Lions News

[dsred]

Goff is good when he gets the ball out quick on time, or when the OL blocks perfectly. And I do mean PERFECTLY. If either of those conditions don't exist, he's awful. He has zero scramble ability and zero imagination when a play breaks down.

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions fans fed up after 7th straight Thanksgiving Day loss, this time vs. Packers


I hated that we lost this afternoon, but I admit that the tweets in this column are actually morbidly funny. whatever_gong82

Jared Ramsey
Detroit Free Press



The Detroit Lions delivered a timeless holiday tradition with another loss on Thanksgiving Day, this time falling 29-22 to the Green Bay Packers. Even the strength of the best Lions team in six decades could not break the power of tradition, extending the Thanksgiving losing streak to seven straight years at Ford Field.

The Lions fell behind 20-6 in a horrendous first quarter. The Packers scored two touchdowns on the first two drives to take an early 14-6 lead, then Jared Goff was stripped on a sack and the ball was returned for a touchdown. Goff followed up with another lost fumble and the offense did not score again in the first half, leading to a 23-6 deficit at the break.



The defense struggled all afternoon to slow down Jordan Love and the Green Bay passing attack. Love completed 22 of 32 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions tightened up in the second half and only gave up a touchdown following a failed fake punt, but the effort was not enough.



The Lions were 1-for-6 on fourth down, including a failed fake punt from their own 23-yard line, which had no chance and led to a Christian Watson touchdown catch three plays later.


The offensive line struggled which helped highlight Goff's inability to evade pressure and protect the ball. The Packers generated 11 quarterback hits and three sacks. Goff was 29-for-44 for 332 yards with two touchdowns and three fumbles lost.

Fans and media on "X" (formerly Twitter) are lamenting the struggles on both sides of the ball and acknowledging the disappointing Turkey Day history showing up again in the loss:

Jack Harlow, the halftime performer, also drew some negative reviews from disgruntled viewers.

[whatever_gong82]

[froot loops]

Shaq should never be apologizing to Christian Wood.

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions report card: Coaching, QB, O-line, defense fall flat in loss to Packers



Justin Rogers
The Detroit News



Detroit — Justin Rogers grades the Detroit Lions' performance following their 29-22 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Quarterbacks

Don't let the final stat line fool you, Jared Goff underdelivered while looking to bounce back from his individual struggles last weekend against the Bears. Goff lost a trio of fumbles and missed open targets multiple times, showing an uncharacteristic mix of slow decision-making and panic in the pocket. Yes, he finished with 332 yards, but almost half came in the fourth quarter, when the Packers softened up the coverage while trying to kill the clock and preserve their big lead. Grade: F


Running backs

Detroit's backfield tandem continues to produce, with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combining for 125 yards on 26 carries. They were less effective in the passing game, with Gibbs accounting for all the yardage, 19 on four catches and eight targets. He also had a drop, allowing a Packers defender to dislodge a ball across the middle, contributing to a turnover on downs. Grade: B+

Wide receivers/tight ends

When the ball was within their catch radius, Detroit's pass-catchers were sure-handed. As usual, Amon-Ra St. Brown paced the corps with nine grabs for 95 yards, but there were plenty of other contributions. Kalif Raymond had a season-high 90 yards, Jameson Williams had a pair of snags netting 51, and Sam LaPorta became the most productive rookie tight end in franchise history with five receptions for 47 yards, a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Grade: A-


Offensive line

The engine that makes Detroit's offense run stalled out against the Packers, particularly in pass protection. Goff was sacked thrice and hit nine additional times behind the line of scrimmage. Those struggles led to the benching of rookie guard Colby Sorsdal, who was filling in for normal starter Jonah Jackson, and had Goff playing uncomfortable even when his pocket was clean.

