In 2008, the Detroit Lions became the NFL's first team to finish a 16-game regular season without a single win. Fast forward 13 years, and it looks as though the franchise is well on its way to making the wrong kind of history once again.
Dan Campbell's raw sincerity and weeks' worth of uplifting messages must've rang hollow on Sunday, as the Lions suffered a demoralizing 44-6 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Ford Field, dropping to a winless and pitiful 0-8. Following the game, Campbell shouldered the blame, admitting to reporters that he was outcoached.
"[Campbell's emotion] does wear thin, as heartfelt and original as it is. At the end of the day, you've got to begin to have execution on the football field," SiriusXM NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots told The DA Show on Monday. "You've got to be able to put teams away during critical moments in games. They've had it, where they've lost a lot of these close games. But now they're starting to get blown out by teams like the Eagles.
"I mean, let's face it, you'd think the Lions and Eagles are more closely aligned, in terms of their ability. Two first-year coaches at the beginning of their programs. Yet, the Eagles hang 44 on them. It's one of their biggest road wins going back to what, 1981? It was one of those disappointing games. Emotions can only take you so far."
Last weekend, the Lions' effort wasn't in question -- they played hard and lost by single digits in a nail-biter against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. But that team didn't make the trip back to Detroit. They were overwhelmed by the Eagles, which scored on all seven of their drives after opening the game with a punt. Philadelphia also ran at will, recording a season-high 236 yards on the ground with four touchdowns.
The Lions' offense was anemic, kept off the scoreboard until midway through the fourth quarter. Through eight games, quarterback Jared Goff has thrown for 1,995 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions, and Detroit's unit ranks 26th in the league in average yards, 29th in average points, and 31st in point differential.
Detroit, which enters its bye week, will visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) on Nov. 14. According to FiveThirtyEight, the Lions are projected to finish the season with a 2-14 record and the first overall pick in next year's draft.
The entire NFL conversation between Wilcots and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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