The Detroit Lions are smack dab in the middle so far this season with a .500 record, and a major reason they have been so average is the play of their defense.
Thus far this season, the Lions have one of the worst defenses in the league statistically speaking. They are terrible against the pass, and have been pushed around against the run, too. It hasn't been a great start, which has mostly led to both of Detroit's losses.
But while the defense has been terrible, some believe the offense is actually at fault for what the Lions haven't been able to do so far. Detroit didn't score a touchdown on every possession against the Carolina Panthers, and has struggled periodically despite some solid numbers early in the year.
An NFL.com analysis following the 32-26 loss in Carolina brought out an interesting viewpoint. As was written by Grant Gordon, Detroit's offense is more to blame because they settled for field goals in the red zone and couldn't execute in crunch time when a touchdown would have won the game.
"Curious as it sounds, the Lions showed up to a shootout underarmed. Boasting the No. 3 scoring offense in the NFL coming into Week 4, the Lions settled for Jake Bates field goals while the Panthers, the league’s No. 5 scoring offense, found pay dirt. In a 16-all ballgame at halftime, the Lions had scored four times, but three were Bates field goals. By the time he kicked his fourth three-pointer of the game, the Panthers had pulled ahead on a second McMillan TD and weren’t looking back."
"Though it’s hardly an ideal formula, these Lions are going to need to light up the scoreboard to win games, and while Jared Goff (412 passing yards, TD pass), Jahmyr Gibbs (77 scrimmage yards, rushing TD) and Jameson Williams (six receptions for 102 yards) each had swell evenings, it just wasn’t enough. The Lions' offense shouldn’t need to be perfect, but maybe it needs to be. Dead last in points allowed, Detroit’s defense has now relinquished season-highs in points to every one of its opponents."
"Any hopes that the Lions’ defense was headed in the right direction after a 31-24 win in Week 3 versus the Jets seem to be derailed. Granted, the Lions were able to hold Carolina late, with Aidan Hutchinson leading the charge and leaving the door open for Goff to close out a comeback. Instead, the Lions went four-and-out. The Detroit offense must be a juggernaut if high expectations are to be realized, because the Lions' defense continues to be a pushover."
The idea that Detroit's offense needs to be perfect because their defense is bad is certainly interesting. It's not incorrect logic, but factually speaking, that puts far too much pressure on the Lions to score touchdowns on every single possession when mistakes can happen. It should be easier for the team to make simple fixes and have just a below-average or middle-of-the-pack defense to better support their already solid offense.
Jared Goff blames himself for periodic offensive inconsistencies
Even though it is probably a bit extreme to blame the offense for not scoring enough in a shootout game, there are certainly some things the Lions can do better early on to get off to better starts. Goff understands this, especially after some operational penalties doomed Detroit in the loss to the Panthers. Coming out of the game, that was what he identified as a needed fix.
"Too many penalties, right? Too many pre-snap penalties. (It) starts with me, communication and the whole thing. Just making sure guys are on the same page and being a little cleaner there. What did we have, a couple holding calls? A couple post-snap penalties? Those are going to happen, but the pre-snap stuff can't happen."
READ MORE: Lions defenders blaming themselves for historically bad start is only half the battle
Goff is always going to be his own biggest critic as well as the offense's as he strives for perfection. There have been times where the Lions have started slow, and if they were able to start faster and avoid mistakes, it could have helped them keep up in some of their shootouts if not stay ahead.
The Lions will be trying hardest to fix their defense in the weeks ahead, but it's fair to remember the offense's contribution to what has been playing out so far. Many believe that group isn't blameless when it comes to the problems.
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