To be clear, it wasn't just Sorsdal who struggled. Typically stellar tackles Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker gave up far more pressure than we're accustomed to seeing, with Sewell giving up a QB hit on a fourth down resulting in an incompletion and Decker getting worked over by Rashan Gary (Michigan), who finished with three sacks.

The saving grace for the group was the run blocking, but it wasn't enough, particularly when pass protection was more important given the Lions spent the day playing from behind. Grade: D


Defensive line

Once again, Detroit's front wasn't adequate. It starts with a less-than-stellar showing against the run, which has been the one thing they've been able to hang their hats on all season. The Packers' backs admittedly didn't do a whole lot, but the team still managed to churn out 109 yards on the ground behind a 37-yard, zone-read keeper where the edge collapsed on the third-and-1 snap.

In terms of pass rush, the Lions were held without a sack for the fourth time this season, and barely got a hand on quarterback Jordan Love. Yes, the soft, zone coverage remains an issue at times, but when the coverage does hold up their end of the bargain, the defensive line has to do a better job getting home. Grade: D-


Linebackers

Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes both chipped in six tackles and two of Detroit's four hits on Love. Barnes also added a fourth-down stop when running back AJ Dillon ran into Love in the backfield, hindering his forward momentum. Jack Campbell was essentially a non-factor, other than his reckless, friendly fire hit on Alim McNeill that could have concussed the defensive tackle. Grade: D+


Secondary

It was rough from the start for Detroit's secondary after Cam Sutton and Tracy Walker combined in sloppy coverage, giving up a 53-yard bomb to Christian Watson. It didn't matter who was responsible for which receiver, the Lions didn't seem to have any answer for any of Love's targets, particularly Watson, who got the better of Jerry Jacobs multiple times, including a touchdown on a third-down snap. Brian Branch also gave up a touchdown on a Jayden Reed (Michigan State) slant route to cap the game's opening drive. Grade: F


Special teams

Riley Patterson attempted one kick, a PAT, and missed it. Jack Fox had one subpar punt out of two. The Lions failed to execute a fake punt. Kalif Raymond let a punt bounce that was downed at the 2-yard line. And, the cherry on top of the garbage sundae came when the team couldn't recover an onside kick that would have given them the chance to complete a comeback. Grade: F


Coaching

Yeah, the fake punt was a bad call. It was unnecessarily risky and made the odds for a comeback longer than they needed to be. In terms of overall preparation, the Lions had a strong understanding of what they needed to do, based on their comments earlier in the week, but couldn't put guys in position to provide answers to those problems.

The offense was sloppy, the defense disjointed and the division race is going to be more interesting than anyone hoped because of it. Grade: F


jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions grades: Jared Goff, OL, DL, coaching all fail vs. Packers


Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press



Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett grades the Detroit Lions in their 29-22 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday at Ford Field:

Quarterback

Jared Goff seemed to be over the turnover problems that greased his exit from the Los Angeles Rams, but he has six giveaways in the past two games and lost three fumbles on Thursday. The Lions didn’t do a great job protecting Goff, but he was careless with the ball, too. He lost his first fumble when a pass looked like it was slipping out of his hands as he got hit by Rashan Gary, and a second when he didn’t secure the ball with two hands on a scramble. He was high on a third down pass to LaPorta over the middle early, low on a check down to Jahmyr Gibbs late and took a costly intentional grounding penalty on one of the few drives the Lions moved the ball in the first half. Grade: F


Running backs

David Montgomery had another productive day with 15 carries for 71 yards, but neither he nor Gibbs delivered any of the truly big plays we’ve come to expect from the Lions backfield. Montgomery had four carries for 27 yards and a touchdown on the Lions’ first series of the third quarter, and Gibbs was a shoe-string tackle away from breaking one run for a long TD. Linebacker-turned-fullback Malcolm Rodriguez made a nice diving catch on his only target for his first career reception of 6 yards. Grade: C-plus


