How do you fairly judge the Lions?
They lost 13-10 Sunday at Cleveland. It’s a fact the Browns have a much better team than the Lions, and in every way.
Think what you want about Baker Mayfield, but the Browns’ quarterback is definitely better than his counterpart with the Lions Sunday, Tim Boyle, the starter in place of injured Jared Goff.
D’Andre Swift is a pretty good back, easily the Lions’ best offensive weapon, but his fellow University of Georgia alum, Nick Chubb, is one of the best backs in the league. And the Lions certainly don’t have a defensive playmaker nearly on the level of Myles Garrett.
So what if New England crushed the Browns 45-7 the week before. The Lions aren’t the Patriots, even these days.
The Lions are a bad football team. Everyone knows it.
This game shouldn’t have been close. Neither should have last week’s tie at Pittsburgh.
But the Lions don’t deserve kudos for high-level effort because they are their own worst enemy.
What was guard Jonah Jackson thinking at the point he received an extremely costly unsportsmanlike penalty?
This is also about coaching. Trying to get off the field with the clock running down, and seeking one more chance, Chubb ran for a first down as the Lions didn’t get set on defense.
And while the Lions are admittedly limited in regard to personnel, their offense looks like something from the high school ranks in the 1970s. They had 77 yards passing this week, and just 114 the week before. In 2021, that’s ridiculous. Considering they were able to rush for a 168 yards, makes it even more puzzling. You’d think the play-action game would be there for the picking.
The Lions’ played hard on defense, and did pick off a couple passes.
But the Lions must cut down on the blunders. They must be more creative offensively.
There are no “A’s” for effort in the NFL. In truth, the Lions should have won the last two weeks, and didn’t.
And there is no excuse for it.