying the game up, it felt to me from the end of the 2nd QTR on that the Bears clearly were the better team based on available players. There were some good performances and gutsy performances in the Lions loss. The likely situation for the remainder of the season is measuring progress, not competing for a playoff spot. With the Lions injury situation at present, this team has a much better chance of losing all remaining 7 games than winning them. Right now, the game against Dallas next Sunday ( I haven"t watched any of the Vikings-Cowboys game yet ) looks like a game the Lions are overmatched. ****
Here are some more instant observations:
-- Driskel executed the basic stuff well enough, including hitting on seven of his first eight passes. But the lone miss was a bad one in the end zone. He later missed a wide-open Kenny Golladay over the middle. He missed almost everything downfield, actually. Matthew Stafford was leading the league in 20-yard passes, but Driskel managed just one until he found Golladay for a 47-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. It was an OK effort from a backup who has been in Detroit less than two months. But with that a defense like Detroit’s, that’s not enough, even against a Bears team that had lost four straight games. -
**** Jeff Driskel did as well as could have realistically been expected of a QB who never threw a pass for the Lions in any type of game and didn't have a typical starter's reps with the Lions at any time.
The one negative thing that stood out about Driskel's performance more than anything is he waited too long repeatedly to throw to the target he eventually threw too. This made it much easier for the Bears to defend these passes. The scouting report I posted this morning in the Driskel thread mentioned he has a history of not anticipating his receivers routes until he sees the receiver's break. How much of this can be improved with more practice reps and game experience in this Offense is a difficult question to answer.
There were too many times in this game that Driskel birddogged the receiver he threw too, instead of attempting to move defenders. Driskel didn't see to go through progressions often enough. ****
- Driskel’s dink-and-dunk debut was reminiscent of Detroit’s offense down the stretch last season, when Kerryon Johnson and Marvin Jones were hurt, Golden Tate was traded and Matthew Stafford was playing through a broken back. There was just no explosion whatsoever, nor attempts for it. Same deal today. And as bad as it was, we may see even more of it. Matthew Stafford reportedly has fractured bones in his back. If doctors wouldn’t clear him this week, I don’t know why they’d clear him next week either. Broken bones don’t heal that quickly.
I’m not a doctor, and I’m certainly not Matthew Stafford’s doctor, but I think the odds are good we’ll see more Driskel in the near future. And that’s a very bad sign for the Lions’ chances of pulling out of this nosedive. They can’t run the ball and their defense is bad enough to make even Mitchell Trubisky look competent. The only thing they really had going for them was a third-rank passing attack piloted by the most productive quarterback in the game. And without him, this team doesn’t stand a chance.-
**** Despite what Dan Fouts said on the Lions / overall final drive of the game, the Bears Pass Rush was causing the Lions a lot of problems in the game. This made it much more difficult for the Lions to function well with the deep passing game. Once Rick Wagner suffered a Concussion in the 2nd QTR, the Lions regularly were keeping one or more extra blockers in on passing plays. Tyrell Crosby frequently struggled at RT, particularly as a pass blocker, when he didn't have help. Even beyond the plays he wasn't matched up against Khalil Mack. That limited the number of players the Lions sent out in patterns. Taylor Decker was the bright spot as a pass blocker on the Offensive Line. On the passing play he was called for Holding Leonard Floyd, it took a long time for Dan Amendola to get open. The Holding penalty wiped out a chunk passing play that would have put the Lions in the Red Zone. With limited targets in the pattern, it's hard for me to find fault with Decker on the play. Since overcoming the back injury that kept him out of the LA Chargers game, Decker has improved greatly. He looks like a player the Lions should keep under the 5th Year option, in 2020.
- The Lions were banged up as they made the turn into the second half of the season, then suffered even more attrition in Chicago. Running back Ty Johnson left the game in the first quarter with a brain injury, leaving Detroit with just J.D. McKissic and Paul Perkins at the position. A quarter later, right tackle Rick Wagner was carted to the locker room with a brain injury of his own. Suddenly, the Lions’ offense was down its quarterback, three running backs and an offensive lineman for good measure. No wonder they looked like, you know, that.
**** Injuries have very likely derailed the Lions season. Once Ty Johnson went down with a concussion, not one other Halfback on the Lions Game Day ( and overall 53 man ) roster, was even with the team when the pre-season ended.