Receivers/tight ends

Amon-Ra St. Brown was a non-factor in the first half (two catches, 14 yards) but had another productive day overall (nine catches, 95 yards). His biggest catch came early in the third quarter, when he wrestled an interception away from Carrington Valentine when Goff probably should have thrown the ball to LaPorta instead. LaPorta and Josh Reynolds caught touchdown passes, while Kalif Raymond had a holding penalty that wiped out a touchdown run by Montgomery. Jameson Williams (two catches, 51 yards, took two bumps from defenders at the line of scrimmage and ran a nice drag for a 13-yard gain on an third down conversion, then his speed helped open up the field on LaPorta’s TD. Donovan Peoples-Jones still hasn’t caught a pass since coming over from the Cleveland Browns, but he did have an offsides penalty Thursday. And Goff didn’t seem to have a ton of open receivers when he did have time early. Grade: C


Offensive line

The Lions have one of the best offensive lines in football, but the unit had probably its worst day of the season Thursday. The Packers had 12 quarterback hits, three sacks and forced all three of Goff’s fumbles with their pass rush. Rookie Colby Sorsdal, making his second start at left guard in place of the injured Jonah Jackson, was benched late in the first half. He gave up an inside pressure to Kenny Clark on Goff’s first fumble that allowed Gary to retrace his steps and hit Goff from behind. He was late coming off a double-team block on a run stuff and got beat by Colby Wooden on another run play the series before he was pulled. Sorsdal wasn’t the only weak link up front. Taylor Decker allowed the sack-fumble to Gary in the second half and Penei Sewell whiffed on a block on Preston Smith when was hit as he threw incomplete on fourth-and-4. Grade: F


Defensive line

The Lions, conversely, got little pressure on Jordan Love. They didn’t record a sack for the fourth time this season and had one quarterback hit from their defensive line. Aidan Hutchinson stayed home to stop a reverse that looked like it was going to be a pass by Romeo Dobbs on a two-point play, and he pressured Love into a third-and-5 incompletion with about 12 minutes to play. He didn’t have a big impact on the game, though, as the Packers did a good job keeping extra protection in whenever they took shots deep. The Lions did a fair job against the run until Love broke a 37-yard run in the fourth, but the Packers won up front on both sides of the ball. Grade: F


Linebackers

Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes and safety Brian Branch combined to stuff AJ Dillon on fourth-and-inches early in the second quarter, when Dillon went the wrong way on a handoff and collided with Love. Anzalone had six tackles and did force an incompletion with a fourth quarter blitz, but both he and Jack Campbell bit hard on a run fake on Green Bay’s second touchdown, when Tucker Kraft dis-engaged on a block with Hutchinson and was wide open in the right flat. Anzalone and Jerry Jacobs shared a tackle for loss on a run blitz in the third quarter, but he and Barnes crashed too hard on the zone-read when Love pulled the handoff and scampered for his big gain. Grade: C-minus


Defensive backs

The blueprint to beat the Lions defense is through the air, both because they get inconsistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks and because of persistent leaks in their secondary. Christian Watson ran by Cam Sutton for a 53-yard catch on the first play of the game, and Dillon leapfrogged Jacobs for extra yards on a 22-yard gain in the second quarter, when Anzalone also missed a tackle on a short pass to the flat. Love entered Sunday completing less than 60% of his passes on the season and finished 22 of 32 for 268 yards. Tracy Walker made six tackles and forced an incompletion with a hit on Love on a third-quarter blitz, and Branch finished with a team-high eight tackles and one pass breakup. Walker did miss a tackle on Jordan Reed’s 15-yard jet sweep, when Branch also got wiped out of the play on a block. Grade: D


Special teams

The Lions failed on a fake punt in the second half from their own 23-yard line. Dan Campbell blamed himself for the call, but wouldn’t say whether the Lions got the right look to run the fake. Riley Patterson also missed an extra point after the Lions’ first touchdown, when it appeared as if the laces on the hold were turned the wrong way. Khalil Dorsey did have a nice return on the second half kickoff and Raymond returned Andres Carlson’s long missed field goal 50 yards at the end of the first half. Jack Fox netted 41.5 yards on his punts and the Packers recovered the Lions’ late onside kick. Grade: D


