[ad_1]
Matthew Stafford looks gun-shy, Lions showing frustration & more analysis from Jeff Seidel & Dave Birkett, after Bears win 34-22, Nov. 11 in Chicago.
Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford reacts after being sacked by the Bears during the first quarter on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Chicago.(Photo: Mike Dinovo USA TODAY Sports)
Of all the infuriating, frustrating, downright Detroit Lions' 3-6 record this year, the most incomprehensible is just how damn uncompetitive they've been.
In a league designed for parity, where Marvin Lewis and Jason Garrett stay employed because they have mastered the art of mediocrity, the Lions have somehow found a way to get off the field too often.
By Mitchell Trubisky. By Danielle Hunter. By Chris Carson.
The names and faces change, but the result is constant: The Lions come away looking like one of the worst teams in the NFL.
And right now, they are.
This is not some mirage. This is not the Oakland Raiders tearing down their roster by trading away two of their best players, or the San Francisco 49ers losing their starting quarterback to a torn ACL.
This is a Lions team that entered the year with legitimate playoff hopes – Jim Caldwell after back-to-the-back 9-7 seasons – that's now lost and utterly overmatched on the field.
On Sunday, it was Trubisky throwing for a career-high 355 yards and the Bears exhibiting at Lions secondary that played with Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay.
The Bears scored touchdowns on the game's first possession, held the Lions scoreless for nearly 29 minutes, then shifted into the control of the rest of the way.
The Lions have lost their straight lines by double-digits. They're buried in last place in the NFC North. And just four NFL teams have more defeats (the Raiders, 49ers, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants) with less than two months to play.
Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia watches action against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Nov. 11, 2018 in Chicago. (Photo: Quinn Harris, Getty Images)
Worst of all, the Lions do not seem to have any answers.
"I feel like we knew we would have won the games we lost," running back LeGarrette Blount said.
more: Lions stock watch: Team must draft a cornerback next year
Maybe it's been a good job, and it's not going to be a problem for the teammates, or they're trying to avoid using the meaningless clichés that flowed elsewhere in the locker room Sunday.
But he was not one of those who did not have a good fight.
"I think obviously we did not perform, we did not perform early," Lions coach Matt Patricia said. "But I'll say this about our team, it's a competitive team and they will fight to end, which they have for the last three weeks. And we're out there trying to do everything we can to win the game. They're tough in that way, they'll go out and they'll compete. "
There are no trophies participation in the NFL, of course. No awards given for being willing to fight till the end, though even that has been a question at times this season.
The Lions opened with a mail-it-in performance against the New York Jets, and it's about the calendar turns towards Thanksgiving there still is questions about this team is buying into what Patricia is selling any given week.
Several players insisted they were Sunday, and they said "we're all bought in." But the Lions' performance on Sunday, and in five of their six losses this year – all but the Cowboys game – screams otherwise.
"We're all in this thing," said Patricia. "It's the middle of the season and we're trying to work hard and get better. There's really no – it's not a secret, it's not anything that's like special. We just got to work and we got to work better. That's all the way across the board. It starts with me and goes from there. "
Chicago Bears cornerback Prince Amukamara (20) celebrates a touchdown with his teammates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Chicago. (AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh) (Photo: AP)
Lions are where they are heading into a three-game home that stretches out against the Carolina Panthers and could set the tone for the rest of Patricia's tenure as coach Lions, however long it may be.
They've given up 16 sacks in the last two games, and Matthew Stafford is now on track to be a career-high 52 times this year. They've been outscored to whopping 88-29 in the third quarter of their games this year. And they 're driving more than NFL on the NFL, with five runs of 40 – plus yards on the season and a league – worst eight passing plays of 20 yards or more on Sunday. .
But there is no excuse for this Lions team, with this roster, where it is, as one of the least competitive in the NFL.
"It's the NFL," linebacker Devon Kennard said. "When you lose a couple games, it's going to be different. You're going to be upset. If guys in this locker room were not upset and ready to change things, that's when I'd be worried. But that's not the case. Everybody's in it and we're trying to turn this around ASAP. "
Contact Dave Birkett: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!
Source link
