Post by D6 on Nov 9, 2020 0:15:37 GMT -5
Thoughts in ****
Observations: Lions crushed by Vikings for ninth straight loss against NFC North
Observations: Lions crushed by Vikings for ninth straight loss against NFC North
The Lions went to Minnesota hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive at the season's midway point.
Observations: Lions crushed by Vikings for ninth straight loss against NFC North
Updated 4:24 PM; Today 4:08 PM
Week 9: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Detroit Lions thought they were going to contend for the division title this season. They had a mandate from ownership to at least compete for the playoffs. They might not even clear that very low bar.
You usually have to win at least one division game to do that. And halfway through the season, they still haven’t managed to do even that.
The Lions flew to Minnesota needing a win to keep their fragile playoff hopes intact, then got bludgeoned 34-20 by a Vikings team that has occupied the NFC North cellar for much of the year. That’s not a very good team. You have to beat teams like that if you want to compete for the playoffs. And the Lions (3-5) were almost doubled up.
Matt Patricia was brought in not just to contend -- the Lions were already a contender -- but to contend consistently. Instead, he hasn’t won a single game against his own division since Dec. 30, 2018. He’s lost his last nine games in a row against the NFC North, and is just 2-13 overall.
If he was brought in to make Detroit a consistent contender -- which he was -- he’s going to have an increasingly difficult time proving to ownership that he’s getting any closer to that goal. A midseason change is probably unlikely at this point, given the COVIDness of the NFL, but Patricia is not helping his case to make it into 2021.
Matthew Stafford did make the start after missing the week of practice while on the COVID list, but left the game in the third quarter after taking a blow to the head on a sack. He was taken to the locker room and evaluated for a brain injury. He cleared that protocol and is OK.
That ended an uneven return to the field. He completed 16 straight passes in the first half, despite playing without top receiver Kenny Golladay, and hit Marvin Jones with a 15-yard touchdown pass that pulled Detroit within 13-10 late in the half. But he struggled in the second half, including not seeing linebacker Eric Wilson at all while in Vikings territory. Stafford threw the ball right to him for another ugly interception, and Stafford was so upset that he punched the bench with his throwing hand.
Then Austin Bryant bailed him out by blocking the ensuing punt, Detroit’s second in as many weeks -- and Romeo Okwara later added a third -- to give the Lions another shot. Stafford drove them to the 5-yard line too, but then threw yet another pick, this one to Eric Kendricks in the end zone.
With the Lions already down 27-10 late in the third quarter, their odds were already slim. Then Stafford left the game a short time later, lengthening those odds. Then Dalvin Cook ripped Detroit for a 70-yard touchdown on their first play from scrimmage after the Stafford injury, blowing away the odds completely.
The Lions can’t hang. They’re not good enough. They haven’t been good enough to win a single division game in the first half of the season, nor all of last year for that matter. So there’s no reason to think they can compete for the playoffs in the second half of the season, much less the division itself. There’s still half a season to go, and the only realistic thing left for this team to play for are jobs next year.
**** First, thankfully Matthew Stafford cleared concussion protocol. It's ironic that with all of the physical beatings Stafford has gone through against Mike Zimmer led Vikings Defenses over the years, against the least talented and experienced Vikings Defense, this is the first Vikings game Stafford had to come out because of a possible concussion.
It's at or very near the point that it's evident that the Bob Quinn/ Matt Patricia combo is not an answer for the Lions. As badly as the Lions Defense played against the run in this game, I'm more disturbed by the play of the Lions Offense. Which includes coaching. I expressed for days that I thought the Lions would likely have huge problems against Dalvin Cook. The Lions Defensive performance was even somewhat worse than I expected. Based on past Lions-Vikings games the previous two seasons under Matt Patricia and the Lions Defensive personnel situation heading into this game, I expected the Lions to have major problems against the Vikings Offense. The loss of Trey Flowers in the 4th QTR of the Colts game was enormous. Most of the Lions Defensive problems against the run today weren't on the edge. However, Flowers' presence often makes players around him better.
On the other hand, even w/o Kenny Golladay and to a far less extent Jamal Agnew, there's no excuse for the Lions only getting one TD until well into the 4th QTR. With that TD set up at the Vikings 2 yard line because of a blocked punt by Romeo Okwara. Unlike in the loss to the Colts in which I thought the Lions Offensive Line was the # 1 reason for the problems on Offense, in today's game I thought the Lions Offensive Line played well for the most part until the latter part of the 3rd QTR. That's when the Vikings had a 17 point lead and the clock was beginning to become an issue.
