The Detroit Lions are 2-2. They're looking completely lost against almost all of their competition so far this season - arguably, since their first half against the New Orleans Saints. Their offense unraveled against a tough-nosed Carolina Panthers defense, while their defense allowed for an unbelievable 192 receiving yard game from Tetairoa McMillan.
Anything can happen in the NFL. An "easy" schedule, as the Lions' schedule was described to begin this year, doesn't mean that they should be cake-walking through their opponents. But, to show as little resistance as they did in this contest was embarrassing at times, frustrating the entire time, and worrisome for the future.
For now, though, we'll just focus on what we saw tonight.
8 takeaways from a Lions loss sure to ruffle Brad Holmes' feathers
1. Disastrous sequence in the 4th was an unfortunate encapsulation for this season's vibe
The Lions were in a 4th and 10 situation midway through the 4th quarter. Then they picked up a delay of game to push them back to a 4th and 20. Then, they were called for a false start on Tate Ratledge. Then, they went for a hook and ladder play for Jahmyr Gibbs which resulted in a turnover on downs.
It was, simply put, a disaster-class. And, it's hard to beat up too much on the Lions' offense, who were doing whatever they could to keep themselves in it despite the defense providing zero resistance. But, to show this great of a lack of discipline with such a veteran group and four weeks into the season is very troubling.
It displays a lack of cohesiveness or urgency, and it reveals exactly the kind of space the Lions' heads are in - discombobulated, uneven, and unimpressive.
2. Jake Bates continues to be a hero for Lions
Bates was the one of a few consistently good Lions players to show up in this game. He was a perfect 4-4 on field goals, keeping Detroit in the game, somewhat. Of course, Bates doesn't play the nickel or linebacker, so his efforts were for naught.
His season so far still deserves some major flowers, despite how much the teams' defense is seeking to overshadow anything good. For someone who struggled in the teams' final preseason contest and gave fans some pause as a result, he really has solidified himself as the Lions' best kicker.
3. Let Jared Goff rip off bigger passes
Goff had two unbelievably impressive passes to Jameson Williams and Isaac TeSlaa, showing off his arm and proving that he can, in fact, generate some more explosive plays than just a few slant passes here and there. It was also further proof of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing being an upgrade from John Morton's work last season.
The Lions could've had even more of these passes go down on Goff's stat sheet had Williams held onto two passes thrown his way.
4. What in the world is going on with this linebacker room?
Jack Campbell is a non-factor against the run, while he's also a non-factor in coverage. The rest of the linebacker unit aside from perhaps Trevor Nowaske seem to have taken a huge step back from 2025. That's a really bad indictment of Sheppard, who is a former linebacker and linebackers coach himself. To not have control or a read on how to properly utilize this room, at the very least, is unacceptable.
Campbell's lack of impact defensively is the biggest story here, though. He told reporters after the Lions' Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills that he had to be a lot better. So far, he has not held up on that bargain. With a recent extension having been doled out to Campbell, each passing game is going to be under a greater and greater microscope.
5. Shocker: the Lions desperately need better DB depth
Bryce Young just had a lights-out performance against the Lions - 329 passing yards, two touchdowns, and a passer rating of 110.9. His favorite target in this one was McMillan with Jalen Coker out, and he stepped up with 192 receiving yards and two scores.
It is genuinely unclear if the Lions don't have the personnel to keep up with speedier, athletic receivers like McMillan and simply hope that they'll eventually win their one-on-ones, anyway, or if that's just how poorly Sheppard is game planning for these situations. Or both! What a terrifying prospect either way.
Joey Porter Jr. is not available. Detroit's roster doesn't hold a special key to open up their defensive prowess again - no, not even Brian Branch. As Cris Collinsworth said on the broadcast amid the breakdown: "They're stuck. They're stuck between wanting to be a man coverage team, and not having the personnel to be a man coverage team."
If only their defensive coordinator or general manager could ackowledge such an objective truth.
6. Lions' pass rush continues to impress (it's just not enough)
Same old story with these Lions: the defensive line, and specifically Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill, keep getting decent pressure on the quarterback. Quarterback barely escapes their grasp, letting it fly against a horrendous Lions secondary and, most of the time, successfully finds an open target.
It's possibly the most frustrating part of the teams' defensive meltdown: they finally found a great unit, they're playing well, and it just...doesn't matter. They finished up the game with two sacks for a loss of 11 total yards.
7. It's time for the Lions to look into additional coaching help on defense
I'm not saying that the Lions should look to fire Sheppard right now - let's see if Holmes can bring any players in to help him out - but, the team should look into adding some sort of consulting to his staff. He might be out of his depth trying to manage so many bench pieces being utilized as starters, and adding a more seasoned voice to the mix could help him improve as a play-caller.
8. Sam LaPorta had quite the performance following extension update
LaPorta finished up with 84 receiving yards and one touchdown hours after it was reported that he and the team will be pausing extension talks for the time being. LaPorta's value to the teams' offense is pretty large, especially as a red zone threat and an extra blocker. He's got a great connection with Goff, as well.
It's funny that the Lions got him involved heavily in this contest following that news coming out.
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