Post by D6 on Dec 21, 2020 2:57:05 GMT -5
Quick observations: Lions officially eliminated from playoffs after their defense embarrasses again
Thoughts in ****
Quick observations: Lions officially eliminated from playoffs after their defense embarrasses again
Updated Dec 20, 2020; Posted Dec 20, 2020
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
Kyle Meinke - mlive.com
Read articles written by Kyle Meinke for mlive.com.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For a second straight week, the Detroit Lions hung with one of the best teams in the league for three quarters. They have Matthew Stafford to thank for that.
Of course, they still lost both games.
They have their defense to thank for that.
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry ran over the Lions for 147 yards and one touchdown, while quarterback Ryan Tannehill was nearly perfect through the air and accounted for five touchdowns in a 46-25 win against Detroit on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
With that, the Lions (5-9) have lost six times in eight weeks and been officially eliminated from the playoff race. They’re now 1-2 under interim head coach Darrell Bevell.
Of course, that’s not really on Bevell. The offense has played well enough to win all three games, but the defense hasn’t been able to hold up against premier teams. Tennessee simply embarrassed them on Sunday, stringing together three touchdown drives to open the game and averaging 9.1 yards per play in the first half overall. That’s nearly a first down per play.
You’re not going to beat too many teams playing defense like that, perhaps explaining why the Lions haven’t beaten too many teams since they hired Matt Patricia to bring his defense to Detroit.
But once again, Stafford wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
It was a fight just to get him on the field. He ripped the cartilage in his ribs last Sunday against Green Bay, an injury so painful that it caused Stafford’s body to spasm and essentially lock down. This Sunday, with a rip in his rib cartilage and a partial tear in his throwing hand, he was back under center -- and playing some great football too.
He completed seven of his first eight passes for 48 yards, the last 2 of which might have been the most impressive of all. Facing a third down from the 2-yard line, Stafford threaded several defenders to find Marvin Jones streaking across the back of the end zone. That evened the score 7-7.
Of course, 12 seconds later, former Western Michigan star Corey Davis was standing in the other end zone with another touchdown for Tennessee.
The Lions just can’t get stops on the ground, they can’t get stops through the air, their tackling is poor, their linebackers just might be worst in the league. That has forced the Lions to play perfect offense just to keep up. And while the offense was good behind Stafford on Sunday, it wasn’t perfect.
After Stafford drove the Lions all the way to the 1-yard line -- thanks in part to a stellar 44-yard throw to rookie Hunter Bryant over the middle -- rookie D’Andre Swift fumbled the football as he tried to go over the top.
The Lions already trailed 21-7 by then, although Romeo Okwara stemmed the bleeding by sacking Tannehill in the end zone for a safety that made it 21-9. The Lions got the ball back too, and Stafford marched Detroit back to the goal line, this time courtesy a 39-yard bomb to Marvin Jones. Swift punched it in this time for a touchdown that made it 21-15.
But much like last week against Green Bay, it just wasn’t to make up for more embarrassing defense against a superior opponent. Tannehill ran for a 3-yard touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter, then found A.J. Brown and Darrynton Evans with touchdown passes on consecutive drives.
With that, Tennessee closed the game just like it opened it -- with three straight touchdown drives, and that turned a competitive game into a laugher down the stretch.
Stafford was lifted for Chase Daniel once the game was out of hand in the fourth quarter. He finished 22 of 32 passing for 252 yards, one touchdown and a quarterback rating of 102.6. And he did it while playing against one of the best teams in the AFC without three offensive linemen, his best receiver and broken stuff in his ribs and throwing hand.
It was a performance good enough to win if he had a defense.
But, alas.
**** Even though the Lions ended up losing by 21 points, this is a game that I believe the Lions could have won. Two 3rd QTR plays in essence were the difference in the Titans being in a dog fight and the Titans having a relatively comfortable lead:
1. Despite the Lions giving up 24 points in the first half, the Lions only trailed by 9 points. Then the Lions drove the ball at the beginning of the 3rd QTR down to the Titans 21 yard line. On a 3rd and 1 play, T.J. Hockenson gained a 1 yard on an End Around, enough for a 1st Down according to the ruling on the field. The Titans challenged the call, primarily because it might have been a Hockenson fumble, with DL Jeffrey Simmons recovering. The spot of the ball also was part of the review. The replay ruling changed the call on the field, hence a Titans fumble recovery. Based on the standard ( clearly indisputable evidence ) used in the prior Lions game, with the incompletion ruling on what looked like a spectacular Marvin Jones sideline reception, Hockenson should have been ruled down at Tennessee. The Jones play vs. the Packers looked easier to overturn than the on field ruling of Hockenson being down. The Lions not getting any points on that drive hurt the team's chances immensely, in pulling off a huge upset.