This was a disappointing game for Danny Amendola. The good plays he made didn't compensate for him not running the pass route long enough on 3rd and 2 on the Lions first possession of the game. The result of the completion was 1 yard and the Lions had to punt. The Vikings then drove the ball down the field with ease on their first possession and the Lions were playing uphill as a result.
On the Lions first possession of the 3rd QTR, following the Lions forcing the Vikings to punt after one 1st Down + 3 other plays, Amendola dropped a 2nd and 4 pass that would have been a 1st Down or extremely close. The pass was a little low. But it's a pass an NFL WR must catch. An incomplete pass on 3rd Down resulted in a punt. The Lions were unable to come close to cutting tbe Vikings 10 point lead at that time.
D'Andre Swift also had a huge drop in the game. Granted, the Lions did convert on 3rd and 11 in which Stafford bought time in finding Marvin Hall over the middle in zone coverage. But right after that, Stafford apparently misread the coverage, resulting in an interception by LB Eric Wilson.
The Swift drop came right after Stafford's low screen pass to Adrian Peterson. An 8 yard gain was wiped out after the Vikings successfully won the challenge that the ball hit the ground before the catch.
On the first play of the game, Stafford underthrew Marvin Hall deep. Hall prevented an interception by CB Kris Boyd, who Hall had at least a step on.
Even though Stafford completed a 2nd and 1 play action pass to FB James Cabinda resulting in a 1st Down, the ball was throw somewhat late. This made Cabinda's task in securing the ball more difficult.
When combining Stafford's underthrown pass to Hall, the low passes, with him waiting too long to throw to Cabinda on the play I mentioned, the apparent misread of the coverage on the Wilson interception, and him forcing the ball to T.J. Hockenson ( or not throwing the ball higher ) on the 3rd and Goal from the 5 interception by LB Eric Kendricks near the back of the end zone, I think the missed practice time took its toll on Stafford / Lions.
The decision to call what looked like an Off Tackle ( or wider ) running play to Adrian Peterson on 3rd and Goal at the Vikings 1 in the 2nd QTR was a bad coaching decision by Darrell Bevell. It gets back to Peterson's speed and quickness limitations at this stage of his career. A 4 yard loss resulted. ****
Here are some more instant observations from the game:
-- Multiple Lions players got upset when asked whether their two-game winning streak against Jacksonville and Atlanta was just a mirage built on the backs of a couple one-win teams. They scoffed at the notion they might be more pretender than contender. But they haven’t done a very good job proving anything else. They were blown out at home by Indianapolis last week, then got blown out by the two-win Vikings this week. Since that modest two-game winning streak, Detroit has been outscored 75-41. Pretender, folks, and nothing else, and there’s no reason for it more than that defense, which continues to struggle with even the basics. Dalvin Cook just ripped them for 206 yards on just 22 carries -- that’s a whopping 9.4 yards per carry! -- while Kirk Cousins diced up their secondary for three more touchdowns. He now has 12 touchdowns against just one pick against Matt Patricia’s defense, and moves to 5-0 against Patricia overall.
**** The Lions are affected by injuries more than most teams in terms of not overcoming them. Maybe, a relatively healthy Lions team would have won at least one of the last two games. The Lions that were available for this game are not close to being a playoff contender.****
-- Matthew Stafford completed 16 straight passes during an impressive first half, but just 7 of 14 passes in the second half before going down with his suspected brain injury. He finished 23 of 32 overall for 211 yards, one touchdown and those two back-breaking picks. The touchdown pass to Jones was his 28th overall against Minnesota, moving him into sole possession of third place on the all-time list. The only players ever to throw more touchdown passes against the Vikings are Brett Favre (54) and Aaron Rodgers (50).
**** The Lions Defense inability to prevent a Vikings TD following the Marvin Jones TD reception and PAT ( 87 yard drive that began with 1:15 remaining in the first half ) changed the complexion of the game. Horrible job by the Defense on that drive. Defensive Coaching decisions on that drive. The Lions should have used less man coverage and more bend but not break after the Vikings got a 1st Down. ****
-- The Lions failed to score 21 points for the first time this season. They entered the weekend one of just six teams to hit the 21-point mark in all their games, joining Arizona, Kansas City, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Seattle.
