Detroit Lions Week 6 Loss to the Kansas City Chiefs: Too Many Mistakes

The Detroit Lions came into this Week 6 matchup with four straight wins, while the Kansas City Chiefs arrived following a late-game loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Lions opened the game with a nearly 10-minute-long drive, but failed to score a touchdown after a debatable call about the team's formation. Regardless, it cost them. That became a theme throughout the game, as penalties, dropped passes, and poor execution cost them.

"Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell" by Kevind810 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Chiefs arguably receive a beneficial whistle. This perception only makes the importance of playing mistake-free football more important. The Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the excitement surrounding Taylor Swift. Throw in the whistles and home-field advantage, and any team has an uphill climb to take them down. It is inarguable that the NFL benefits from the Chiefs' success. So, the Lions needed to play more disciplined football to overcome any real or perceived bias.

Detroit Lions Week 6 Brief Recap

This game started with an excellent drive that sputtered into a field goal following a penalty. Then, Kansas City marched down the field to score a touchdown. The Lions responded in the second quarter with another good drive of their own. After a heavy dose of David Montgomery, the Lions scored on a 22-yard Jameson Williams catch. Kansas City marched down and scored another touchdown before the end of the half.

Kansas City started the second half with another touchdown, doubling dipping and effectively ending the game. The Lions responded with an Amon-Ra St. Brown heavy drive, culminating in a Sam LaPorta touchdown. This catch made the game 20-17, Chiefs. Kansas City finished the game with another touchdown and a field goal. The Chiefs won 30-17.

Detroit Lions Week 6 Defensive Deja-Vu

This game felt a lot like October of 2024. The defensive injuries are piling up, forcing the Lions to outscore their opponents. DJ Reed and Terrion Arnold are out. Yesterday saw Brian Branch struggling (and then throwing a punch that garnered him a suspension), and Kerby Joseph hobbling. Marcus Davenport and Avonte Maddox are also out. Starting to sound familiar?

The Lions have adopted a "next man up" philosophy, and they do it well. Thomas Harper made a fantastic play in the secondary yesterday. At what point does it become unsustainable? Last year, the Lions' defense was shredded by the Buffalo Bills shortly before the playoffs began. After witnessing that offensive duel, the Lions' best laid plans looked untenable. They allowed the Bills to gain over 550 yards that day. Yesterday, they allowed just over 350 yards to Kansas City. The defense has held up better, but it shows that outscoring opponents isn't a long-term plan for success.

Detroit Lions Week 6 Discipline Issues

Again, the Lions had a few uncharacteristic moments this week. Last week, their issues against the Bengals were swept under the rug because a win is a win. This week, the penalties and mistakes were too much to overcome. As pointed out earlier, Kansas City is not the team to provide any assistance. They have enough help with Mahomes and, at the very least, a perception of beneficial officiating. Even if it isn't real, the perception of such things can affect performance.

Aidan Hutchinson's roughing the passer was very costly. As was the pass interference penalty in the second quarter. Perhaps the most costly mistake was Amon-Ra St. Brown's dropped pass. The Jared Goff to St. Brown connection has been automatic. That led to a turnover on downs. Allowing the Chiefs to extend their lead, which they did. The Brand New Lions have excelled because they've eliminated these types of issues. Blame the officiating if you'd like. The Lions' mistakes were enough to help the Chiefs win this game.

Detroit Lions Week 6 Verdict

This loss will receive a lot of attention from the media because it was against the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. But should it receive that much attention? The Lions didn't play their best game. They sit at 4-2. Will this be overblown as a part of a "The Chiefs are back!" narrative? Probably. That doesn't mean the Lions are without problems.

The issues the Lions had against Jake Browning in the second half of that game were taken advantage of by the Kansas City offense. The same questions continue to arise since their win against the Ravens: Can they generate enough pressure on the quarterback? This week, the answer was no. They sacked Mahomes twice. Al-Quadin Muhammad and Aidan Hutchinson each had a sack. Muhammad has been a bright spot this season, but he is also dealing with injury problems.

The Lions have repeatedly mentioned "cleaning things up" in the postgame press conferences. Heading into a matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the talk needs to transform into action. If they allow this loss to linger, they'll lose again. Baker Mayfield can also sling it better than Jake Browning. The Lions' injured defense will need to find a way to generate more pressure if they want to win. It can't just be Hutchinson, who is having a great season, doing all the work.

Additionally, the Lions' offensive game plan needs some refinement if Taylor Decker doesn't return. Dan Skipper is a fan favorite, but the responsibility at left guard felt a little too big for him in this game. He struggled to keep his guy out of the back field on key plays. He should receive the same criticism that Giovanni Manu got against the Bengals.

The broadcast did what broadcasts do: Blame the quarterback for losing. The Lions had a myriad of issues yesterday, but Goff wasn't one of them. His accuracy was on full display, including a couple of thread-the-needle throws. How the Lions respond against Tampa Bay next week on Monday Night Football should be indicative of what kind of season this will be for Detroit.

(All stats provided by NFL.com)

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