NFL World Affords Lions 'Mulligan' After Disastrous Road Loss
Here is a collection of what was said by the national media, after the Detroit Lions were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens, 38-6, at M&T Bank Stadium.
“We can afford the Lions a mulligan. Their schedule’s pretty manageable for a while from here, and they have the reeling Raiders visiting on Monday night in Week 8.”
“The Lions should be fine. But talk about them being on the same tier as the 49ers or Philadelphia Eagles has to be paused. Elite teams don't generally find themselves down 35-0 in games like Detroit did Sunday. Winning the NFC North and maybe a playoff game would have been a great season for the Lions, and it still would be. But excited Detroit fans might have to revert back to those lesser expectations after what we saw Sunday.”
"The Lions were riding high heading into Week 7 as they held the best record in the NFL but were served a piece of humble pie from the Ravens in the form of a 38-6 thrashing in Baltimore. Detroit found itself trailing 28-0 by halftime, which is the largest halftime deficit by a team with the best record in the league this late in the season in NFL history."
“The Lions struggled to pick up the Ravens’ pressures without David Montgomery. Jared Goff has been playing great ball but he’s still susceptible to laying an egg against a team that can pressure. The Lions will be fine. They don’t have to go against a playmaker like Jackson every week but offensively, they’ll have to find more answers against heavy pressure teams.”
“The Lions allowed the Ravens to score a touchdown on each of their first four possessions, led by dual playmaker Lamar Jackson. Detroit, which has struggled against mobile quarterbacks dating back to last year, allowed Jackson to set the tone early with 156 passing yards in the opening quarter alone. After the Lions held Tampa Bay to six points last week, they let the Ravens put up 503 total yards of offense with 38 points.”
“Offering shades of last year's shutout loss in New England, Goff had his worst outing in over a year. The QB was discombobulated off the bat by the Ravens' pass rush. The wind appeared to affect several passes, but that wasn't the biggest issue. Goff threw several wayward passes in the dirt and forced balls into coverage. With the Ravens LBs squeezing the field, Goff had few patented wide-open over-the-middle tosses. Detroit opened the game with three consecutive three-and-outs. By the time the Lions earned their initial first down of the game midway through the second quarter, it was already a 28-0 game, with Detroit being outgained 325 yards to 13. Rookie Jahmyr Gibbs helped Detroit avoid the shutout by blasting off for a 21-yard rushing TD. Burn the ball. Bury the tape. Whatever Dan Campbell decides to do, the Lions must quickly move beyond Sunday's blowout at the hands of an AFC heavyweight.”
