The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Week Two

The Detroit Lions lost to the Tennessee Titans 16-15 this past Sunday.  The Lions (PENALTY FLAG) had 17 penalties on the day.  No, really.  Do not refresh your page.  There is no bug on your screen.  17 penalties for 138 yards.  The Lions had 137 yards rushing and lost.  The Lions lost four key players to injury.  Teryl Austin’s defense cannot stop a tight end.  Jim Bob Cooter’s offense is very limited.  Jim Caldwell punted on 4th and 3 from the opposition 39.

It might seem hard to believe, but before the 4th quarter, the good outweighed the bad by a healthy margin.  Then (PENALTY FLAG), the defense gave up two touchdowns in the 4th and Matthew Stafford threw an uncharacteristically bad interception to end the game.  And penalties.  So relive that game if you so choose by looking at the good, bad, and ugly, and penalties of the week two loss.

The Good

Running game

Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick were making play after play in this game, often without many holes to run through.  Even Dwayne Washington had a 28 yard scamper against the Titans, who held Adrian Peterson to his career low yardage last week.

Abdullah had the most impressive run of the day by far.

Devin Taylor

If there is one player on the defense that can hold their head up high after the game it is Devin Taylor.  Taylor recorded seven total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a safety, most of which came in a dominant first half.  Many writers and fans alike were expecting a breakout year for Taylor, and so far he has met expectations.

If Ezekiel Ansah is out for any period of time, Taylor will have to step up his game, much like he did against the Titans, every week.  The Lions do not have a natural pass rush without Ansah, and the defense does not have many playmakers outside of him and Levy, who is also hurt.  We might have all thought Taylor would breakout this year, but now he needs to.

Kerry Hyder

#WhoIsKerryHyder

For the second straight game, Kerry Hyder made the most of his opportunities while on the field.  He collected another sack, upping his total on the year to three.  Is Hyder going to have 24 sacks on the year?  No, but for a guy who barely (PENALTY FLAG) made the 53 man roster, beating out seemingly more talented lineman, this has been a wild year so far.  If he keeps making plays, he will continue to receive more snaps.

Marvin Jones

Jones had only his second 100-yard game of his career against the Titans on Sunday.  Even he, however, left many yards on the field after some drops.  I am reaching here, but it’s hard not to after this debacle of (PENALTY FLAG) penalty flags.

Matthew Stafford trucking a defender

Yes, there was a (PENALTY FLAG) on the play.

This was awesome Stafford, but uh, never do that again ok?

The Bad

Injuries

The Lions had at least four key players go down with an assortment of (PENALTY FLAG) different injuries.  Ezekiel Ansah left the game early with a high ankle sprain, Ameer Abdullah exited late in the 2nd quarter with a foot problem, and two of DeAndre Levy’s replacements also had to leave due to injury.  Matthew Stafford took an ugly, dirty, late hit below the knees and was hobbled for a few plays after.  Riley Reiff had have an ankle taped up late in the game.

Had the Lions won this game, these bumps and bruises would be much more palatable.  However, they now simply add another aspect of an ugly game that the Lions should have won.

Drops

Sometime nearing the 4th quarter, I deliberately checked the sideline to see if Jim Caldwell and Jim

Ebron was the only receiver to not have an egregious drop in the game

Bob Cooter morphed into Jim Schwartz and Scott Linehan.  The major problems during their tenure were with drops.  The Lions will be having nightmares about the yards they left on the field on Sunday.  Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, Theo Riddick, and Anquan Boldin (PENALTY FLAG) all had drops, some coming in the worst possible times.

Interestingly, Eric Ebron was the only receiver to not have an egregious drop in the game.  In fact, Ebron had the most clutch catch of all, hauling in a horrendous pass from Stafford while attempting the late comeback.  We saw hints of these problems in the preseason, but they were not too worrying then.  These usually sure-handed receivers need to get back to their old selves quickly, because seven drops in one game is unacceptable.

Defending Tight Ends

Delanie Walker had six catches on six targets for 83 yards and one touchdown.  Last week, (PENALTY FLAG) Jack Doyle and Dwayne Allen had seven catches on 10 targets for 88 yards and three touchdowns.  Last year, Teryl Austin’s defense gave up 78 receptions for 838 yards and 12 touchdowns to tight ends.  The 12 touchdowns were last in the league in terms of defensive efficiency (stats via Pro Football Reference).

Offensive coordinators are absolutely killing the Lions defense with plays to tight ends, often in key times during the game.  Austin has not had to face even an above average tight end this year, and his defense has already given up the most touchdowns and 3rd best QB Rating against.  Imagine (PENALTY FLAG) if the Lions played Rob Gronkowski and the Patriots this year.  He might break an all-time record.

The Ugly

Officiating/Penalties

Let’s take a look at the officiating for a moment.  First note that I am certainly not (PENALTY FLAG) blaming them for the loss.  But this crew should probably be put under the microscope after this debacle.  The game ended with 29(!!) total penalties for 221 yards.  To the millions of referees that are no doubt reading this, fans do not tune into games to watch you throw your flags super high in the air after every other play.  Were there many plays that were obvious penalties?  Sure, there are in every game.  The referees need to decipher whether or not those penalties are worth calling, because this game was nearly unwatchable.

The old phrase, “holding happens on every play” is poignant after games such as this.  Unless this specific set of referees are the most clairvoyant bunch (PENALTY FLAG) in the league and everyone else is blind, then teams should never accrue nearly 30 total penalties in any game.  Let the players play the game.  I don’t know of a player in the league that would consider this a push-off, for example.

Punting on 4th and 3 from the Titan’s 39

The Lions were moving the ball with ease for the entire first half up until this point.  Jim Bob Cooter’s offense is literally (PENALTY FLAG) made for these types of situations, picking up three or four yards when necessary.  The Lions have four absolutely sure handed receivers in Boldin, Tate, Jones, and Riddick who are usually more likely to break a tackle than drop a pass.  If Jim Caldwell trusts his offense at all, there should be no questioning the decision to go for it.

In true, “that’s what you get” fashion, DeMarco Murray broke off a 67 yard run the very next play after the punt.  Yes, there was a blatant hold on Kyle Van Noy that helped break the play open, and (PENALTY FLAG) the refs were calling literally everything else on the day, but you play to win the game.  Not to minimize risk.  Unfortunately, this is the norm for head coach Jim Caldwell.

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The Lions take on the Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers next week at Lambeau Field.  They will need to clean up the penalty flags, all around poor play, and coaching mistakes to have a shot of taking them down.  As a result of today’s game, I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Next: Full Notes from Detroit's 16-15 Loss to Tennessee Titans