Detroit Lions: 10 observations from Sunday’s loss to Colts

Ten takeaways from the Detroit Lions’ blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts

It’s now been over a year since the Detroit Lions have won at Ford Field, and Sunday’s 41-21 loss to the Indianapolis Colts once again puts the breaks on a chance for the team to build on some positives.

Hope and despair seem to be alternating week by week in Motown this year, with a poor performance in all aspects putting the Honolulu blue back on the wrong side of that equation for now. Here are ten observations from Sunday’s performance:

1. The team is in no better or worse shape than at this time a month ago

Heading into the bye week, the Lions were 1-3, with serious problems on both sides of the ball, and a large portion of the fanbase calling for Matt Patricia’s dismissal. Following a methodical win against the overmatched Jaguars and the fleeting high from the last second victory at Atlanta, all three of those things are still true.

Patricia isn’t going anywhere (not this year at least), and it doesn’t appear that the Win-Loss record will stray far enough in either direction to make a definitive case for or against him.

3-4 is not a death sentence for the 2020 season by any means. The Packers and Bears have cooled down to the point that no one is running away with the division just yet. As always, the Lions are playing from behind though.

2. Do a few more wins really equal ‘improvement’ for the Detroit Lions?

Again, we got sucked into thinking that a two game winning streak also meant that the Lions were also significantly improving. Sunday’s thumping in all phases at the hands of the Colts throws that suggestion into some serious doubt.

If not for Todd Gurley’s accidental touchdown and the miracle finish to beat a 1-6 team, there would be very little solid evidence that the Lions have improved a single shred from September to now.