Detroit Lions Week 9: Losing in the Trenches

The Detroit Lions lost at home in Week 9 to the Minnesota Vikings due to penalties and poor execution. This once familiar type of loss has become unfamiliar to Lions fans. In the last few years, the Lions have become known for disciplined football. This week, they had 10 penalties totaling 76 yards, went 5/17 on third down, and allowed five sacks. This performance is very unusual.

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

But the question everyone will start asking is "Is it that unusual?" This season has seen the Lions trend from dominant to consistent to "what was that?" Of course, there is no need to panic because the Lions have a lot of talent; however, they do have some lingering issues, including a combination of offensive line play/playcalling, consistent pass rushing, and special teams.

The Lions Offense

On Sunday, the Lions were unable to run the ball, rushing for only 65 yards. That is the team's second-lowest total this season (46 yards against Green Bay in Week 1). For all of the issues with stopping the pass rush, the Lions had their third-highest passing total of the season with 240 yards. But the Lions don't win with the pass. The explosive plays are important, but establishing the run is what makes them possible. This game marks the third time this season that the Lions have failed to cross the 100-yard rushing mark (Green Bay and Kansas City). They only failed to do that once last season and four times in 2023 and 2022.

The offensive line has been the storyline for the Lions all season. When Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratedge are at their best, the team is at its best. When they struggle, the team struggles. In Week One, everyone, including Off the Field & Screen, went into a panic about the offensive line. They performed well against the Ravens and Bears, but they have had inconsistencies throughout the season. With first-time starters Mahogany and Ratledge, that is to be expected. When Taylor Decker went down (who did not perform well yesterday), the Lions' depth at offensive line has been challenged with Giovanni Manu and Dan Skipper struggling to fill in. Graham Glasgow has also been inconsistent.

This team is built on the premise of dominating the trenches. They do not have a quarterback with the mobility to overcome breakdowns. Jared Goff has been excellent with his improved play at "going off script." However, asking him to do it as often (19 pressures and five sacks) as they did on Sunday will result in a stunted offense.

The Lions Readiness

Some folks respond to this critique with a "They are professional athletes! Don't criticize their effort level!" Setting aside the illogical approach of that argument, Dan Campbell pointed out as much in his postgame comments, saying, "I did not have them ready coming out of a Bye. We weren’t – we made too many critical errors, man. Some of our discipline, the penalties caught up to us. Man, there were some things we were out of sync. We never looked comfortable."

Campbell displays strong leadership here, taking responsibility, but he still acknowledges that the Lions weren't ready to play. They couldn't make the big plays and are about to head into Week 10 with similar commentary to the Week 1 loss. "It's not what it appears to be. Let's clean up the tape." When something happens repeatedly, it becomes more likely that it is what it appears to be. The Lions seem to be a team struggling to win in the trenches and consistently play with discipline.

Detroit Lions Week 9 Verdict

Again, no one should panic. Dan Campbell and this group have proven their mettle time and time again, but they face their most difficult challenge yet. As they head into Week 10 against the Commanders (a revenge game), they will need to do more than outscore or outflash a beat-up opponent. The Lions need to get back to the basics and win at the line of scrimmage.

While they aren't as dominant as last year, they have the formula to win football games. They have to establish the run and stop the run. The penalties are an outlier. That's not something that will happen frequently. Don't let that issue distract from the offensive line. The injuries should also be of concern. That information will be more available as the week goes on, but regardless of who plays next Sunday, they will need to reestablish what has made the Brand New Lions who they are: dominating the line of scrimmage. Goff has been elite because of them. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are great running backs, but without the strong offensive line creating gaps, they aren't as effective.

The great misconception about this team is that they've won because of their flashy plays. No. They've won because of their play at the line of scrimmage. The flashy plays are simply an added benefit.

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