My guess is the Lions will put in a waiver claim for RB Mike Davis, who the Bears released on Saturday. Davis played under Darrell Bevell in Seattle. Davis could easily be the Lions most used rusher sooner rather than later if he ends up on the Lions on Monday. If not a Compensatory Draft Pick issue, Davis would almost certainly still be with the Bears. ****
-- But the defense took its lumps too. Mike Daniels returned, but just as Da’Shawn Hand and Romeo Okwara were knocked out of the lineup by injuries. Then A’Shawn Robinson suffered a thumb injury that limited him in the second half. Then Kevin Strong left the game with a rib injury. By the end of the game, Detroit had only three healthy defensive linemen, as well as three safeties. Then Tavon Wilson left the game with an injury of his own, leaving Detroit with exactly two safeties: Rookies Will Harris and C.J. Moore. Wilson later returned, but that defense was clearly hurting. Then star cornerback Darius Slay left in the fourth quarter. Then -- yes, there’s yet another then -- Daniels limped off the field in the closing minutes. Yikes. -
****I wasn't even aware of the injuries A'Shawn Robinson, Kevin Strong, and Tavon Wilson suffered in the game ( bad job by CBS ). The injury to Mike Daniels, who made his presence felt on some passing plays, is especially concerning moving forward for the Lions. This team is a MASH unit!****
- The Lions were supposed to have one of the best defenses in the league. Instead, they can’t even stop the freaking Bears. They stood tall early, sure, allowing just 25 yards on their first four defensive series. But then they allowed Mitchell Trubisky to throw three straight touchdown passes. Just for comparison, Trubisky had two touchdown passes in his last four games combined. This guy has been one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league -- so bad, he was booed early and often at Soldier Field. Not exactly what you’re looking for from a top-five pick who is still on his rookie contract. But the Lions helped make him look like Tom Brady. He finished 16 of 23 passing for 173 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers at all. His 131.0 quarterback rating was his highest since -- you guessed it! He hung 355 yards and three touchdowns on Detroit last season. Trash.
- **** All week long I thought many were underestimating the Bears Offensive talent, especially when factoring in the Lions Defensive injuries going into this game. While it took around 27 minutes of game time for the Bears to get untrack on Offense ( in terms of their passing game ), the Lions found out the hard way that the Bears have plenty of potential / ability on Offense. They have issues. But with the current state of the Lions, those issues weren't enough to deny the Bears a win. The Lions didn't force a turnover and had one of their own that led to a short TD drive. An enormous factor in the outcome of the game. The Lions have one takeaway in the last 4 games. The one, the Jarrad Davis forced fumble on QB Daniel Jones, which Devon Kennard returned for a TD, contributed greatly to the Lions only win in these 4 games. ****
- It wasn’t all bad news for the defense. Mike Daniels finally made his return from a foot injury, and even recorded his first sack with Detroit. Sure, it came in Week 10 and with the Lions’ playoff chances hovering somewhere just above zero, but hey, you paid him $8.1 million, might as well get something for him. Trey Flowers also got home for a sack -- the third straight game he’s done that -- and Devon Kennard chipped in his first sack since the opener.-
**** The pass rush was better than it usual is. But a large part of that was because the Bears personnel issues on the Offensive Line, including their snapping problems. Mike Daniels' return definitely contributed to the improved pass rush. Unfortunately, who knows when, even if, he will be back in game action following yet another foot related injury.****
- Change could be afoot at linebacker, where Jarrad Davis rotated out in certain packages. He’s usually an every-down player, but Jahlani Tavai replaced him alongside Devon Kennard on a few series against Chicago. The Lions love Davis’ experience, tenacity, leadership, general will-to, but there’s no disputing he has struggled this season. He was ranked the worst linebacker in the league heading into the weekend, according to ProFootballFocus. He did finish with a team-high eight tackles against Chicago -- and it’ll be interesting to monitor his role going forward.
****,Jarrad Davis played better in this game than he has been playing. Yet, him not being dependable enough to get full snaps at LB, might have proved costly on Tarik Cohen's TD reception. If Davis was on the field and in proper position, he would have had a better chance than Christian Jones to make a prevent a TD. Davis displaced explosiveness on the inside blitz ( dog ) that led to LG James Daniels being called for holding Davis.****
- Graham Glasgow returned to the starting lineup at right guard. He missed last week’s game with a back injury. But Detroit’s offensive line remained intact for just a quarter, before Rick Wagner was carted to the locker room with a brain injury.
