Film Review: What's Wrong With Lions' Offense?
When everything is going well, the Detroit Lions' offense is among the league's best. There's plenty of talent and speed to go around, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has acknowledged the difficulty of getting the ball to all of the skill players.
However, there have been plenty of struggles in recent weeks. Top among them are the team's inability to get going after halftime. In Week 14, the Lions were shut out in the second half, and lost, 28-13, to the Chicago Bears.
Here's a look at what bothered the Lions offensively in Week 14, ultimately leading to the disappointing loss.
Offensive line troubles
The Lions have struggled with injuries up front throughout the season. Frank Ragnow and Jonah Jackson have each missed multiple games, while Halapoulivaati Vaitai is on injured reserve.
As a result, backups, such as Colby Sorsdal and Kayode Awosika, have been thrust into spot duty. The results have been mixed. Sorsdal was the first option, but was benched following struggles while starting in place of Jackson on Thanksgiving.
The Lions went with Awosika to start at right guard, with Ragnow sidelined Sunday. They subsequently moved Graham Glasgow to center. The Bears got to Jared Goff four times, with three sacks coming late in the game.
On the first sack of the day, Awosika is nearly knocked off his feet upon initial contact, while Taylor Decker is beaten off the ball by Yannick Ngakoue.
The pocket collapses quickly as a result, and Goff has nowhere to go. He's looking in the direction of Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has some separation on an out-route. But, that's a difficult throw to make to the far numbers.
Sam LaPorta is the only other option, as he breaks his route in the middle of the field and short of the first-down marker. Goff doesn't get his eyes there quick enough, and is taken down for a sack.
Run game lapses
Additionally, the issues with injuries up front have hindered progress in Detroit's run game. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery had their share of success, both averaging six yards per carry. But, the consistency wasn't always present.
Gibbs gained 36 of his 66 yards on one carry, and Montgomery notched a good chunk of his production in the fourth quarter. There was difficulty getting going on the ground against a Bears defense that was primed to stop the run.
On this specific play, the Lions are pulling the center and playside guard on a designed sweep for Gibbs. Jonah Jackson creates the cutback lane by picking up the end, leaving Glasgow to pick up the first linebacker to the hole.
Penei Sewell runs by the linebacker on his way to the safety. Had he at least chipped the linebacker, it may have been an easier block for Glasgow. However, in this instance, Glasgow doesn't get his hips around in time, and can't make a strong effort against the backer who makes the play.
The Lions have supreme faith in their run game, as evidence by their decision to run on second-and-11 after a run on first down goes for no gain. Detroit feels confident in its ability to get back on schedule by running here on second down, but this attempt fails.
Drops
The Lions' receiving corps is also a traditionally strong group. The strongest among them has been Amon-Ra St. Brown, who leads the team in both receptions and yards by a relatively wide margin.
St. Brown may have had his worst game as a pro Sunday, finishing with three catches on nine targets. With the Lions driving down two scores in the fourth quarter, he dropped a pass that ultimately stalled the drive.
It was uncharacteristic, as he has rightfully been praised for his sure hands and strength. However, this key pass went off his hands.
Now, it wasn't a perfect throw from Goff, as it's behind the target. However, the level of coverage necessitated this type of throw, as he was seeing defenders on both his right and left.
St. Brown's drop wasn't the only key one the Lions were forced to deal with on Sunday. Facing a third-and-10 from Chicago's 35-yard line, coordinator Ben Johnson dialed up a screen for Gibbs.
The concept itself is unique. The Lions identify man coverage with pre-snap motion, then quickly send Gibbs across the formation. This forces a linebacker to run with him, a matchup in which Gibbs has a clear speed advantage.
With this happening, the pressure is on the wide receivers to block the edge. The Lions line up in a trips bunch set, which gives them the advantage.
Chicago is loading the box with seven defenders on the line of scrimmage, and the Lions have a three-on-two advantage on the outside. All Gibbs has to do is catch the ball and make a man miss in the open field in order to score.
It's well blocked, but Gibbs can't bring the pass in. On the very next play, Goff throws an interception on fourth down.
Passing game issues
The Lions had high hopes for Jameson Williams when they traded up to draft him No. 12 overall in 2022. However, the second-year wideout has yet to have a game in which he's recorded more than two touches.
On Sunday, he had just one carry and one target. The carry went for four yards, while the pass fell incomplete. It was the second time this season in which Williams did not have a catch, with the first being against Baltimore.
This was his only target, a third-down deep ball on Detroit's first possession of the third quarter. Williams wins off the line of scrimmage, and Goff gets the ball out in a timely fashion.
However, Williams looks over the wrong shoulder as he anticipates the ball coming in his direction. Goff puts the ball on his left shoulder, but Williams turns to his right. As a result, the ball falls harmlessly incomplete and the Lions are forced to punt.
The second-half struggles had plenty to do with an inability to get going through the air. Goff started the third quarter 0-for-4, before a 12-yard completion to Gibbs on third-and-15.
On this play, the Lions identify the coverage using pre-snap motion. Safety Jaquan Brisker initially disguises his assignment, but walks down to cover St. Brown before the ball is snapped.
This play is well-schemed, as St. Brown serves as the decoy. He sits on a short route, which pulls Brisker down and opens up the middle level for Josh Reynolds running a crossing route.
However, Goff puts the ball behind Reynolds, and Brisker is able to leap and deflect the ball. Had he led Reynolds more toward the sideline, this could've been a completion for a first down.
Detroit had plenty of stops and starts in the passing game Sunday, as Goff threw for a season-low 161 yards. Even on well-designed plays such as this, the Bears made it difficult to get going.