Coaching

It’s easy to say the Lions shouldn’t have tried the fake punt deep in their own territory in the third quarter, but I didn’t mind when Campbell rolled the dice in a similar situation against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 so I can’t bash him for the call Thursday. He’s a risk-taker, and the Lions aren’t going to hit on 100% of his risks. I didn’t like the Lions passing on a field goal try to try and convert a fourth-and-7 on their next possession. I thought it was still too early in the game, and the Lions could have used the field goal to cut their deficit to 12 points. The Lions’ biggest issue Thursday is they came out sluggish against another inferior division opponent gunning for them in the standings. Campbell said it was fault his team looked unprepared, and wondered whether he and his assistants put too much in the gameplan for a short week. Perhaps the Lions could have had more offensive variety on early downs, and the defense’s persistent struggles against the pass are confounding. Grade: F


Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

[whatever_gong82]

[whatever_gong82]

Everyone joked about the Lions being winless on Thanksgiving when the moon is in a Waxing Gibbous phase

[whatever_gong82]

Lions pass rush goes sackless again as Packers' Jordan Love has huge day



Nolan Bianchi
The Detroit News



Detroit — Jordan Love had all day to throw.

That's not in reference to a specific play, drive, or even quarter. Love, the Green Bay Packers quarterback, looked calm, cool and collected in the pocket from start to finish of the Pack's 29-22 victory over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day.


Love was 22-for-32 passing for 268 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions as the league's best deep-passing team lived up to the billing. On the very first play from scrimmage, Love faked a handoff, dropped back, bounced three times and chucked up a 53-yard completion over the middle to Christian Watson.



The rest, as they say, is history. The Lions were never able to make Love uncomfortable and they paid the price over and over. They only hit him four times with no sacks, which the Lions have just two of over their last three games. Each time he let go of the ball, it felt as though the Lions edge rushers were closer to the numbers than they were to their actual target.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell showed little concern for the trend following Thursday's game, saying the same guys who are struggling to produce now are the same guys who were near the top of the league in a variety of pass-rush statistics early on in the season.



"The unit's going to be just fine," Campbell said. "We're going to get going and we pressured a little bit more today, played a little tight, but these are our guys, man. And these guys can do it and they've done it.

In a 34-20 win over the Packers in Week 4, the Lions had five sacks and generated 29 pressures.



"I thought they protected him really well out there, did a lot of block-'em-up protections, particularly early, they took a shot and we just couldn't quite get there," Campbell said.

Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill said it isn't a lack of fire in the trenches that's preventing the team's pass rush from getting home. After all, it's more or less the same group of guys that has shut down opposing run games week after week. Packers running back A.J. Dillon had just 43 yards on 14 carries.



"They didn't establish the run how they wanted to, so I wouldn't say that, it's just a lot of quick throws and stuff like that in certain situations," McNeill said.

Though he has confidence the pass rush can get back on track, Campbell said "everybody's going to be challenged" when the team returns for practice on Monday.



nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi

[whatever_gong82]

Turnovers sinking Lions on both sides of the ball


Nolan Bianchi
The Detroit News



Detroit — Turnovers are officially the new dessert of Thanksgiving in Detroit.

Unfortunately for the Detroit Lions, nobody told their defense.

For the second time in five days, the Lions on Thursday at Ford Field turned the ball over three times. Unlike this past Sunday, when Detroit (8-3) overcame the mistakes to escape with a win over the Chicago Bears, the Lions didn’t have enough gas in the tank to complete the comeback and fell to the Green Bay Packers, 29-22.