**** None of the Lions interior Offensive Lineman were consistent enough in this game. But the problems Tyrell Crosby had were much more pronounced. ****
.
.......
This thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Bears preview: Game # 9 ( 2019 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/469/lions-bears-preview-game-2019
www.mlive.com/lions/2019/11/observations-lions-struggle-without-matthew-stafford-in-loss-to-lowly-bears.html
Observations: Lions struggle without Matthew Stafford in loss to lowly Bears
Updated 5:30 PM;Today 4:13 PM
70
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears - November 10, 2019
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
CHICAGO -- Mitchell Trubisky had just thrown his third touchdown pass in as many drives. Yes, that Mitchell Trubisky. You know, one of the worst quarterbacks in the league this season. He’d just thrown his third touchdown pass, and the Lions were facing a second-and-10 while already down 20-6.
And they ran Paul Perkins right up the middle. It got 2 yards.
The Lions went on to lose 20-13 on Sunday against Chicago, in a game every bit as ugly as that score indicates. They were playing without quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Kerryon Johnson, then lost replacement running back Ty Johnson -- and, later, right tackle Rick Wagner for good measure.Just like that, Detroit’s top-five offense was neutered beyond recognition. A unit that had more 20-yard passes than any other team in the league was struggling to complete anything beyond 5. So even when they faced, say, a second-and-long, they were running a guy like Paul Perkins, who was in for Ty Johnson, who was in for Tra Carson, who was in for Kerryon Johnson, into the heart of one of the best defenses in the league.
It didn’t work. Nothing did.
Jeff Driskel completed 7 of his first 8 passes, but it was immediately evident he’d be doing very little work downfield. Everything was dink and dunk. It worked early, as the Lions tallied the game’s first two scores. But they also couldn’t find the end zone, and settled for a 6-0 lead.
Then their defense -- already on pace for their worst season in franchise history -- fell apart against one of the worst offenses in the league.
The killer run began at the end of the first half, when safety Will Harris was beat by Ben Braunecker -- a third-string tight end -- and Trubisky hit his man for an 18-yard touchdown. That gave Chicago a 7-6 lead heading into halftime. Then coming out of the break, Lions cornerback Justin Coleman and linebacker Christian Jones ran into each other and Trubisky found Tarik Cohen for an uncontested 9-yard touchdown. The next series, it was a 24-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Gabriel.
That’s three straight touchdown passes from a guy who didn’t have any touchdowns at all in five of his seven games this season. Just like that, Detroit trailed 20-6. And with Jeff Driskel in the game, it might have well been 100-6.
He did make a game of it late, driving to Chicago’s 25-yard line with 7 seconds left. But his final pass fluttered harmlessly through the back of the end zone, and he crossed the line of scrimmage before cutting that ball loose anyway. Matthew Stafford, he is not.
The loss was Detroit’s fifth in six games and drops the club to 3-5-1 on the season -- good for dead last in the NFC North. And with the way that defense is playing, and the way their quarterback is hurting, along with so many others, you have to wonder if that’s where they’ll stay for good.
**** Every Lions loss is disappointing. But this one wasn't surprising. Once the Bears began to throw intermediate and deep passes, the Lions Defense was exposed on 3 straight Bears drives. The Lions run Defense was good for the most part. The Bears coaches realized that they had to open up. It paid dividends for them.
With the limitations the Lions were dealing with on Offense, that much more after Ty Johnson and Rick Wagner suffered concussions in the 1st Half, the Lions Defense needed to keep the Bears out of the end zone. Though the Lions fought to the end and were within one play and a PAT of tying the game up, it felt to me from the end of the 2nd QTR on that the Bears clearly were the better team based on available players. There were some good performances and gutsy performances in the Lions loss. The likely situation for the remainder of the season is measuring progress, not competing for a playoff spot. With the Lions injury situation at present, this team has a much better chance of losing all remaining 7 games than winning them. Right now, the game against Dallas next Sunday ( I haven"t watched any of the Vikings-Cowboys game yet ) looks like a game the Lions are overmatched. ****
Here are some more instant observations:
-- Driskel executed the basic stuff well enough, including hitting on seven of his first eight passes. But the lone miss was a bad one in the end zone. He later missed a wide-open Kenny Golladay over the middle. He missed almost everything downfield, actually. Matthew Stafford was leading the league in 20-yard passes, but Driskel managed just one until he found Golladay for a 47-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. It was an OK effort from a backup who has been in Detroit less than two months. But with that a defense like Detroit’s, that’s not enough, even against a Bears team that had lost four straight games. -
**** Jeff Driskel did as well as could have realistically been expected of a QB who never threw a pass for the Lions in any type of game and didn't have a typical starter's reps with the Lions at any time.
