The Detroit Lions are winning, but one thought has lingered in my mind: should these games be this close?
The Lions are up to 6-2 on the season and have now won four games in a row, yet there has been a tonal shift with this team. To start the season, the Lions’ offense was on a tear, scoring 164 points across their first five games (32.8 points scored per game). However, that was offset by a defense that was giving up just as many points (33.8 points allowed per game), leading to a disappointing
record of just 3-2 at the bye.
Things have picked of a late for the defense, but the same cannot be said about the offense. Across their past three games, the Lions have scored just 20 points versus the Green Bay Packers, 19 points versus the Minnesota Vikings, and 19 points against the Miami Dolphins. Early in the season, this would have meant three-straight losses, but some stout defensive showings (allowing just 17, 15, and 9 points across those games) have kept Detroit on a win streak.
Head coach Dan Campbell has often preached the importance of complementary football. The defense has stepped up in recent weeks, but the offense is suddenly and surprisingly lagging behind. After a torrid start to the season, what is up with the offense?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Are you concerned about the Detroit Lions’ offense?
My answer: No.
The Lions offense has had some lackluster moments against the Packers, Vikings, and Dolphins, without question. However, I think that the ceiling of this offense shines through enough to ease my worries—the offense is in a lull, not a fall. There are two drives in particular that I want to highlight that show how good this offense can be.
Firstly, I want to address the Lions’ second drive of the fourth quarter versus the Vikings. Minnesota had just scored a touchdown to put themselves up 15-12. With just under eight minutes left in the game, the Lions not only had to mount a scoring drive, but also eat up enough time to make things uncomfortable for the Vikings when they got the ball back. The Lions wound up going on a seven-play, 69-yard touchdown drive to eat up four minutes of clock.
What truly stood out about that drive was the presence that Detroit brought. Throughout most of the game, Detroit had struggled to run the ball. Jahmyr Gibbs had scored on a 30-yard scamper earlier in the third quarter, but aside from that, we had not seen the dominant run game that Detroit was known for. That changed on this drive. Detroit started churned out yards with ease—carries of 17 yards, 12 yards, 10 yards, and two 9-yarders made up the bulk of the drive. Detroit enacted their will against the Vikings defense and ran the ball down their throat. That was vintage Lions football under Dan Campbell.
Secondly, the lone touchdown drive versus the Dolphins this week: it was a thing of beauty. Most of us would agree that the Lions had left plenty of points off the board on Sunday. They settled for a lot of field goals, particularly due to some ill-timed negative plays on third downs—Detroit would have had to take a significant risk forego a kick. Miami had not been threatening, but time was running out for Detroit to net themselves a more comfortable lead.
Whereas the drive versus the Vikings was them dominating in the trenches, this drive versus the Dolphins showed how explosive the offense can be. Right off the bat, Jared Goff hits Jameson Williams deep for 31 yards. The very next play, he hits Amon-Ra St. Brown for 17 yards. The following plays gained 5 and 4 yards. Suddenly in the blink of an eye, Detroit has marched down the field to score. Thankfully on this drive, they finished it, as Gibbs sprinted around linebacker Jordyn Brooks for the touchdown.
That ended as a six-play, 65-yard drive in just two minutes and 40 seconds. It looked easy. That is the genuinely scary thing about this offense: when they are on point, nobody can stop them. The Lions have a plethora of weapons, a reliable and tough-as-nails quarterback, and a creative play caller—this is a combination few teams can stop.
When it works.
Whenever I look at this offense, I do not see a team devoid of talent (like the Dolphins). I do not see a team suffering from horrendous decision-making (like the Los Angeles Chargers). More often than not, the only team capable of stopping the offense is the offense itself. Look back to that game against the Cardinals. Even the best offenses in the league rarely look as dominant as Detroit did in that game. Scoring 45 points is certainly an outlier, but the offense genuinely has the mettle to make that a weekly threat.
I would love to see the Lions score earlier in games to cement more comfortable leads, but I think the offense nonetheless passes the eye test. I think Petzing is an adaptive play caller and knows how to get the best out of his players. As an example, a week after running the creative 15-yard-deep screen, they lined up St. Brown in that same look but instead threw the ball elsewhere—the team knows how to zig one week then zag the next. Part of what makes Petzing a good coordinator is that he takes what does not work during a game and adapts in the moment. I trust him to get the offense out of a hole.
Is the Lions’ offense perfect? Certainly not. However, I think their recent low-scoring affairs do not tell the whole story. I still feel confident in the team’s talent and creativity, and they have shown enough flashes on a weekly basis to instill plenty of faith. Do you agree with me? Let us know in the comments below.
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