Team Grades: Detroit Lions Get Nothing Going Offensively, Can't Stop Vikings' Adrian Peterson
By Danny Cox
The Detroit Lions lost 26-16 to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but the game really wasn't that close. Six of those points came in the final few minutes, and the game had long been over as the Vikings were able to stop virtually everything the Lions wanted to do on offense and Detroit had no answer for Adrian Peterson.
The loss sends the Lions to 0-2, and there are a lot of things that need to be addressed before going any further into this season, or it's going to be one that is very long.
Offense: C
It's hard to tell how the offense performed as a whole unit because the Lions fell behind in the game rather quickly and had to abandon the running game. As a whole, the team had just 38 yards on 16 total carries and 20 of those yards belonged to Matthew Stafford.
Stafford had 53 passing attempts and two touchdowns, while Calvin Johnson caught 10 passes for 83 yards and a score. Somehow, some way...the Lions have to figure out a way to get Megatron more involved in the offense or it's going to be a long season.
Defense: D+
Teddy Bridgewater completed 14-of-18 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown. That's a great completion percentage, but a rather lackluster day for an NFL quarterback. He didn't have to do a whole lot though because Adrian Peterson exploded for 134 yards on 29 carries.
The Lions could do nothing to stop Peterson and he was even the team's top receiver with 58 yards on two receptions. Detroit has to figure out a way to stop the run because it left the passing game wide open as well.
Special Teams: B
Matt Prater hit his lone extra point and made his only field goal attempt, a 26-yarder. Ameer Abdullah looked impressive on kick returns while Sam Martin was at his best punting the ball. He landed two inside the Vikings' 20-yard-line and had a long of 53.
Coaching: D
Lions head coach Jim Caldwell was obviously frustrated throughout the day and there are a number of changes that need to be made and soon. The offense could get nothing going all day, and the game plan had to be thrown out the window after Detroit fell behind by so many points. Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate need to be more prominent on offense which will then open the running game for a more balanced attack.
The Detroit Lions are sitting at 0-2 and it's not going to get any easier as the next two weeks have games against the Denver Broncos and off to Seattle to play the Seahawks. The offense of the Lions doesn't look bad when they can play as they know how to do so, but the defense is simply not allowing that.
Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. Danny is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.