The one negative thing that stood out about Driskel's performance more than anything is he waited too long repeatedly to throw to the target he eventually threw too. This made it much easier for the Bears to defend these passes. The scouting report I posted this morning in the Driskel thread mentioned he has a history of not anticipating his receivers routes until he sees the receiver's break. How much of this can be improved with more practice reps and game experience in this Offense is a difficult question to answer.
There were too many times in this game that Driskel birddogged the receiver he threw too, instead of attempting to move defenders. Driskel didn't see to go through progressions often enough. ****
- Driskel’s dink-and-dunk debut was reminiscent of Detroit’s offense down the stretch last season, when Kerryon Johnson and Marvin Jones were hurt, Golden Tate was traded and Matthew Stafford was playing through a broken back. There was just no explosion whatsoever, nor attempts for it. Same deal today. And as bad as it was, we may see even more of it. Matthew Stafford reportedly has fractured bones in his back. If doctors wouldn’t clear him this week, I don’t know why they’d clear him next week either. Broken bones don’t heal that quickly.
I’m not a doctor, and I’m certainly not Matthew Stafford’s doctor, but I think the odds are good we’ll see more Driskel in the near future. And that’s a very bad sign for the Lions’ chances of pulling out of this nosedive. They can’t run the ball and their defense is bad enough to make even Mitchell Trubisky look competent. The only thing they really had going for them was a third-rank passing attack piloted by the most productive quarterback in the game. And without him, this team doesn’t stand a chance.-
**** Despite what Dan Fouts said on the Lions / overall final drive of the game, the Bears Pass Rush was causing the Lions a lot of problems in the game. This made it much more difficult for the Lions to function well with the deep passing game. Once Rick Wagner suffered a Concussion in the 2nd QTR, the Lions regularly were keeping one or more extra blockers in on passing plays. Tyrell Crosby frequently struggled at RT, particularly as a pass blocker, when he didn't have help. Even beyond the plays he wasn't matched up against Khalil Mack. That limited the number of players the Lions sent out in patterns. Taylor Decker was the bright spot as a pass blocker on the Offensive Line. On the passing play he was called for Holding Leonard Floyd, it took a long time for Dan Amendola to get open. The Holding penalty wiped out a chunk passing play that would have put the Lions in the Red Zone. With limited targets in the pattern, it's hard for me to find fault with Decker on the play. Since overcoming the back injury that kept him out of the LA Chargers game, Decker has improved greatly. He looks like a player the Lions should keep under the 5th Year option, in 2020.
- The Lions were banged up as they made the turn into the second half of the season, then suffered even more attrition in Chicago. Running back Ty Johnson left the game in the first quarter with a brain injury, leaving Detroit with just J.D. McKissic and Paul Perkins at the position. A quarter later, right tackle Rick Wagner was carted to the locker room with a brain injury of his own. Suddenly, the Lions’ offense was down its quarterback, three running backs and an offensive lineman for good measure. No wonder they looked like, you know, that.
**** Injuries have very likely derailed the Lions season. Once Ty Johnson went down with a concussion, not one other Halfback on the Lions Game Day ( and overall 53 man ) roster, was even with the team when the pre-season ended.