And with their defense unable to get a takeaway of their own, it might be time to confront reality. Turnovers, on both sides of the ball, are a problem. After 11 games, the Lions are a minus-five in turnover differential on the season. The worst mark in the league is minus-eight.



“Everything’s got to start with the turnovers,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said.

“We can’t turn the ball over and we’ve got to find a way to get takeaways. Let’s start there and then we’ll figure the rest out.”



Turnovers on the offensive side of the ball are certainly a problem. In their last two games alone, the Lions have offered up six in crucial NFC North matchups while only generating one takeaway. Over their last five games, they’re losing the turnover battle, 10-4. And over the course of the entire season, the Lions, despite an 8-3 record, have won the turnover battle just four times.

In some ways, the mark of a good team is finding ways to win when these things don’t fall your way. That was the message after Sunday. But another mark of a good team is being able to problem-solve on the fly and minimize the clear liabilities.



"There's certainly ones where I need to take care of the ball better and it's my job certainly to do that," Lions quarterback Jared Goff said.

On defense, the lack of takeaways could be stomachable if it could be chalked up to a streak of poor luck — but that’s not the case. On so many completions Thursday — and really, over the last few weeks — there wasn’t a Lions defender anywhere near the possibility of making a play on the ball.


“It just comes down to winning our one-on-one battles and holding ourselves accountable for the mistakes that’s going on in the backend,” said Lions safety Kerby Joseph, who emerged as a takeaway artist in his rookie season but has been limited to just two interceptions this year.

“We just need our playmakers to make plays, myself included. I didn’t do a god job of getting around the ball. I didn’t get no turnovers, nothing.”



That’s just the interception aspect. And to be fair, they’ve done an average job in that area. Detroit’s defense is tied for 18th with eight on the season. The Lions’ four recovered fumbles on defense are tied for the second-fewest in the league.

Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes said the defense needs “more punchouts, more strip attempts.”



“I think that’s something we really push towards is getting those punchouts and turnovers. We haven’t gotten many of those this year. It’s just something that, week in and week out, we try to focus on. I think it’s just a mindset thing. It’s a mental thing.”

On both sides of the ball, this mission will not get any easier in the next contest. Detroit travels to New Orleans (tied-fifth in turnover margin, plus-six) and Chicago (just won the turnover battle vs. Detroit, 3-1) before returning home to face the Denver Broncos, who are also tied for fifth at plus-six.



nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi

[whatever_gong82]

Lions' Dan Campbell shoulders blame for failed fake punt: 'That's a bad call'



Justin Rogers
The Detroit News



Detroit — It worked earlier in the season, and it's worked almost every other time the Detroit Lions have pulled the trigger, but like nearly everything else the team tried in a Thanksgiving loss to the Green Bay Packers, a fake punt late in the third quarter failed.

"Look, that's a bad call on me," Lions coach Dan Campbell acknowledged after the 29-22 loss. "That's a bad call. I shouldn't have done that to those guys. It's a bad call."


At the time, the Lions were trailing by nine points and faced a fourth-and-4 from their own 23-yard line. The look wasn't all that different from a fake they'd successfully executed in the season-opening win over Kansas City, when they went for it on fourth-and-2 at their own 17 and got the needed yardage.

Just like that previous fake, the ball was directly snapped to Jalen Reeves-Maybin, the personal protector in the formation. But on this one, the Packers had it sniffed out, particularly linebacker Kristian Welch, who aggressively filled the cutback lane when the defenders along the front beat Detroit's blocks and took away Reeves-Maybin's pathway around the right edge.



The run was ultimately stuffed for no gain and the Packers translated the turnover on downs into a touchdown four plays later.

The failed fake was only the second time in nine tries Detroit didn't execute under Campbell, with the other being a dropped pass from punter Jack Fox. Still, despite the botched call which the coach readily shouldered, his players backed up the decision, appreciative of Campbell's consistent, and often successful aggressiveness.



