Detroit Lions: 10 Observations from the shutout loss at Carolina

The Detroit Lions turn in their worst offensive showing in a decade

With an opponent on a five game losing streak and a chance to get back to .500 in time for Thanksgiving, the Detroit Lions came out flat early on against the Panthers. Then they continued to come out flat a little bit later, came out of the locker room flat to start the second half, and continued to stay flat all the way to a 20-0 loss at Carolina.

Going into the game, both teams knew that to get a win, it would need to be an ugly one. Carolina was playing without starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and superstar running back Christian McCaffrey. The Lions were without wideout Kenny Golladay and running back D’Andre Swift. And quarterback Matthew Stafford was clearly affected by an injured right thumb.

Ugly was the expectation, and ugly was certainly what we got. For the Lions, anyway. This was the first time in over ten years that the Lions have failed to score a single time, their only real chance coming on a missed 51-yard field goal.

For a coach who has flickered on and off the hot seat for the entire season, this lifeless performance couldn’t have come at a worse time for Matt Patricia. As the season threatens to go off the rails right around Thanksgiving for the third year in a row, patience in running thin and time is running short for the Lions and their embattled head coach.

Here are my 10 observations from Sunday …

1. Bob Quinn’s continued loyalty to Matt Patricia is admirable, but this isn’t going to work

A large portion of the fanbase has been calling for Patricia’s dismissal for most of the season, and those voices will only multiply in number and volume after what we saw today. This is almost certainly Matt Patricia’s final season as the head coach of an NFL team, and Bob Quinn seems determined to stick with him until the bitter end.

If Patricia were fired tomorrow and the Lions went on a bit of a run to finish the year, it’s conceivable that Quinn would be given a chance to continue as GM with a new head coach. They say the best way lose a friend is to go into business with them. Quinn has seemingly chosen his Patriot buddy over business, and a lot of losing has been the only thing to show for it.