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Detroit Lions must change to avoid heartbreaking losses

By James F. Puzzuoli

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 30: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys pulls in a pass against Jarrad Davis #40 of the Detroit Lions in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on September 30, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 30: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys pulls in a pass against Jarrad Davis #40 of the Detroit Lions in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on September 30, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Sarah Glenn/Getty Images
Photo by Sarah Glenn/Getty Images /

WIN AT HOME

With the Green Bay Packers visiting Ford Field on Sunday (1:00 p.m. ET, FOX), the Detroit Lions are in a must-win scenario. The biggest reason for this is because it is a home game. This team loses too many home games.

Honestly, the Packers have the advantage in this game because of their quarterback Aaron Rodgers. For this 2018 season, there are really only two guys that are above Stafford in terms of the quarterback position, and Detroit has already beaten the other guy: quarterback Tom Brady.

That’s the biggest disappointment with this team. Stafford is a very capable quarterback, but he continues to get beat by guys that are either at his level or below. The three quarterbacks that beat Stafford this year (Sam Darnold, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Prescott), are either unproven or not elite. Yet, the Detroit Lions suffer defeat after defeat.

It doesn’t all fall on Stafford. During the NBC Sunday night broadcast in Week 3 against the New England Patriots, Al Michaels pointed out this statistic:

  • Detroit Lions allow 24.1 points per game in Stafford Starts
    • 2nd Highest for a Quarterback with one team (Minimum 100 starts)

The second worst scoring average during Stafford starts. This guy has never been given the proper support to win. Everyone complains about Stafford’s win/loss record against playoff teams. But how is one man supposed to carry all of this additional weight?

Head coach Matt Patricia has a herculean task ahead of him to fix this defense. The game against the Cowboys looks like another step in the wrong direction. As talented as Stafford is, his team will never win anything significant as currently constructed.

For now, the easiest path to helping the defense is balancing the offense. Detroit is lucky that they hit on a guy like Kerryon Johnson. Don’t waste this opportunity to develop Johnson into an elite weapon. If he gets the carries, the Detroit Lions will get better across the board.

The Detroit Lions All-Time Offensive Team. dark. Next

As for the defense, it looks pretty hopeless. All of the gang tackling and playmaking that was seen against the Patriots disappeared against the Cowboys. An extrapolation of the 1-3 start to a 4-12 season might be this team’s best bet. There simply isn’t enough defensive talent. So, get a high pick, and go draft some.

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