**** Against the Defensive personnel the Vikings used, 20 points is not remotely acceptable. ****
-- The Lions went 13 years without a blocked punt. Miles Killebrew ended that drought last week against Indianapolis, then Austin Bryant made it back-to-back weeks in the third quarter -- and then, you bet, Romeo Okwara added another in the fourth quarter. That one came deep in Vikings territory too, and Chase Daniel turned it into six points with a 2-yard strike to T.J. Hockenson. Of course, the Lions still trailed 34-20, and their fate remained a foregone conclusion without Stafford in the game. Still, credit to Brayden Coombs. The Lions haven’t been very good this season, but the special teams have been outstanding outside of Matt Prater.
**** If the Lions have a new GM and HC in 2021, I hope they make it a priority to retain Branyden Coombs as Special Teams Coordinator. He's doing a remarkable job with a number of facets of Special Teams. ****
-- What’s wrong with Matt Prater? He missed five of his 31 attempts all last year. He’s now missed six of his first 17 attempts this year, after misfiring from 46 yards in the first quarter. Most of his early attempts were from well beyond 50 yards, so you could understand it. But Prater used to make those guys with regularity, and now he’s missing from everywhere. At 36 years old, and in a contract year no less, you have to wonder if we’re seeing the final days of Matt Prater -- one of the great long-ball artists in NFL history -- is in his final days in Detroit.
**** I'm not sure what is going on with Matt Prater. But he's clearly struggling. And it's been very costly to the Lions. ****
-- Why, oh why, do the Lions insist on benching D’Andre Swift inside the 5-yard line? He’s been the Lions’ most effective short-yardage back yet they keep trotting Adrian Peterson out there at the goal line. It happened on a key fourth down in Atlanta, and Peterson was dropped in the backfield. It just happened again in Minnesota, when Swift got Detroit to the 1-yard line, then was sent off the field. Detroit ran a stretch play to the right with Peterson, who was dropped in the backfield. Again. Yet Peterson continues to start, and continues to get most of the carries most weeks. I don’t understand it. Why, oh why, are you still giving Peterson the football in these critical situations?
**** Even if Swift wasn't ready after the previous play, Kerryon Johnson would have been a better option than Peterson. The Lions Red Zone Struggles without Kenny Golladay are enormous. ****
-- Peterson finished with 29 yards on eight carries in his return to Minnesota, where he became one of the best running backs of all time. He’s no longer that though, and his struggles are deepening by the week. Swift, conversely, rushed for 64 yards on 13 carries. It seems pretty clear at this point who should be playing ahead of who.
-- With Desmond Trufant back, Detroit oped to start rookie Jeff Okudah over Amani Oruwariye at cornerback. That move makes sense exactly one way: Okudah is the third overall pick in the draft, and Detroit has no choice but to develop him. That’s about it, though, because Oruwariye has been the better, more consistent player this season. Okudah was beat for a big catch by Justin Jefferson in the first half too, which led to a touchdown, then left the game in the second half with an ankle injury. Oruwariye had his own problems against Jefferson, including getting flagged for a pass interference near the goal line that led to another touchdown. It didn’t really matter who the Lions lined up out there -- Kirk Cousins was carving up all of them.
**** Desmond Trufant was by far the Lions best outside CB in this game. Arguably, the Lions best Defensive player on a day that many struggled mightily. ****
-- The Okudah injury was announced as safety Will Harris, playing for the injured Tracy Walker, was laying on the field with an injury of his own. Moments later, right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai left the game with a foot injury, leaving Detroit without two of its top three guards. Star defensive end Trey Flowers and star receiver Kenny Golladay didn’t play at all. What a mess for this team -- and we’re only halfway through it, with little sign the struggles will abate.
-- Tony McRae was carted off the field after helping spring Danny Amendola for a nice punt return in the second quarter. McRae isn’t a name many people know, but he’s one of Detroit’s best special teams players, and one of the better gunners in the league. You know about Jack Fox’s massive punt numbers, right? Well, that’s in part because of McRae’s excellent work getting down the field, dropping returners in their tracks, and downing a couple balls inside the 10-yard line, including one inside the 5.
**** The loss of Tony McRae could easily catch up to the Lions on Punt Coverage.
The overall injury situation has worsened immensely in the last two games. ****
............
