Detroit Lions: Commit to winning, No more half measures
The Detroit Lions are not ready to win. But if they ever want to be a Super Bowl contender, drastic changes must be made.
The Detroit Lions 24-9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday was yet another sad afternoon for any Motor City fan. For two straight weeks, the Detroit offense has sputtered. When the offense is unable to execute, this team has no chance of winning.
It may not seem fair to blame all the woes on the offense, but that is where the glut of talent resides for this team. Even with the trade of wide receiver Golden Tate – which many people blame for the sub-par effort against the Vikings – this team still has a lot of talent on that side of the ball.
On Sunday, that talent turned three red zone trips into field goals instead of touchdowns, and gave up 10 sacks to a team that mostly got pressure with just four guys. Suddenly, the Vikings look unbeatable, and the Detroit Lions look like one of the dregs of the league.
But the question remains: can it be fixed?
CAN PATRICIA LEAD THIS TEAM?
Rookie head coach Matt Patricia has weathered plenty of bad moments in his first half season at the helm. Three wins and five losses is an unacceptable record considering the talent, but he has kept the team afloat.
When their three wins came over just four games, it seemed like this team was getting it. They were running the ball well, the defense was making just enough plays, and quarterback Matthew Stafford was throwing with great precision.
The team was working in unison with balanced play and avoiding bad mistakes. It’s exactly the kind of football that wins in the NFL. On Monday, Colin Cowherd of “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” had this to say about the Patricia regime:
"“Didn’t buy into Matt Patricia as a head coach in the NFL. I said he’s one of those guys that’s really smart. But he looks, sounds, and acts like an assistant.”"
Colin clearly isn’t a fan. The only flattering thing in his comments was that he considers Patricia to be “really smart.” It’s not much, but it is certainly something to build upon for this Detroit Lions team. “Smart people” is what everyone looks for when it comes to positions of leadership.
But more troubling was when Colin finished his Patricia rant with the following:
"“As his team now appears to have just mailed it in. They weren’t competitive this weekend. They weren’t competitive against Seattle.”"
This is the big issue. Will these players follow Patricia? Or have they already started to tune him out? This has to be fixed, and it is hard to say if the Detroit Lions are truly ready to do whatever it takes to be consistent.