The Detroit Lions entered the season hoping to build off the success of last year’s 11-5 record with a return to the postseason. But after three games, they still find themselves without a win, and their playoff hopes are all but dead.
All three of the Lions games were winnable, but as the games carried on the Lions’ problems on offense became apparent. An offense loaded with fire power, including Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and rookie running back Ameer Abdullah, lacked the aggression needed to win games.
In Week 1, the Lions came out on fire. Their offense was moving the ball down the field, and they held the San Diego Chargers on defense. They jumped out to a 21-3 lead with the game was all but theirs. Putting their feet on the brake offensively, the Lions allowed the Chargers to capture momentum and score 30 unanswered points to seal the victory.
Their second game was against a weaker Minnesota Vikings team. The Lions offense came out with the same lack of intensity they showed in the second half against San Diego. Failing to stay on the field, the Vikings jumped out to an early lead, and the Lions never appeared to have settled into the game.
On Sunday night against the Denver Broncos they came out, again, looking cold and passive. It took them a while to settle in, but the Lions did find their groove. Calvin Johnson made a few great catches, and they managed to keep the game close. Down the stretch, sloppy play by Stafford and poor playcalling led to the Lions allowing their opponents to pull away.
At 0-3, Detroit needs to make big changes if they expect to be competitive. Their next two games are against the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks are coming off of a shutout performance against the Chicago Bears, and the Cardinals may be the NFL’s best team. There is a good chance that they could start 0-5, unless they improve.
The big change they need might be the firing of Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi.
In all three of the Lions’ games, they have lost due to complacency and bad playcalling. The system that Lombardi has put in place over the past two years has not worked with the team’s personnel, and the team has not been able to adjust to different scenarios.
Early in the Broncos game, they had two straight drives end after a failed third and long. Although conversions on third and long are not easy, the plays being called don’t set the team up for success. On both attempts, the Lions attempted to gain over ten yards on a screen pass to the running back out of the backfield. After the first attempt led to little to no gain, they should have adjusted their play calling and went to something else on their next third and long. On a team with multiple receivers with deep-ball potential like Johnson, Golden Tate and even the likes of Cory Fuller, there are much better options on long-yardage situations rather than short passes in the backfield.
After a third quarter touchdown, the Lions trailed by only two points. A two-point conversion would tie the game and change the dynamic of the game entirely. Last week against the Vikings, the Lions faced a similar task as a two-point conversion would have put them within one possession on their opponent. Against the Vikings, the Lions chose to run a draw up the middle to running back Joique Bell. The Vikings shut down the play in the backfield and the Lions failed to convert. On a team with Calvin Johnson and tight end Eric Ebron, who finally seems to have found his place on the team this season, there is no reason to run the exact same play. The Lions did, though, and yet again it failed.
Lombardi does not trust quarterback Matt Stafford, as he proved on the conversion attempt. Even if he did want to run the ball, a rush around the edge with the much faster Ameer Abdullah would have been a better option, or even possibly a screen pass.
Trailing by 12 points with just over two minutes to play in the Denver game, the Lions needed to work fast and make their way down the field for a quick score. An offense with both the all-time leader in passing yards per game and the single-game and single-season record holder for most receiving yards elected to continuously throw short passes over the middle.
Having the size of Johnson and the speed of Golden Tate, the Lions should have tried their luck downfield. They wasted time and made it nearly impossible to put together two scoring drives. They did manage to work the ball all the way to the Broncos 20-yard line, but in doing so wasted almost a minute and a half. They didn’t take a shot into the end zone until fourth down, which failed and led to them losing.
This is not a new problem for the Lions. In their infamous playoff loss to the Cowboys last season, the Lions blew a 14-point lead and brought the Cowboys back into the game despite having total control. They came out of the half complacent with no aggressiveness. After a picked-up flag by the referees on what should have been a pass interference call, the Lions faced a fourth and one around midfield. Instead of going for it, they elected to punt, putting Tony Romo and the Cowboys’ explosive offense back on the field.
Despite having the firepower worthy of one of the best offenses in the NFL, the Lions still struggle immensely. The deep ball threat their offense was formerly known for has nearly disappeared, and their playmakers are not being used to their full potential. Despite having an extremely talented team that should be in the playoff race, the Lions find themselves winless three weeks in. The Lions offense is inconsistent, and the playcalling is questionable, if not all around awful.
The Lions need huge reinforcements to save their season, and firing offensive coordinator and playcaller Joe Lombardi may be what they need.
