Detroit Lions Week 7 report card: Offensive regression overshadows defensive progression

Despite an improved showing from the defense, the Detroit Lions were unable to get the better of the Cowboys as they lost by a score of 24-6 on Sunday.

During the 2021 season, the Detroit Lions lost a lot of games. For the first 10 weeks or so, the main theme would be the defense playing a bend-don’t-break style successfully, while the offense failed to step up. Early in this season, it seemed the opposite would be true. The offense was flying high and carrying an otherwise inept defense to keep the Lions in games.

This week, however, the script reverted back to 2021 form as the offense sputtered while the defense fought tooth and nail to try to keep the game close.

The final score is slightly deceiving, as the offense put the defense in awful spots due to turnovers. Though the dam did break down the stretch. Nonetheless, this was a good enough defensive effort to win.

Unfortunately, the offense has regressed significantly over the past two games. Going from the top offense in the league to not scoring a touchdown in consecutive games. Health is a factor, as D’Andre Swift missed another game, DJ Chark was placed on IR on Saturday and Amon-Ra St. Brown left the game early due to a concussion.

Perhaps over the next few weeks as the offensive weapons get healthy the Lions see some positive progress. But  pointing to injuries is a simply lousy excuse for the lack of execution on Sunday. While injuries are certainly a factor, that doesn’t let everyone off the hook.

Detroit Lions Week 7 Report Card

Run offense: 2.5/5 stars 

It took a bit for the run game to get going in this one. Dallas did a good job at stopping the Lions at the line, which forced Detroit away from the ground game. It took until the latter half of the second quarter for the Lions to start gaining traction.

The momentum on the ground carried over into the second half. Detroit’s most productive drives were a direct result of the ground game. Unfortunately, when the Lions pushed their way down to the Cowboys’ one-yard line, Jamaal Williams put the ball on the ground.

The usually sure-handed Williams had two fumbles in the game. The one the Lions lost was an absolute back-breaker though. On a day in which the Lions were not able to generate much offensively, self-inflicted wounds were much more pronounced.

Pass offense: 1/5 stars

From start to finish it was not a very good game for the passing game. The protection was very hit-or-miss, as the Cowboys’ aggressive pass rush broke through multiple times. That resulted in a lot more quick-strike plays, which didn’t succeed much.

A big part of that was the lack of separation from the receivers. Dallas played a lot of man-coverage and it worked wonders. Even when receivers did get open there were other issues (Jared Goff) that prevented plays from being made.

Sunday simply reaffirmed how important St. Brown and Swift are in the passing game. Their ability to get open consistently and pick up yards after the catch were sorely missed against Dallas.

Best offensive player: WR Kalif Raymond

Raymond was the one consistent Lions’ offensive player on Sunday. From start to finish he was effective both as a receiver and a rusher on end-around plays. Five catches on six targets for 75 yards along with a pair of rushes for 20 yards.

With all the injuries at receiver, the Lions needed someone to step up. Raymond did that on Sunday, which is all anyone could have asked for.

Worst offensive player: QB Jared Goff

Back-to-back games where the worst version of Goff has shown up. Two absolutely brutal interceptions off of terrible decisions are bad enough. It was the two fumbles though that were indicative of a larger issue.

That would be Goff’s pocket awareness or lack thereof, which is not new. Whether it’s spinning into pressure, not sensing pressure altogether, or failing to step up in clean pockets, it was and will always be incredibly frustrating to watch.

Again, the injuries are not an excuse. Would Goff have played better with St. Brown healthy all game? Perhaps. But he needs to be able to make it work with the weapons he does have. We’ve seen it before, in the Seattle game, how Goff has the ability to make it work. Unfortunately, the Cowboys pulled all the right strings to expose Goff’s deficiencies.

Run defense: 3/5 stars 

After a spectacular first half, the dam broke a bit in the second half for the Lions’ defense. The Cowboys’ first drive in the third quarter showcased everything that has been wrong with the run defense, as they effortlessly marched down the field and punched it in.

