Detroit Lions: Bob Quinn must establish moratorium on wins

The Detroit Lions have been a disappointment this season. But with just four more losses, they could change fortunes next year.

The Detroit Lions 30-16 loss on Sunday to the Los Angeles Rams was inevitable. Yes, the Lions kept it close with a valiant effort by the defense, but the offense continued to struggle, as it has most of the season – even when everyone was healthy or still on the roster.

This year’s struggles were not supposed to happen, but can be understood. With a rookie head coach in Matt Patricia, there was bound to be a learning curve. While some teams don’t have to suffer that curve, that isn’t the case in Detroit.

Unlike the Rams, who have now won the division twice under Sean McVay in his first two years as a head coach, the Detroit Lions have suffered yet another ‘false start’ to their Super Bowl aspirations. It must be nice to start off winning, but it doesn’t mean Detroit can’t turn it around.

On the plus side in 2018, there has been some improvement on the defensive side of the ball. It looks like the defense plays more as a unit now than they did at the beginning of the season. And Patricia seems to be finding the types of players he wants to execute his defensive schemes.

Then there is the offense – a complete regression as the season has progressed. The nosedive of the offense could be blamed on injuries, but the fact remains it was never really working this year. The real shame is that the offensive staff was forced upon Matt Patricia, and significant changes may be in the works, which may set the offense back even more.

In 2017, this team had nine wins and seven losses. And now, in 2018, they cannot even reach that record after having recorded their eighth loss. That winning record of a year ago did not earn a playoff spot for the Detroit Lions. But it did earn them a lower draft pick, which is a point of pride for some Detroit fans – who seem to care more about meaningless wins than they do about talent acquisition.