My guess is the Lions will put in a waiver claim for RB Mike Davis, who the Bears released on Saturday. Davis played under Darrell Bevell in Seattle. Davis could easily be the Lions most used rusher sooner rather than later if he ends up on the Lions on Monday. If not a Compensatory Draft Pick issue, Davis would almost certainly still be with the Bears. ****
-- But the defense took its lumps too. Mike Daniels returned, but just as Da’Shawn Hand and Romeo Okwara were knocked out of the lineup by injuries. Then A’Shawn Robinson suffered a thumb injury that limited him in the second half. Then Kevin Strong left the game with a rib injury. By the end of the game, Detroit had only three healthy defensive linemen, as well as three safeties. Then Tavon Wilson left the game with an injury of his own, leaving Detroit with exactly two safeties: Rookies Will Harris and C.J. Moore. Wilson later returned, but that defense was clearly hurting. Then star cornerback Darius Slay left in the fourth quarter. Then -- yes, there’s yet another then -- Daniels limped off the field in the closing minutes. Yikes. -
****I wasn't even aware of the injuries A'Shawn Robinson, Kevin Strong, and Tavon Wilson suffered in the game ( bad job by CBS ). The injury to Mike Daniels, who made his presence felt on some passing plays, is especially concerning moving forward for the Lions. This team is a MASH unit!****
- The Lions were supposed to have one of the best defenses in the league. Instead, they can’t even stop the freaking Bears. They stood tall early, sure, allowing just 25 yards on their first four defensive series. But then they allowed Mitchell Trubisky to throw three straight touchdown passes. Just for comparison, Trubisky had two touchdown passes in his last four games combined. This guy has been one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league -- so bad, he was booed early and often at Soldier Field. Not exactly what you’re looking for from a top-five pick who is still on his rookie contract. But the Lions helped make him look like Tom Brady. He finished 16 of 23 passing for 173 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers at all. His 131.0 quarterback rating was his highest since -- you guessed it! He hung 355 yards and three touchdowns on Detroit last season. Trash.
- **** All week long I thought many were underestimating the Bears Offensive talent, especially when factoring in the Lions Defensive injuries going into this game. While it took around 27 minutes of game time for the Bears to get untrack on Offense ( in terms of their passing game ), the Lions found out the hard way that the Bears have plenty of potential / ability on Offense. They have issues. But with the current state of the Lions, those issues weren't enough to deny the Bears a win. The Lions didn't force a turnover and had one of their own that led to a short TD drive. An enormous factor in the outcome of the game. The Lions have one takeaway in the last 4 games. The one, the Jarrad Davis forced fumble on QB Daniel Jones, which Devon Kennard returned for a TD, contributed greatly to the Lions only win in these 4 games. ****
- It wasn’t all bad news for the defense. Mike Daniels finally made his return from a foot injury, and even recorded his first sack with Detroit. Sure, it came in Week 10 and with the Lions’ playoff chances hovering somewhere just above zero, but hey, you paid him $8.1 million, might as well get something for him. Trey Flowers also got home for a sack -- the third straight game he’s done that -- and Devon Kennard chipped in his first sack since the opener.-
**** The pass rush was better than it usual is. But a large part of that was because the Bears personnel issues on the Offensive Line, including their snapping problems. Mike Daniels' return definitely contributed to the improved pass rush. Unfortunately, who knows when, even if, he will be back in game action following yet another foot related injury.****
- Change could be afoot at linebacker, where Jarrad Davis rotated out in certain packages. He’s usually an every-down player, but Jahlani Tavai replaced him alongside Devon Kennard on a few series against Chicago. The Lions love Davis’ experience, tenacity, leadership, general will-to, but there’s no disputing he has struggled this season. He was ranked the worst linebacker in the league heading into the weekend, according to ProFootballFocus. He did finish with a team-high eight tackles against Chicago -- and it’ll be interesting to monitor his role going forward.
****,Jarrad Davis played better in this game than he has been playing. Yet, him not being dependable enough to get full snaps at LB, might have proved costly on Tarik Cohen's TD reception. If Davis was on the field and in proper position, he would have had a better chance than Christian Jones to make a prevent a TD. Davis displaced explosiveness on the inside blitz ( dog ) that led to LG James Daniels being called for holding Davis.****
- Graham Glasgow returned to the starting lineup at right guard. He missed last week’s game with a back injury. But Detroit’s offensive line remained intact for just a quarter, before Rick Wagner was carted to the locker room with a brain injury.
**** None of the Lions interior Offensive Lineman were consistent enough in this game. But the problems Tyrell Crosby had were much more pronounced. ****
.
.......
This thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Bears preview: Game # 9 ( 2019 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/469/lions-bears-preview-game-2019