Though, Detroit was able to recover some. Overall, the front seven did a good job against the run. There were a few hiccups here and there but on the whole, it was a pretty good game. Detroit was especially effective at stopping the run on third and short situations. Josh Paschal played a big role in that department, as he was a force playing in the big defensive end role. Unfortunately, the opening drive of the second half and a few isolated runs hamper the overall numbers.

Pass defense: 4/5 stars

A lot of talk was had about how Dak Prescott’s return was going to elevate the Cowboys’ passing game. It seemed like a logical thought process…starting quarterback returns against an awful defense. The pieces were there. Surprisingly though, the Lions stepped up big time.

A major factor was the pass rush. With the return of Paschal, Aidan Hutchinson was freed up to play the rush-end role. In that spot he was a disruptive force, tallying 1.5 sacks, multiple quarterback hits and a number of pressures. Paschal himself also showcased his power and explosiveness, which resulted in a few pressures.

That’s precisely the game plan to get the pass defense to where the Lions need it. When the pass rush doesn’t get home, the secondary can’t hold up. That was most apparent whenever CeeDee Lamb would line up in the slot opposite A.J. Parker. When the pass rush is productive though, it makes everything click into place a lot smoother.

Best defensive player: CB Jeff Okudah

This was probably the best game Okudah has had as a Lion. He was effective in coverage, only giving up a couple of short completions in the game. But it was defending the run where he shined.

The way Okudah was deployed was almost how a box safety would be used. He was much closer to the line, playing alongside the linebackers so he could shoot gaps.

In that role, Okudah was an absolute force. He finished the game with 15 total tackles, 12 of them solo. A lot of them came at or near the line of scrimmage too. There was one phenomenal tackle for loss early, where Paschal forced the running back to cut outside and Okudah absolutely laid him out.

Overall it was a very impressive game from Okudah as he continues to impress this season.

Worst defensive player: LB Alex Anzalone 

Anzalone wasn’t especially awful, he even had a few nice plays defending the run. Unfortunately, he had a rough day in coverage.

Between being flagged multiple times, and getting beat when in man coverage, Anzalone was the only defender who really stood out in an overtly negative way on Sunday. Not his worst game ever, far from his worst game as a Lion even, but he was consistently the weak link.

Coaching Staff: 4/5 stars

Coming out of the bye week objective number one was fixing the defense. Early returns were optimistic, though obviously a larger sample size is needed to properly evaluate that side of the ball.

Offensively there are some glaring concerns though. As mentioned earlier the worst version of Goff is the one the Lions have gotten over the last few weeks. Goff is to blame obviously, as is team health, but Ben Johnson also needs to do more to help him out. Some of the Lions’ best plays were from creative scheming, the offense might need more of that. Ultimately though most of the offensive ineptitude is a lack of execution, not poor play design.

Lastly, a number of people were complaining that Dan Campbell did not challenge the spot on Brock Wright’s catch that brought the Lions down to the one-yard line. Upon further review Wright was absolutely down short of the end zone, and that criticism needs to be laid to rest.

Play of the game: Aidan Hutchinson’s third quarter sack

The Cowboys’ offense at this point was picking up steam. Detroit had already given up a touchdown in the quarter, and Dallas was moving the ball effectively again. The Lions needed someone to step up and stop the bleeding. On a third-and-two play, the second-overall pick got to Prescott for the second time.

Just an absolutely perfect spin move, on a play that perhaps solidified Hutchinson should be given more opportunity to stand up on the edge. 

Final thoughts:

Honestly, there isn’t a whole lot else to say. The defense made strides, and the offense regressed. If the Lions don’t shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly, this game ends with a much closer score.

Now we have to wait and see if the defense can continue to progress and if the offense can return to form against a Miami defense that has been bad this year in Week 8.