Detroit Lions: Four Quick Takeaways from the win over Green Bay
By Jeff Risdon
Green Bay lost more than Detroit won
Packers fans have plenty of scapegoats in this one. As sweet as the victory is for the downtrodden Lions, this is a bad, bad loss for Mike McCarthy and the Green Bay Packers.
Nov 15, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy greets Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell following the game at Lambeau Field. Detroit won 18-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
McCarthy got outcoached by Jim Caldwell. In Green Bay. That’s a painful fact for the Packers faithful to chew on this week. The Lions had a better game plan, more energy, and made far fewer egregious mistakes than McCarthy’s team. That should never happen, not to this team.
Davante Adams had a clunker of a game at wide receiver. Aside from not being able to get separation from Lawson without illicit picks, Adams dropped at least three passes. One of those was the potential tying 2 pt. conversion, though that throw was contested. He didn’t try very hard to block on the rare Packers rush attempts, either.
Rodgers had one of his worst games. Several of his throws were wildly off target, either in the dirt in front of the receiver or wide outside. Give the Lions credit for putting a lot of pressure on him, but Rodgers has been a lot better than this most every week of his career.
The offensive line is a real problem for Green Bay. Bryan Bulaga was almost as bad as LaAdrian Waddle at right tackle, and Waddle got benched by Caldwell after two drives of utter ineptitude. Even the venerable Randall Cobb, one of my favorite NFL players, struggled to get open against the young, heretofore crappy Lions secondary. The Lions defensive line won the battles and the war against Green Bay’s O-line, which also lost left tackle David Bakhtiari to a late injury.
Is it prideful to take joy in the misfortune of others? Perhaps not, but Lions fans will happily take the Schadenfreude and the first win in Wisconsin since George H.W. Bush was President!