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Vikings preview: Game # 8 ( 2020 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/809/lions-vikings-preview-game-2020
Observations: Lions crushed by Vikings for ninth straight loss against NFC North
Observations: Lions crushed by Vikings for ninth straight loss against NFC North
The Lions went to Minnesota hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive at the season's midway point.
Observations: Lions crushed by Vikings for ninth straight loss against NFC North
Updated 4:24 PM; Today 4:08 PM
Week 9: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Detroit Lions thought they were going to contend for the division title this season. They had a mandate from ownership to at least compete for the playoffs. They might not even clear that very low bar.
You usually have to win at least one division game to do that. And halfway through the season, they still haven’t managed to do even that.
The Lions flew to Minnesota needing a win to keep their fragile playoff hopes intact, then got bludgeoned 34-20 by a Vikings team that has occupied the NFC North cellar for much of the year. That’s not a very good team. You have to beat teams like that if you want to compete for the playoffs. And the Lions (3-5) were almost doubled up.
Matt Patricia was brought in not just to contend -- the Lions were already a contender -- but to contend consistently. Instead, he hasn’t won a single game against his own division since Dec. 30, 2018. He’s lost his last nine games in a row against the NFC North, and is just 2-13 overall.
If he was brought in to make Detroit a consistent contender -- which he was -- he’s going to have an increasingly difficult time proving to ownership that he’s getting any closer to that goal. A midseason change is probably unlikely at this point, given the COVIDness of the NFL, but Patricia is not helping his case to make it into 2021.
Matthew Stafford did make the start after missing the week of practice while on the COVID list, but left the game in the third quarter after taking a blow to the head on a sack. He was taken to the locker room and evaluated for a brain injury. He cleared that protocol and is OK.
That ended an uneven return to the field. He completed 16 straight passes in the first half, despite playing without top receiver Kenny Golladay, and hit Marvin Jones with a 15-yard touchdown pass that pulled Detroit within 13-10 late in the half. But he struggled in the second half, including not seeing linebacker Eric Wilson at all while in Vikings territory. Stafford threw the ball right to him for another ugly interception, and Stafford was so upset that he punched the bench with his throwing hand.
Then Austin Bryant bailed him out by blocking the ensuing punt, Detroit’s second in as many weeks -- and Romeo Okwara later added a third -- to give the Lions another shot. Stafford drove them to the 5-yard line too, but then threw yet another pick, this one to Eric Kendricks in the end zone.
With the Lions already down 27-10 late in the third quarter, their odds were already slim. Then Stafford left the game a short time later, lengthening those odds. Then Dalvin Cook ripped Detroit for a 70-yard touchdown on their first play from scrimmage after the Stafford injury, blowing away the odds completely.
The Lions can’t hang. They’re not good enough. They haven’t been good enough to win a single division game in the first half of the season, nor all of last year for that matter. So there’s no reason to think they can compete for the playoffs in the second half of the season, much less the division itself. There’s still half a season to go, and the only realistic thing left for this team to play for are jobs next year.
**** First, thankfully Matthew Stafford cleared concussion protocol. It's ironic that with all of the physical beatings Stafford has gone through against Mike Zimmer led Vikings Defenses over the years, against the least talented and experienced Vikings Defense, this is the first Vikings game Stafford had to come out because of a possible concussion.
It's at or very near the point that it's evident that the Bob Quinn/ Matt Patricia combo is not an answer for the Lions. As badly as the Lions Defense played against the run in this game, I'm more disturbed by the play of the Lions Offense. Which includes coaching. I expressed for days that I thought the Lions would likely have huge problems against Dalvin Cook. The Lions Defensive performance was even somewhat worse than I expected. Based on past Lions-Vikings games the previous two seasons under Matt Patricia and the Lions Defensive personnel situation heading into this game, I expected the Lions to have major problems against the Vikings Offense. The loss of Trey Flowers in the 4th QTR of the Colts game was enormous. Most of the Lions Defensive problems against the run today weren't on the edge. However, Flowers' presence often makes players around him better.
On the other hand, even w/o Kenny Golladay and to a far less extent Jamal Agnew, there's no excuse for the Lions only getting one TD until well into the 4th QTR. With that TD set up at the Vikings 2 yard line because of a blocked punt by Romeo Okwara. Unlike in the loss to the Colts in which I thought the Lions Offensive Line was the # 1 reason for the problems on Offense, in today's game I thought the Lions Offensive Line played well for the most part until the latter part of the 3rd QTR. That's when the Vikings had a 17 point lead and the clock was beginning to become an issue.
