Lions Could Face Harsh Reality in January
Here is a sample of the national reaction to the Detroit Lions' 29-22 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 12.
"If you hadn't paid any attention to the NFL before Thanksgiving, the Detroit Lions' loss on Thursday wouldn't have felt out of place.
A Green Bay Packers quarterback firing downfield on the first play for a 53-yard gain? Seen that. The Lions scoring right away but missing the extra point? A new wrinkle, but it fits. A fumble by the quarterback returned for a touchdown, and then another fumble right after? A fake punt that fooled nobody and got stuffed at their own 23?
Yep, that's Lions football on Thanksgiving.
But this was supposed to be a much better Thanksgiving in Detroit. The Lions are actually good. They were 8-2 coming into Thursday, and only one NFL team had a better record. It didn't look that way Thursday.
The Packers dominated the Lions. Jordan Love threw for three touchdowns, an undermanned defense pressured Jared Goff all day and Green Bay easily beat Detroit, 29-22. The final score looked a lot better, thanks to a Detroit touchdown in the final minute."
"Underneath feel-good vibes, the first-place status, the shiny 8-3 record and the winning brand of football the Detroit Lions have proven capable of playing this season lies a team that could face a harsh reality come January, if it continues on its current trajectory.
That much was clear, after a 29-22 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and a not-so-happy Thanksgiving.
“They were ready, man,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “They played really well, and we did not. We didn’t play good enough and we did not complement each other.”
For the Lions on Thursday, there wasn’t much complementing among the three phases, and there wasn’t much to compliment. Choose your fighter. Offense? Defense? Special teams? Coaching? It’ll probably end the same way it did Thursday: with a loss."
"There was no miracle comeback this time in Detroit. Coming off a three-interception game on Sunday, Goff once again couldn’t hang on to the ball, fumbling twice in the first quarter to allow the Packers to open up a big lead. The QB fumbled three times on the day and struggled to manage a muddled pocket. Goff missed a host of throws under pressure, completing 6 of 16 passes when pressured, per Next Gen Stats. When the veteran QB turns the ball over six times in four days, it’s tough to consistently win, particularly with a defense that struggles to get stops. Unlike Sunday against Chicago, Green Bay offered nary a sliver of light for a comeback bid. Down two scores, the Lions attempted an ill-fated fake punt at their own 23-yard-line in the third quarter, and failed twice on fourth down. For the day, Detroit went 0-for-5 on fourth downs. The Lions added a TD at the end, but it was too little, too late. For a young team still trying to win, the miscues came home to roost against a division rival on Thanksgiving."
"The Lions are known for having a very good offensive line, but Jared Goff was under constant pressure Thursday, and it wasn’t just Rashan Gary. The Lions allowed 12 quarterback hits, and Goff could never get comfortable in the timing and rhythm of Detroit’s offense. Goff lost three fumbles on the day."
"The Lions were always within striking distance of the Packers, yet their overaggressiveness cost them multiple times throughout the game. Dan Campbell went for it five times on fourth down and didn't convert any of them until the game was basically decided with under three minutes to play.
The Lions went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Packers' 35 in a 20-6 game, but rushed to get the play off before the two-minute warning (they didn't have to), which led to an incomplete pass. They decided to run a fake punt on their own 23-yard line midway through the third quarter in a 23-14 game and failed to gain a yard (Packers scored a touchdown on the short field to make it 29-14). They also failed to convert a fourth-and-7 on the Packers' 12 to keep the deficit at 29-14."
"Goff was pressured on 45% of his dropbacks in the first half, going 9-of-20, and was sacked three times throughout the game. Detroit's offensive line has been among the strengths of this roster, but struggled against the Packers while missing offensive lineman Jonah Jackson (wrist) for the second straight game. Veteran guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai was also placed on the injured reserve list on Nov. 14. It's certainly something to watch as the team looks to get more out of linemen Kayode Awosika and rookie Colby Sorsdal."
