Progress, but still a lot to fix
The Lions are currently statistically the worst team in the NFL after a tough 24-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in week 7. Unlike most of the Lions games, this was a very winnable game all the way into the fourth quarter until a heavy momentum shift occurred that killed any hope of victory in Detroit.
This game was by far the best defensive performance from the Lions all year as they held the Cowboys to 10 points going into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately the offense and defense cannot seem to be successful at the same time with each other as the defense looked to be the Lions strongest trait all day.
Aidan Hutchinson finally came alive after my story last week on how he needs to stand up on the edge position, and came away with two sacks on Dak Prescott. Hutch and cornerback Jeff Okudah started the year with a bang but slowed down since week four, and when the Lions created pressure Okudah seemed to play at his best, which is why the secondary needs a Dline to create pressures as often as they can even if they don’t ultimately result in sacks. Okudah ended up finishing with a whopping 15 tackles and played pretty good coverage for the most part of the game.
The criticism begins with the offense who struggled to move the ball the entire game. Jared Goff had two fumbles to match Jamaal Williams who had two of his own, but only one was recovered by the defense: in the fourth quarter one yard away from the end zone to take the lead. Jamaal’s fumble seemed to be what really highlighted to Detroit fans it’s just not our year, as Jamaal fumbled twice, yet never fumbled in his career before this game.
It appears Lions fans are extremely frustrated with Jared Goff, with many calling for him to be replaced in next year’s draft. There are other options for Detroit, but the common trend is the Lions getting Alabama Quarterback Bryce Young, who won the Heisman as a sophomore last year. Goff is not a terrible Quarterback, but is clearly not the answer either. Defense is a bit concerning, but with Aidan creating pressures to disrupt the offense consistently, the defense won’t be nearly as bad to the point they don’t need a complete overhaul. Safety Kerby Joseph had his best game to date and will make a big play in the next few games with his ball hawking abilities. Meanwhile Jeff Okudah had 15 tackles, which is almost impossible to do at the cornerback position.
This isn’t a game to dwell on for too long if you’re a Detroit fan. Through three quarters the Lions were in a position to win the game and let it slip away yet again in the fourth quarter due to mental mistakes. They take on Miami at home this week and hope to finally come out with a W for the first time since week three.
-Robert Martin
Twitter: @Defense_Rob
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.