GBU PostMortem - Lions fall to the Glorious Revolution

[chemiclord]

Shockingly, the refs were really, really bad last night. /sarcasm

But yeah, they were missing calls, making the wrong calls... just terrible. About the best you can say is that the blunders kinda sorta balanced out?

As far as Goff is concerned, I dunno if he was actually concussed, unless he somehow got concussed in the locker room before the game. He was boffing it long before he took that shot.

[whatever_gong82]

Three and Out: Lions' coaching fell short of standard, accelerating an offseason expected to be full of change

Justin Rogers
Jan 19



Here are three observations after a second viewing and a night to ponder the Detroit Lions’ 45-31 season-ending loss to the Washington Commanders.


Coaching fell short

One of the more challenging things to accept about the loss is the Lions were done in by their coaching as much as sloppy execution. That culpability falls across the staff, not one individual.


Defensively, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels' scouting report told you he was better against the blitz than when he wasn't. That's not to say the Lions needed to forsake their identity. Still, if you're going to send extra rushers, you have to do a better job taking away the quarterback's quick answer.

The most egregious example was Terry McLaurin's 58-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Nickel cornerback Brian Branch telegraphed his blitz before the snap. That exposed the outmanned secondary tasked with covering Washington's three receivers to the quarterback's left.


The ball was out of Daniels' hands before Branch could affect the pocket. With two blockers for two defenders, McLaurin was off to the races for the long score, preventing the Lions from recapturing momentum before the half.

Also concerning was the lack of discipline by the defense. Josh Paschal blasting Daniels on a zone-read handoff, drawing a 15-yard infraction for unnecessary roughness, rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold failing to set an edge on a successful fourth-down run by Daniels, and worst of all, getting flagged for 12 men on the field ahead of a fourth-and-2 in the deepest part of the red zone, handing the Commanders a first down for free.


It was a coaching breakdown that led to the extra man take the field and another that didn't call a timeout before the official could throw the flag. Two blunders, one play, ultimately resulting in seven points.

Offensively, the play-calling wasn't perfect, but the team dialed up some great calls in key moments. The Jameson Williams reverse that went for 61 yards was an ideal response to Jared Goff being sidelined for a concussion evaluation. And a nifty pitch into a shovel pass was a stellar design that caught the Commanders sleeping and set up a deficit-narrowing score early in the second half.


But the Lions got cute when they could least afford a mistake, trailing by two scores late in the third quarter and running another reverse to Williams. Only this variant called for the third-year receiver to pass. That's fine in the opening quarter, or when you're up 10 looking for the dagger, or even when trying to embarrass the Cowboys for no other reason than they deserve it, but not when you can't waste a single possession in a win-or-go-home game.

Yes, Goff would have played better. And Detroit’s tackling was poor, across the board. Regardless, you count on your leaders to put you in the best position to succeed and that didn’t happen on Saturday.


The winds of change

What comes next is change. It’s an inevitable component of every NFL offseason. Still, the Lions have seemingly avoided the worst of it during their climb from cellar to contender. Now comes the time when they must pay the toll for the turnaround.

The first part of the two-fold charge will be letting some talented pieces go. Simply put, you can’t pay everyone. Few can question the extensions already awarded, but this isn’t baseball, where you can spend without limit, luxury tax considerations excluded. The NFL has a hard cap, and even though all kinds of tricks can be utilized to manipulate those year-to-year ceilings, you either have to exhibit some self-control or end up like the New Orleans Saints, entering each offseason wildly over budget and scrambling to find relief.


Some key pieces won’t return to Detroit in 2025. The Lions won’t likely be able to retain all their veterans, such as Carlton Davis III, Kevin Zeitler and Za’Darius Smith. In fact, it’s more likely none are back than all three of them.

The more difficult decisions for GM Brad Holmes will center around the young talent he drafted and the coaching staff developed. As dynamic as he is when he’s on the field, can the team justify banking on Ifeatu Melifonwu in the future? Can they afford the hefty raise Levi Onwuzurike is due after a productive and healthy 2024? If there’s one from this talent pool who might stick, it’s Derrick Barnes. The linebacker may be forced to settle for a prove-it deal after a knee injury cut his contract year short before he could solidify his case for a long-term term extension.


The other potential change would be to the coaching staff. Of course, there are no guarantees, particularly after offensive coordinator Ben Johnson pulled himself out of the running for jobs the past two years. Still, it’s unlikely he and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn both return. There’s too much momentum toward them filling vacancies, despite some questionable decisions by each in a final audition, if that’s how you view Saturday’s loss.