This was a disappointing game for Danny Amendola. The good plays he made didn't compensate for him not running the pass route long enough on 3rd and 2 on the Lions first possession of the game. The result of the completion was 1 yard and the Lions had to punt. The Vikings then drove the ball down the field with ease on their first possession and the Lions were playing uphill as a result.
On the Lions first possession of the 3rd QTR, following the Lions forcing the Vikings to punt after one 1st Down + 3 other plays, Amendola dropped a 2nd and 4 pass that would have been a 1st Down or extremely close. The pass was a little low. But it's a pass an NFL WR must catch. An incomplete pass on 3rd Down resulted in a punt. The Lions were unable to come close to cutting tbe Vikings 10 point lead at that time.
D'Andre Swift also had a huge drop in the game. Granted, the Lions did convert on 3rd and 11 in which Stafford bought time in finding Marvin Hall over the middle in zone coverage. But right after that, Stafford apparently misread the coverage, resulting in an interception by LB Eric Wilson.
The Swift drop came right after Stafford's low screen pass to Adrian Peterson. An 8 yard gain was wiped out after the Vikings successfully won the challenge that the ball hit the ground before the catch.
On the first play of the game, Stafford underthrew Marvin Hall deep. Hall prevented an interception by CB Kris Boyd, who Hall had at least a step on.
Even though Stafford completed a 2nd and 1 play action pass to FB James Cabinda resulting in a 1st Down, the ball was throw somewhat late. This made Cabinda's task in securing the ball more difficult.
When combining Stafford's underthrown pass to Hall, the low passes, with him waiting too long to throw to Cabinda on the play I mentioned, the apparent misread of the coverage on the Wilson interception, and him forcing the ball to T.J. Hockenson ( or not throwing the ball higher ) on the 3rd and Goal from the 5 interception by LB Eric Kendricks near the back of the end zone, I think the missed practice time took its toll on Stafford / Lions.
The decision to call what looked like an Off Tackle ( or wider ) running play to Adrian Peterson on 3rd and Goal at the Vikings 1 in the 2nd QTR was a bad coaching decision by Darrell Bevell. It gets back to Peterson's speed and quickness limitations at this stage of his career. A 4 yard loss resulted. ****
Here are some more instant observations from the game:
-- Multiple Lions players got upset when asked whether their two-game winning streak against Jacksonville and Atlanta was just a mirage built on the backs of a couple one-win teams. They scoffed at the notion they might be more pretender than contender. But they haven’t done a very good job proving anything else. They were blown out at home by Indianapolis last week, then got blown out by the two-win Vikings this week. Since that modest two-game winning streak, Detroit has been outscored 75-41. Pretender, folks, and nothing else, and there’s no reason for it more than that defense, which continues to struggle with even the basics. Dalvin Cook just ripped them for 206 yards on just 22 carries -- that’s a whopping 9.4 yards per carry! -- while Kirk Cousins diced up their secondary for three more touchdowns. He now has 12 touchdowns against just one pick against Matt Patricia’s defense, and moves to 5-0 against Patricia overall.
**** The Lions are affected by injuries more than most teams in terms of not overcoming them. Maybe, a relatively healthy Lions team would have won at least one of the last two games. The Lions that were available for this game are not close to being a playoff contender.****
-- Matthew Stafford completed 16 straight passes during an impressive first half, but just 7 of 14 passes in the second half before going down with his suspected brain injury. He finished 23 of 32 overall for 211 yards, one touchdown and those two back-breaking picks. The touchdown pass to Jones was his 28th overall against Minnesota, moving him into sole possession of third place on the all-time list. The only players ever to throw more touchdown passes against the Vikings are Brett Favre (54) and Aaron Rodgers (50).
**** The Lions Defense inability to prevent a Vikings TD following the Marvin Jones TD reception and PAT ( 87 yard drive that began with 1:15 remaining in the first half ) changed the complexion of the game. Horrible job by the Defense on that drive. Defensive Coaching decisions on that drive. The Lions should have used less man coverage and more bend but not break after the Vikings got a 1st Down. ****
-- The Lions failed to score 21 points for the first time this season. They entered the weekend one of just six teams to hit the 21-point mark in all their games, joining Arizona, Kansas City, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Seattle.
