Trick or Treat
These are the guys that do something sweet one moment and then look like a cruel joke the next.
- Kenny Golladay– Anybody seen this guy lately? Golladay is still on pace for a 1,000-yard season, but he’s been basically a non-factor over the last three games (no TDs, three or fewer catches in each game). With Golden Tate out of the mix, the passing game is in Golladay’s hands now; he needs to get back to early season form or the Lions won’t be playing in any meaningful games past Thanksgiving this year.
- The Offensive Line– The same group that pounded Miami for 248 yards just gave up ten sacks in a single game.
- “The Patriot Way”- Has been inconsistent, to put it nicely. One moment you’re crushing the real Patriots on national television, then your 400-pound head coach is criticizing another guy’s appearance in a press conference the next. Gotta have a little respect for the process though, right?
Biggest Disappointment
The Golden Tate trade.
I get why the trade happened, I get that Golden was probably leaving at the end of the season anyway, and I get that this might actually be a decent enough transaction in about three years (cap space, draft pick, next man up, “Do your job”, blah-dee-blah).
For me though, the most disappointing thing about the Golden Tate trade is the implicit messaging about the current season: We’re not winning anything this year. With or without Golden Tate.
Dose of Perspective
3-5.
That’s the record at the midway point for the Matt Patricia Lions. From 2015 to 2017, that was also the average record at the midway point for the Jim Caldwell Lions (4-4, 1-7, 4-4). Patricia has been abrasive, a little bizarre, and an undeniable Belichick wannabe; but at the same time, we’re not exactly Morhninweging it over here either.
They may only be 3-5, but any team that can beat both Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers must have at least some potential moving forward.