2. The other play that had an immense negative impact on the Lions chances was the 3rd Down and 11 completion to Titans TE Anthony Firkster for 20 yards and a 1st Down. At the time, the Titans led 24-18. Two key reasons for the completion:
A. The Lions didn't generate an effect 4 man pass rush.
B. LB Jahlini Tavai didn't get even close to enough depth in zone Coverage.
The Titans went on to score a TD. Most notably on the remainder of the drive was the horrific tackle attempt on RB Derrick Henry by CB Amani Oruwariye on a 3rd and 1 play at the Lions 36. It was the first play of the 4th QTR. It's one thing to fail to bring Henry down. However, Oruwariye was so passive on the play that for all practical purposes, Henry ran just through air. One play later, Ryan Tannehill ran for his 2nd TD of the game on a bootleg that the Lions contain was non existent. The one in the first half was clearly a mistake by Romeo Okwara. The one in the 2nd half was more likely than not was a mistake by Austin Bryant. The end result following a 2 point run by Derrick Henry, the Titans led 32-18.
The bad snap by Joe Dahl on 2nd and 8 on the Lions next drive resulted in a loss of 7 yards. Matthew Stafford, to his credit, recovered the ball. Stafford took a hit by Simmons on the next play ( 11 yard completion to Danny Amendola ). That ended up being the final play for Stafford in this game. Then came the fake Punt, with C.J. Moore being ruled a half a yard short. It was closer than that, whether Moore in actually made it to the 1st Down mark or not. I had no problem with the fake Punt call. The Lions Defense couldn't be trusted with making a stop. After Stafford took the hit, it made sense to try the fake Punt, compared to going for a 1st Down on 4th and 4 with the Lions Offense on the field. After the Lions Defense gave up another TD ( Amani Oruwariye's missed tackle on 2nd and 7 on TE Jonnu Smith and Jamie Collins not getting outside contain on a screen pass to RB Darrynton Evans set the stage for another Titans TD, I'm glad Darrell Bevell decided to end Matthew Stafford's day. One could make a solid case that the sequence of events in this paragraph ended the game, in terms of the outcome no longer being in doubt. Yet, the previous Titans drive in which they dug out of 3rd and 11 inside their own 20 yard line, then going on to score a TD, was from my point of view what the Lions never recovered from. ****
Here are some more instant observations:
-- The defense is bad at full strength, make no mistake about that. But the injuries aren’t helping either. The Lions lost Jamie Collins and Tracy Walker on back-to-back plays in the third quarter -- Walker suffered his on some friendly fire with Amani Oruwariye -- just moments after they lost Mike Ford. And let’s not forget about the guys that didn’t suit up at all -- guys like Da’Shawn Hand and Trey Flowers and Danny Shelton and Everson Griffen and Julian Okwara and Desmond Trufant and Jeff Okudah and and and and. What a mess. From coaching to personnel to scheme to injury, Matt Patricia’s defense has turned into a complete disaster.
**** Jamie Collins came back into the game.
Injuries have been too much for the Lions to overcome on Defense. For the most part though, the Lions have avoided major injuries at LB. Even with that, the Lions LBs collectively are at or near the bottom of LB corps in the NFL. ****
-- Well, make that a near-complete disaster. Because while just about everything has gone wrong on defense, Romeo Okwara continues to stand out. He had the strip-sack that helped win the game in Chicago, and made another play deep in enemy territory in this one by sacking Tannehill for a safety. He now has eight sacks on the season, which is a team and career high. That guy is one of the few salvageable parts of Matt Patricia’s defense, although his price tag is growing by the week too. It’ll be fascinating to see what happens with him, because Detroit can’t afford to lose what little defensive talent it has, but also might not have a lot of cash to burn next year, especially if they trade Matthew Stafford or use the franchise tag on Kenny Golladay.
**** Romeo Okwara made a great play on the Sack-Safety, by jumping over the attempted cut block. After that play, the Titans were giving Okwara extra attention much like the Packers did in the previous game. Okwara is someone who I would like the Lions to keep but I still strongly believe he's not an elite edge rusher. The Lions can't afford to noticeably overpay him ****
-- After coming off the bench in his return to the field last week, D’Andre Swift finally reclaimed his starting job on Sunday. He looked pretty good too, finishing with 15 carries for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Not a bad day for the rookie. Problem is he also had one of the day’s biggest blunders -- coughing up the football as he tried to sky over the line at the goal line. In fact, it looked like Swift actually fumbled before he even made contact with any defenders. Fumbling at the goal line is a cardinal sin, and doing so without serious contact is just inexcusable. The Lions were already trailing 21-7 against an offense that couldn’t be stopped. T.J. Hockenson did something similar on a later drive, losing the football as he stretched for the marker on third down. The offense played pretty well, but it had to be flawless. It wasn’t.