**** Against the Defensive personnel the Vikings used, 20 points is not remotely acceptable. ****
-- The Lions went 13 years without a blocked punt. Miles Killebrew ended that drought last week against Indianapolis, then Austin Bryant made it back-to-back weeks in the third quarter -- and then, you bet, Romeo Okwara added another in the fourth quarter. That one came deep in Vikings territory too, and Chase Daniel turned it into six points with a 2-yard strike to T.J. Hockenson. Of course, the Lions still trailed 34-20, and their fate remained a foregone conclusion without Stafford in the game. Still, credit to Brayden Coombs. The Lions haven’t been very good this season, but the special teams have been outstanding outside of Matt Prater.
**** If the Lions have a new GM and HC in 2021, I hope they make it a priority to retain Branyden Coombs as Special Teams Coordinator. He's doing a remarkable job with a number of facets of Special Teams. ****
-- What’s wrong with Matt Prater? He missed five of his 31 attempts all last year. He’s now missed six of his first 17 attempts this year, after misfiring from 46 yards in the first quarter. Most of his early attempts were from well beyond 50 yards, so you could understand it. But Prater used to make those guys with regularity, and now he’s missing from everywhere. At 36 years old, and in a contract year no less, you have to wonder if we’re seeing the final days of Matt Prater -- one of the great long-ball artists in NFL history -- is in his final days in Detroit.
**** I'm not sure what is going on with Matt Prater. But he's clearly struggling. And it's been very costly to the Lions. ****
-- Why, oh why, do the Lions insist on benching D’Andre Swift inside the 5-yard line? He’s been the Lions’ most effective short-yardage back yet they keep trotting Adrian Peterson out there at the goal line. It happened on a key fourth down in Atlanta, and Peterson was dropped in the backfield. It just happened again in Minnesota, when Swift got Detroit to the 1-yard line, then was sent off the field. Detroit ran a stretch play to the right with Peterson, who was dropped in the backfield. Again. Yet Peterson continues to start, and continues to get most of the carries most weeks. I don’t understand it. Why, oh why, are you still giving Peterson the football in these critical situations?
**** Even if Swift wasn't ready after the previous play, Kerryon Johnson would have been a better option than Peterson. The Lions Red Zone Struggles without Kenny Golladay are enormous. ****
-- Peterson finished with 29 yards on eight carries in his return to Minnesota, where he became one of the best running backs of all time. He’s no longer that though, and his struggles are deepening by the week. Swift, conversely, rushed for 64 yards on 13 carries. It seems pretty clear at this point who should be playing ahead of who.
-- With Desmond Trufant back, Detroit oped to start rookie Jeff Okudah over Amani Oruwariye at cornerback. That move makes sense exactly one way: Okudah is the third overall pick in the draft, and Detroit has no choice but to develop him. That’s about it, though, because Oruwariye has been the better, more consistent player this season. Okudah was beat for a big catch by Justin Jefferson in the first half too, which led to a touchdown, then left the game in the second half with an ankle injury. Oruwariye had his own problems against Jefferson, including getting flagged for a pass interference near the goal line that led to another touchdown. It didn’t really matter who the Lions lined up out there -- Kirk Cousins was carving up all of them.
**** Desmond Trufant was by far the Lions best outside CB in this game. Arguably, the Lions best Defensive player on a day that many struggled mightily. ****
-- The Okudah injury was announced as safety Will Harris, playing for the injured Tracy Walker, was laying on the field with an injury of his own. Moments later, right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai left the game with a foot injury, leaving Detroit without two of its top three guards. Star defensive end Trey Flowers and star receiver Kenny Golladay didn’t play at all. What a mess for this team -- and we’re only halfway through it, with little sign the struggles will abate.
-- Tony McRae was carted off the field after helping spring Danny Amendola for a nice punt return in the second quarter. McRae isn’t a name many people know, but he’s one of Detroit’s best special teams players, and one of the better gunners in the league. You know about Jack Fox’s massive punt numbers, right? Well, that’s in part because of McRae’s excellent work getting down the field, dropping returners in their tracks, and downing a couple balls inside the 10-yard line, including one inside the 5.
**** The loss of Tony McRae could easily catch up to the Lions on Punt Coverage.
The overall injury situation has worsened immensely in the last two games. ****
............
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Vikings preview: Game # 8 ( 2020 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/809/lions-vikings-preview-game-2020
... 
