Team Grades: Lions Play Hard, But Fall Apart In Fourth Quarter Loss To Broncos
By Danny Cox
Some thought that Matthew Stafford wouldn't play for the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football, but his bumps and bruises wouldn't keep him out. He played a decent game, but some of his mistakes were costly for the team who dropped to 0-3 after a 24-12 loss to the Denver Broncos.
The Lions played decently enough throughout and showed a lot of promise, but a fourth quarter collapse showed again that they simply aren't finishing games.
Offense: C-
Finally, the Detroit Lions got Calvin Johnson involved in the offense, but it still wasn't in the explosive way that has been seen in recent years. Stafford finished the night 31-of-45 passing for 282 yards and one touchdown (to Ameer Abdullah), but his two interceptions stopped good drives and tore a hole in their momentum.
The running game is still totally nonexistent. Abdullah and Joique Bell ran 18 times for a combined 29 yards and one touchdown. It's just not there in any way, shape, or form and it means the defense simply needs to focus on the passing game.
Defense: C+
Peyton Manning didn't light up the scoreboard and he threw an interception, but the Lions allowed some big plays. The 45-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas at the end of the first half was almost like a dagger as it seemed to simply come from lack of attention on the part of Detroit's defense.
Denver's running game did nothing and the passing game wasn't overly flashy, either. The Broncos had less than 400 yards of total offense and the Lions played well on defense, but just couldn't contain them for the whole game.
Special Teams: B
There wasn't a single kickoff return and not a single scoring kick made by the Detroit Lions. Matt Prater had an extra point blocked in the second quarter and a 2-point attempt in the third quarter didn't work. Sam Martin punted five times for a good average and long of 66 yards, but little else happened.
Coaching: C
Lions head coach Jim Caldwell seems to have it all together every single week, but only for a short period of time, and then it just falls apart. A running game has to be found somehow, some way. It will take some of the pressure off of Stafford and allow Megatron to get open more. The defense needs to be able to hold their own and stand their ground for a solid 60 minutes, or Caldwell needs to find the men who can do it.
The Detroit Lions just couldn't play through for a whole game. Next week, it won't get any easier against the Arizona Cardinals, who are streaking and demolished the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday. An 0-3 hole is hard to get out of, but an 0-4 hole is almost impossible.
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.