Detroit Lions defense continues to struggle in loss to Raiders

Thanks to another lackluster performance by the Detroit Lions defense, they lose on a day where they could have gained some ground in the NFC North.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford could not pull off another fourth quarter comeback, as the Detroit Lions lost for the fourth time this season, falling to the Oakland Raiders, 31-24.

Stafford should be the last one to blame for Sunday’s loss, as even though the gunslinger missed more than a few throws, he still topped 400 yards while throwing three touchdowns and succeeding yet again on the deep ball.

While the offense had an OK day in California, the defense put up another putrid performance, as their inability to get the Raider offense off the field ultimately led to the loss.

Going into the game, the Lions had the second-worst defense in the league when it came to giving up yards, as they allowed opposing teams to total 420.4 yards. The Raiders topped that on Sunday with 450 yards of their own.

They simply couldn’t get off the field, allowing the Raiders to convert on seven of 13 third down opportunities. This was partially due to the fact that they were unable to rack up many big defensive plays.

Defensive end Trey Flowers was the only defender who got a tackle for loss (2) or a sack (1). In addition to that, the Lions only had two passes defended and two quarterback hits, allowing Derek Carr to pretty much do whatever he wanted on his home turf.

What’s even more depressing is this Raider offensive line was depleted, as starting center Rodney Hudson was out and starting right tackle Trent Brown left the game after the first series.

With two starters on the offensive line out, the Raiders should not have been able to run the ball the way they did. But they gashed the Lions from early on, racking up 51 rushing yards on eight carries on the first series alone before ultimately surrendering 171 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

These defensive struggles don’t make sense when looking at last year’s numbers, as after adding defensive tackle Damon Harrison in free agency, the Lions defense only allowed 3.76 yards per carry, which was the second best in the NFL.

Heading into this weekend, the Lions defense has given up 4.74 yards per carry, which ranked 24th in the league. And with the team giving up 4.8 yards per carry against the Raiders, that ranking will continue to plummet.

While this defense has suffered a lot of injuries, that’s not an excuse for making the 3-4 Raiders look like the dominant offense of the Kansas City Chiefs.

It makes sense to have pitiful performances defensively against the league’s best quarterbacks, like Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers who torched the Lions earlier this season.

But making Derek Carr and the Oakland Raider offense look like world beaters is inexcusable, especially considering that head coach Matt Patricia was brought in after scheming for a New England defense that won multiple championships when he was there.

It has to concern Lions fans that as soon as the New England defense was no longer under Patricia, they started to put up historic performances, including an 8-0 start to the season. They’ve held teams to under 14 points six times this season, and have almost topped last season’s takeaway total with eight games to go.

Patricia certainly helped New England win a few Super Bowls, but was he also holding the squad back? The question has to be asked at this point.

There better be some drastic changes to Detroit’s defensive schemes, as with the team’s playoff chances hanging by a thread, now is the time for change.

If the defense continues to be pitiful in the coming weeks, perhaps general manager Bob Quinn should look into parting ways with the head coach who may have lost his touch as a defensive playcaller.