Lions' Grades: Undisciplined Errors Prove Costly
The Detroit Lions entered Sunday's game against Chicago as winners of three of their last four. That mark had overshadowed a number of issues plaguing the team during that stretch.
Against the Bears, those issues finally caught up to Dan Campbell's team. The result was a disappointing two-score defeat at the hands of a division rival. The Bears dominated the Lions, shutting them out in the second half, and emerged victorious by a 28-13 margin.
Turnovers and costly drops hindered the offense, while the defense was mired by penalties and missed tackles. The Lions fell to 9-4, their NFC North lead dropping to two games with four to play.
"It's discipline. Across the board. That's why I bring that up. We've been a disciplined team and we just weren't enough today and they were," Campbell explained. "Ultimately, we played their game, we never really got to play our game. End of the second quarter we did a little bit, and so, when you keep them -- they're allowed to do what they want to do as a team, that serves them well. That's how they need to be able to play and they're very good at it."
Here are grades for each position group based on performance in Sunday's loss.
Quarterback: F
Goff had an abysmal performance Sunday, as he threw two interceptions and fumbled a snap. The fumbled snap proved most costly, as it came on the heels of the Bears' go-ahead touchdown and led directly to another score.
The veteran recorded a season-low 161 passing yards on 20-of-35 passing. It also marked the third time in the last four games that he committed multiple turnovers. Counting the fumbled snap, he has turned the ball over nine times in the last four games.
Goff did have good moments, one being a strike to Donovan Peoples-Jones to convert a key fourth down. He also fired a strong toss to Josh Reynolds for his only touchdown of the game.
He was sacked four times, including three times in the second half. Both of his interceptions came on fourth down situations, but neither were close to their intended targets.
Running back: C+
Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery finished with identical totals on the ground, each gaining 66 yards. Gibbs finished with 11 carries, while Montgomery had 10.
It was Gibbs who found the end zone, taking a toss 12 yards for a score to put the Lions on the board. He averaged over six yards a carry, but also had a costly drop on a third down screen play that was well-blocked and could've went for a big gain.
Additionally, Gibbs had no chance to convert a fourth down run that was stuffed for a loss of four yards.
Montgomery, meanwhile, was quiet for three quarters before rushing for 29 yards on three carries in the fourth quarter. He also had three catches for 19 yards.
Wide receivers: D
The Lions' wide receivers were largely non-factors outside of Josh Reynolds in Sunday's game. Reynolds had three catches for 44 yards and a second quarter touchdown.
Amon-Ra St. Brown had just three catches for 21 yards on nine targets, the second consecutive game where he's had a minimal impact. St. Brown had a costly drop in the fourth quarter and also couldn't corral a low throw later on a fourth down that ended Detroit's penultimate drive.
Jameson Williams was targeted just once and did not record a catch. His only touch was a red zone end-around that resulted in a four-yard gain.
Kalif Raymond had three catches for 15 yards, while Donovan Peoples-Jones had his first catch as a Lion on a fourth down conversion that went for 17 yards.
Tight ends: C
The Lions couldn't get the connection between Goff and Sam LaPorta going throughout Sunday's game. LaPorta finished with 23 yards on two catches while getting six targets.
The rookie also had a rush for four yards in the second quarter while lining up at the fullback position.
Brock Wright caught two passes for six yards. James Mitchell saw increased snaps on offense but did not receive a target.
Offensive line: C-
The Lions allowed four sacks Sunday, three in the second half. Graham Glasgow got the start at center in place of Frank Ragnow and was called for tripping on the first drive in addition to the mishandled snap.
The unit was penalized four times as a whole, with Jonah Jackson, Penei Sewell and Kayode Awosika all getting flagged for false start. Awosika started at right guard with Glasgow shifted over.
Veteran left tackle Taylor Decker was beaten for a sack by Yannick Ngakoue. Dan Skipper was used as the extra offensive lineman and even ran a route at one point in the second half.
Defensive line: C+
Aidan Hutchinson was active early, recording a sack and a quarterback hit on back-to-back second quarter plays to force a punt. John Cominsky had seven tackles and a sack as well, his second of the season.
However, Hutchinson had a costly offsides with the Bears forcing a fourth-and-13. Him jumping caused the Bears to snap the ball on the play, with Justin Fields firing a 38-yard touchdown to DJ Moore on the play to break a 13-13 tie.
On the next series, Hutchinson admitted to making a poorly timed stunt that allowed Fields to gain the edge and run for a touchdown that would effectively ice the game.
Levi Onwuzurike, Brodric Martin and Isaiah Buggs all got opportunities with Alim McNeill on injured reserve. None made significant impacts, as Buggs recorded two tackles while the other two did not get credited with a stop.
Linebackers: C-
Alex Anzalone was uncharacteristically out of sorts early in the game, starting with a missed tackle on D'Onta Foreman on the second play of the game. On the Bears' second drive, he was penalized on back-to-back plays.
Jack Campbell made a nice play on Fields' first designed run and tied with Anzalone for the team lead in tackles with nine. Derrick Barnes, meanwhile, had six tackles with a quarterback hit.
Veteran Jalen Reeves-Maybin made an impact on his limited snaps, recording a sack and deflecting pass.
Secondary: C-
The Lions started Ifeatu Melifonwu in place of Tracy Walker III at safety next to Kerby Joseph. Melifonwu made a momentum-changing fourth down stop in the second quarter.
Joseph, meanwhile, had a pass breakup in the end zone that would ultimately force a field goal. Cam Sutton made an ill-fated gamble that resulted in a big game when he dove and missed in an attempt to break up a pass.
Jerry Jacobs yielded the touchdown pass to Moore, getting beat in single coverage on the crucial fourth down play. He was also called for pass interference.
Kindle Vildor wound up getting snaps in place of Jacobs and finished with three tackles in his Lions debut.
Special teams: C+
Chicago was able to grab momentum in the second half with their performance on special teams. Detroit was forced to punt on each of their first three second half drives, two of which featured good returns by Chicago's Trent Taylor.
On one return, punter Jack Fox made a shoe-string tackle as Taylor returned the boot 31 yards. Khalil Dorsey did have an impressive open field tackle on one of Fox's four punts.
Riley Patterson missed an extra point for the second time this season and did not attempt a field goal.
Coaching: D
The Lions looked undisciplined throughout Sunday's game. Another slow start put them in a double-digit deficit. After a strong finish to the second quarter, they came out flat after halftime.
Both the slow starts and poor second half execution are areas of concern. The Lions managed just 16 yards of offense in the third quarter, while the Bears scored 18 second half points.
The offense lacked its usual luster in the second half, which put the defense in difficult positions. Coincidentally, the defense also started poorly and resulted in the early deficit.
The Lions are entering an interesting position. Holding a two game lead with four to play, Saturday's matchup with Denver becomes all the more intriguing. The Lions have traditionally rebounded well under Campbell from tough defeats, so it will be worth monitoring heading into next week.