"We trust the hell out of him," quarterback Jared Goff said. "He makes those calls, most of the time, he's right. And when he's not, we've got to pick him up and make the plays to help us win the game. We trust the hell out of him and love when he puts us in situations to make him right."

The fake punt was one of four, consecutive, failed fourth-down calls the Lions had against the Packers before successfully converting one during the team's final drive, when trying to stage an unlikely comeback down 15 with under three minutes remaining.



jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers

[froot loops]

I sure hope Dan Campbell's message to the public on the defensive line is different than his message to the defensive line.

[whatever_gong82]

Wojo: Lions can’t stop Love, and still can’t shake the Thanksgiving burps



Bob Wojnowski
The Detroit News



Detroit — This was dry turkey and lumpy mashed potatoes, cold apple pie with runny whipped cream. This was how the Lions used to mark Thanksgiving, with a burp and a snort.

This was nasty, especially because we assumed the Lions were done looking like this on the national stage. The Packers, wracked by injuries, came in and whacked the Lions 29-22 Thursday, serving a heaping helping of comeuppance. It was an unhealthy reminder that in the NFL, you’re never far from where you came, as the Lions lost for the seventh straight time on Thanksgiving.


To be fair, the Lions’ trajectory hasn’t appreciably changed. They’re 8-3 and comfortably in first place, with a favorable schedule ahead.

Also to be fair, they haven’t looked like their confident new selves for a few games now. The defense has been passive, failing to collect a sack two of the past three games. This week, it was young Jordan Love picking them apart, unsacked and virtually untouched. Last week, it was the Bears young Justin Fields, relatively untouched until the Lions rallied in the final four minutes. Before that, the Chargers’ Justin Herbert was unsacked and unstoppable, but the Lions hung on 41-38.


Living on the edge

Listen, nobody cares how you win in the NFL, unless unstable patterns begin to develop. The offense has done just enough to pull out three of the past four games, but the Lions are living on the edge, and their vaunted offensive line has teetered on the ledge. In this one, Jared Goff suffered from indecision (or indigestion?), unsure when to throw, when to run and when to duck from the constant pressure. He lost three fumbles and was sacked three times, one week after throwing three interceptions in the narrow win over the Bears.



Concerning? Yeah. Wildly concerning? Not yet.

“The easy thing is to get in panic mode, but I’m not panicked,” Dan Campbell said. “We got the right guys who know how to play. And the fight is on now. I mean, they think these are going to be some cruise control — we’re going to have to fight and scratch and claw for everything. That’s the type of team we are, that’s where we’re at.”



Campbell emphasized he didn’t think his players were on cruise control, and I doubt they are. Their talent isn’t overwhelming enough to cruise. But they’re learning how tough it can be when other teams see your gaudy record and deliver their best shot.

The first half Thursday was inexplicable as the Packers rolled to a 23-6 lead, sparked by Jonathan Owens’ 27-yard return of a Goff fumble. They really weren’t threatened the rest of the way, as the Lions’ final touchdown was a 12-yard pass to Josh Reynolds with 41 seconds left.



Fears about the defense’s cracks appear well-founded. Love came in completing less than 60% but was 22-for-32 for 268 yards. He zipped some fantastic throws, and receivers Christian Watson and Jayden Reed, the former Michigan State star, were terrific.

If Aaron Glenn’s defense can’t generate more pressure, the suspect secondary is in trouble. Jerry Jacobs leads the team with three interceptions but also is a frequent target. The Lions are 24th in the league in takeaways and 22nd in sacks — only Aidan Hutchinson (5.5) and Alim McNeill (five) have more than three.



GM Brad Holmes stood pat at the trade deadline, declining to add an edge rusher, and it looked questionable at the time. It’s looking worse now. Glenn will need to crank up his blitz packages to at least make opposing quarterbacks look mildly uncomfortable.