And if Johnson, Glenn or both get jobs, who will they take to fill out their respective staffs? Presumably, each has at least one assistant earmarked for a coordinator role, plus there are several lower-level assistants, such as Cam Davis, Shaun Dion Hamilton and Steve Oliver, who are ready to be promoted to position coaches.

For better or worse, the next time the Lions take the field for OTAs in May, they’ll have gone through a makeover.


A foundation for the future

Regardless, whatever turnover is on the horizon, there should be firmly rooted confidence in the franchise's foundation, especially the offense.

The NFL's top-scoring unit in 2024, the Lions are set to bring back their quarterback, two-headed monster backfield, a two-time All-Pro receiver and the ascending star who compliments him, a Pro Bowl-caliber tight end, and at least three starters along the offensive line, including two All-Pros. And while the sample size isn't huge, Christian Mahogany looks like another late-round find for the GM. The rookie guard was stellar in his two starts late in the season.


Losing Johnson would sting, but any capable offensive mind should be able to average 30 points per game with that group. And any team that averages 30 points per game is a contender.

That's not to say the team doesn't also have pieces to build around defensively. Aidan Hutchinson will be back next year, motivated to recapture the level of play that had him as the early-season front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year. He'll be supported by defensive tackle Alim McNeill, linebackers Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell, one of the NFL's best safety tandems, and Arnold, the 2024 first-round pick who will be poised to make a second-year jump after banking more than 1,000 defensive snaps during his debut campaign.



It might not be what anyone wants to hear or talk about the day after that group fell on their face, but it's as deep and talented a core as almost any in the league. Plus, it will be supplemented by another Holmes draft class and led by Dan Campbell, who has earned his reputation as one of the league's best at getting the most out of his talent.

We might be in the heart of a typically gray winter, but the future remains bright in Detroit.




Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

X: Justin_Rogers

Bluesky: Justin-Rogers

[mason reese]

Why wouldn’t Za’Darius Smith be back? He’s got one more year on his contract.

[ghandi]

I watched Matt Dery last night and he criticized Jack Campbell for basically running into Amik’s arm like a sledgehammer. The hits really did keep on coming.

Well that is what is coached....The "we are going to hit you harder and come out on top" stuff can sometimes backfire....Sometimes that kneecap you took off was one of your own guys.

[ghandi]

Why wouldn’t Za’Darius Smith be back? He’s got one more year on his contract.

Yeah he will be back im sure....I dont know if they want him as starting edge opposite Hutch or as rotation piece....Holmes cant take a gamble on an oft injured player like he did last year with Davenport.

[Lionsfan123]

Same. They should’ve got the job done in San Francisco last year, period. Campbell’s quote of how last year may have been their only shot looms large today. The ‘25 schedule is next level tough, Holmes needs to address the pass rush once again in the offseason and the offensive line will also need to be looked at.
Goff will also be over 30. It will take a lot of good fortune to make a Super Bowl run in ‘25.

I still feel the Lions can still get it done. Their window is at least open for 1 or 2 more years at least. All the defensive injuries unfortunately caught up and it bit the Lions at the end. The fact they even made it this far with a depleted defense is nothing short but amazing. They even swept the division and maintain control of their NFC North championship for at least another year.

[Dan V]

The NFC North was an absolute blood bath of talent and competition this year.
Chicago could have won the nfc south this year.
If you look at how they all bowed out with losses this year after one playoff game, these teams were spent

Really easy to see next year the Lions as a NFC North champion next year.
Darnold kinda got exposed and Minn may go with McCarthy/ Danny Dimes
GB took a step back as Love regressed ( while Josh Jacobs ran wild , his threat didn’t improve Love)
Chicago will hover around .500 depending on who their head coach is.

Lions had THREE loses at home and were undefeated on the road. Very unusual .
I see two losses on the road next year and one at home.
A two seed isn’t that bad at all to shoot for.

Goff is fine. The defense must stay healthy .

We are here to stay .

[chemiclord]

Their "best" chance may very well have been in 2023, but yeah, they've got at least two more years with this current core, and that's assuming they don't find that talent pipeline that allows young guys to step in and fill the holes made. Mahogany looks very promising to fill some of the long in the tooth offensive linemen. They need to find more, to be sure, but that's Holmes's job.

Honestly? When you think about it, it took a nigh unprecedented plague of injuries to derail this Lions team. I'm not the slightest bit convinced we've seen the best of this squad.

[mason reese]

Yeah he will be back im sure....I dont know if they want him as starting edge opposite Hutch or as rotation piece....Holmes cant take a gamble on an oft injured player like he did last year with Davenport.

I think Davenport might be under contract too. If so, odds seem likely they’d get more out of him next year.

edit: nevermind, it’s a void year