**** The difference is D'Andre Swift clearly fumbled. That's not the case with T.J. Hockenson.
Regarding Swift, there are two passes to him that displayed opposite ends of the spectrum. On a 3rd Down pass, he made sure he had a 1st Down, instead of attempting one or more moves for a bigger gain. On the other side of the coin, he looked to run on a pass before securing the catch. Swift has big time skills but he remains a work in progress.***
-- With the offense struggling to keep up without a defense, the Lions faced a crucial fourth-and-4 while trailing 32-18 with about 12 minutes left in the game. Darell Bevell elected to fake a punt, and C.J. Moore came up just short (he got no help on the spot, either). Applaud Bevell for the aggression, because Lord knows his defense probably wasn’t going to get a stop. Problem is, Tennessee knew this too and had to expect a fake was possible. The Lions would have been better off just leaving their offensive players on the field to go for it rather than trying to fake a punt in an obvious situation. Without the element of surprise, the play didn’t stand much of a chance of working.
**** Like I expressed before, Matthew Stafford was still feeling the affects from a hit. I totally support the fake Punt decision. It came very close to working.****
It almost did work anyway, by the way, but the Lions got a bad spot. I don’t understand why Bevell didn’t challenge the spot, because that was a win-or-go-home kind of situation given what was happening on the other side of the ball. Sure enough, Tennessee scored a touchdown on that series, and the one after that, and, well, you get the picture. The game got out of hand in a hurry.
**** Darrell Bevell explained his decision in the next article I plan on posting. ****
-- Rookie offensive lineman Logan Stenberg hasn’t played an offensive snap this season. Even with Frank Ragnow and Tyrell Crosby knocked out by injuries on Sunday, he didn’t play. In fact, he didn’t even suit up. The Lions promoted practice-squad offensive linemen like Marcus Martin and Dan Skipper, while not even letting their fourth-round pick put on a jersey. I don’t know what the deal is here, but it’s not a good sign for Stenberg’s progress. He was viewed as a long-term project because of that funky offense he played in with Kentucky, but it’s pretty alarming he’s not even ready to put on pads while Detroit’s offensive front is dealing with injuries at multiple spots.
**** Fair point. If Logan Sternberg is not active for most games next season. he probably will end up being a bust. It's currently too early to conclude. ****
-- With two starters down because of injuries, the Lions really needed Halapoulivaati Vaitai to start earning that paycheck. You know, the $45 million he got to come play right tackle. Instead, he played three full games heading into Sunday, just 38% of the offensive snaps overall -- and most of those have come at guard, not tackle. It’s just been a disastrous debut season for Vaitai in Detroit. He finally came off injured reserve and started at right tackle in Tennessee -- but made it just two quarters before going down with yet another injury, this time a concussion. He’s also missed time with foot trouble and dehydration. Vaitai has time to prove himself, but that signing continues to trend toward becoming one of the worst of the Bob Quinn era. Quinn gave starter money to a lifetime backup, and it just has not worked out.
**** The concussion is very unfortunate, as well as concerning. Big V played well enough in the first half for the Lions to win, if that play was reproduced in the 2nd half, and the rest of the Lions played at that level. I would rate his performance as a little above average to above average.****
-- Matt Nelson replaced Vaitai at right tackle in the second half, while Oday Aboushi was playing at right guard and Joe Dahl was at center. That’s three backups blocking for Stafford, which puts into focus just how impressive Stafford was despite the fluidity in front of him -- not to mention having his best receiver watching the game in street clothes.
**** Major props to Matthew Stafford. He certainly played well enough for the Lions to win, even if the Lions Defense was just a little below average.****
-- Matt Prater is the most accurate kicker in NFL history from beyond 50 yards. Now he’s the most productive kicker, too. Prater split the pipes on a 53-yard attempt in the third quarter, giving him 58 conversions beyond 50 in his career. That matches Sebastian Janikowski’s NFL record. Nobody questions Prater’s leg strength, although his consistency has waned this year, and it popped up again in Tennessee with a missed point-after attempt in the first half.
**** This game was a microcosm of Matt Prater's season from the standpoint of him standing out positively but missing one kick he normally would have made in past seasons. ****
-- Mike Ford started at cornerback because of the injuries to Jeff Okudah and Desmond Trufant, then went down with a foot injury of his own. All the injuries forced Alex Myres to make his NFL debut just one day after he was elevated from the practice squad. And just a few minutes later, Derrick Henry hit him with a grown-man stiff arm. Welcome to the NFL, kid.
**** Alex Myres is not ready for prime time. ****
......
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Titans preview: Game # 14 ( 2020 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/843/lions-titans-preview-game-2020?page=2&scrollTo=4372