“Same guys we’ve had here, and we’ve been able to generate pressure, so this unit’s going to be just fine,” Campbell said. “When we went to Green Bay, we were able to create pressure. …. Everybody’s going to be challenged, as well as myself. And this is how we should want it. You should want to know that everybody’s going to give you their best shot, and you better be ready to go.”



The Lions next go to New Orleans to face the Saints on Dec. 3, then to Chicago for a rematch against the Bears. Division clashes can be tricky things, as the Lions just learned. In Green Bay on Sept. 28, they clobbered the Packers 34-20, sacking Love five times and intercepting him twice. The Lions led 27-3 at halftime and Goff was pinpoint most of the game.

The Packers (5-6) are trying to flip the script like the Lions did a year ago, when they closed on an 8-2 run. They just entered Thanksgiving on another 8-2 run, and encountered a Green Bay team hungry to find its way without Aaron Rodgers.


'Give us their best shot'


Goff was asked if he senses the shift, from a team on the hunt to a team being hunted.

“Yeah, maybe,” he said. “I mean, we’ve had some success up to this point. We’re 8-2 before today and yeah, teams are going to give us their best shot. … I don’t know if it changes how we approach the game. We’re still hunting a whole lot. We’re still hunting first overall in our division and then whatever we can get after that.”



Early in the season, the Lions looked un-huntable, winning four straight by 14 points or more. But after a 20-6 victory Oct. 15 at Tampa Bay, they were belted by Baltimore 38-6. Since then, they’ve played well enough to beat the Raiders, Chargers and Bears, but sprinkled in enough mistakes to cause some squirming.

The Lions’ foundational offensive line has been shaken up, partly due to injury, partly due to attacking defensive fronts. Guard Jonah Jackson missed the game with a wrist injury, and rookie Colby Sorsdal was pulled late in the first half for Kayode Awosika. Frank Ragnow and Taylor Decker have been ailing at times, and even Penei Sewell struggled. The Packers’ pass rush was unrelenting, with Rashan Gary, the former Michigan star, sacking Goff three times and forcing two fumbles.



The Lions still have plenty to be thankful for. They have a healthy cushion at 8-3, in a division where Minnesota, Green Bay and Chicago are hardly imposing. They have a quarterback renowned for bouncing back strong, and an offensive line motivated to fulfill its high standards. And the defense, despite the criticism, ranks near the top 10, and can unleash bursts of blitzing effectiveness.

The Thanksgiving leftovers never last long, unfortunately. Neither do the hangovers, fortunately, and the Lions have ample time to shake this one off.


bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com

@bobwojnowski

[whatever_gong82]

Dan Campbell's press conference after today's game:

[whatever_gong82]

Niyo: Lions quarterback Jared Goff feeling the heat with rash of gaffes



John Niyo
The Detroit News



Detroit — It wasn’t that long ago that Jared Goff felt like he was living in the lap of luxury.

Just two weeks ago, in fact, the Lions’ quarterback stood at the postgame podium in his former hometown of Los Angeles laughing about how easy he had it.


“Yeah, I maybe fell to the ground once or twice today — probably my own fault — but I don't think I got hit once,” Goff shrugged after Detroit’s 41-38 shootout win over the Chargers.

But on his new home turf, and on a day where the Thanksgiving table was set for the Lions to feast against Green Bay, it was an entirely different story.




Goff was under siege all afternoon, pressured and pressing, as the Lions ultimately failed to pass another test Thursday in a 29-22 loss to Green Bay at Ford Field. And as they try to lock up the NFC North title — and the elusive home playoff game that comes with it — it was the veteran quarterback’s turnovers that once again were a key problem.

Goff coughed up three fumbles against the Packers, two in the first quarter alone, and one of which was returned for a touchdown that forced the Lions’ to play catch-up the rest of the game. Unlike Sunday, that didn't happen, however.



