The Detroit Lions dropped a key divisional game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9, and you can't even count on two hands how many issues the team faced in this one.
Pick your poison: shoddy work to open the contest on special teams, the offense falling completely flat against a healthy Vikings defense, and penalties continuously leading to some stalled drives. It was a mess from start to finish for the team many have picked to likely be the NFC's representative in this year's Super Bowl.
There were very few shining moments in this contest, and plenty of dull ones.
4 losers (and 1 winner) from Lions' huge loss vs. Vikings
Loser: Lions offensive line
Jared Goff has to take some blame for how he handled the constant blitzing shown by Brian Flores and the Vikings defense, but ultimately, the Lions' offensive line was completely shoddy up the middle the entire game. Through the first half alone, Goff was given a 43.8 PFF grade when blitzed, showing just how off kilter he was as a result of the line not holding up down the middle.
Injuries accounted for some of this, but for most of the game, Graham Glasgow, Christian Mahogany, and Tate Ratledge were responsible for keeping Goff clean - and, they failed.
Loser: Jared Goff
Goff threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns, and had a passer rating of 108.4 on the day. However, the box score doesn't tell the full story of just how unstable Goff seemed in the pocket all game. His immobility when facing down pressure remains an issue. He took five sacks on the day, notching his worst pressure taken since Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers.
While Goff was far from the biggest issue on offense on the day, he certainly didn't help with a few overthrows. Once again, Goff didn't have as good of a game he had from Week 2 through Week 6.
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Loser: Arthur Maulet
Maulet gave up some pretty big catches to the Vikings and J.J. McCarthy throughout this game, with the last play given up being the icing on the cake for Minnesota's victory. It's completely understandable that Detroit is still struggling to figure out how to scheme with their injuries, but Maulet is a 32 year old veteran who has to be far more patient in coverage.
Loser: John Morton
Screen. Screen. Screen. That seems to be the only key to Morton's offense as of late. The lack of creativity seems to be throwing off the rhythm of the entire Lions offense, and we've seen them go from one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL to one of the flattest.
It's understandable to have faith in Jahmyr Gibbs to make big plays eventually, but when you keep seeing Minnesota read your plays drawn up for the running back like a book, it's perhaps time to switch it up.
Morton has been skating on some thinning ice the last few weeks, and today, he was completely out-coached by Flores.
Winner: Jack Fox
It wasn't all bad for Detroit today. Fox, the teams' punter, made two fun plays in this one: one booming 58-yard punt and one tackle after a huge return from Minnesota late in the game, which prevented an easy score and which led to a stop by the Lions' defense. He is certaintly going to be an unsung hero.
Winner: Jameson Williams
After both wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery and Morton both told media this week that Williams needed far more involvement in the offense, he finished up the game with 66 receiving yards and one touchdown on six targets. That was third-most on the team on the day. While Williams should get even more involved than that, it was nice to see him thrive late in the game and in a clutch situation.