Looking uncomfortable


That’s now six giveaways in the last two games for Goff, who’d been so efficient and careful over the first two months of this season he was starting to get passing mentions as an NFL MVP candidate. And, really, it was what we saw from Goff in the last half of 2022 as well.

But four days after throwing three interceptions against the Bears — and nearly a couple more before salvaging a win with an impressive comeback — Goff rarely looked comfortable Thursday.



His first fumble was a bit unlucky, hit by Rashan Gary just as he attempted to throw a pass at his own 20-yard line late in the first quarter.

“That gets called incomplete sometimes,” he said.



But it wasn’t, and a replay review correctly upheld the call, which meant Packers safety Jonathan Owens’ 27-yard fumble return for a touchdown stood. So did the 20-6 deficit the Lions suddenly were facing against a division rival that was decimated by injuries but determined to return the favor for that beatdown Detroit delivered at Lambeau Field in late September.

Goff’s next fumble, though, was the kind of play that Lions fans saw too often in 2021 and again in the first half of last season. Flushed from the pocket, Goff didn’t secure the ball — a recurring issue for him when he’s forced to scramble — and the Packers’ Karl Brooks knocked it loose as he brought him down from behind.



“I’ve got to take care of the ball better, no doubt,” Goff said.

And no question, all that pressure he felt Thursday was a big part of the problem.



Under pressure


Detroit’s offensive line came into the game ranked No. 1 in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. But Goff was feeling the heat on at least 40% of his 50 dropbacks Thursday. He was hit a dozen times, sacked on three other would-be pass plays and managed to scramble for yardage on a few more.



Gary was credited with all three of those sacks, and give credit where it’s due: He was a nightmare for the Lions on what was certainly an emotional day for the former Michigan star, who’d suffered a torn ACL in a loss at Detroit last November.

But it wasn’t just left tackle Taylor Decker who was having issues Thursday. Penei Sewell allowed rare pressure on the right side, and the interior of the line sprung more than a few leaks — and took some penalties — as well.



Enough for Campbell and line coach Hank Fraley to make a change, actually. Rookie Colby Sorsdal, who’d struggled in the win over Chicago last weekend, got another start in place of Jonah Jackson at left guard. But Sorsdal, who was beaten badly by veteran Kenny Clark on Goff’s first fumble, also had some issues run blocking and was benched just before halftime, replaced by Kayode Awosika the rest of the way.

Campbell blamed some of those issues on the situation the Lions found themselves in early in this game, trailing by two scores before the end of the first quarter and by three scores by halftime.



“You don’t want to go in and feel like we’re in all-pass mode,” he said. “You become very predictable. That’s hard on the O-line and that’s really (where) a lot of the issues came up.”

Goff wasn’t about to lay any blame on his security blanket, either, though he did look like a quarterback who was hearing footsteps. He seemed to flee the pocket too soon, at times. And whether he was flustered or not, he made some uncharacteristic poor throws in key situations. He missed tight end Sam LaPorta on a key third-down pass over the middle early, and drew a flag for intentional grounding another time.



“No, I'm behind what I believe is the best group in the league,” he insisted. “Those guys rushed well and did a good job today. I don't point at our O-line as the reason for that at all. I probably could have gotten rid of the ball a bit quicker on some of those as well.”

But whatever the issues are, and whenever they happen, they’re magnified right now by some of the Lions’ defensive problems. Campbell acknowledged as much after Thursday’s loss when he talked about holding the offense to a slightly higher standard. Because of that offensive line, for one thing. But also because Goff’s been around long enough to know better, and be better.



“Goff has played a lot of football,” Campbell said. “And that’s the first thing I look at when I think of, ‘We’ve got a function at a higher level. We’ve got to be more efficient.’”

Thursday, they weren’t. That's no reason for a first-place team to panic, obviously. But it is a reminder, as the playoff chase picks up the pace: Goff and the Lions better get comfortable feeling uncomfortable.



john.niyo@detroitnews.com

@JohnNiyo