The Detroit Lions and the Buffalo Bills are tied for the most points scored in the NFL (164) after Week 5.
That's 45 more than the Ben Johnson-led Chicago Bears, who scored 59 in Week 1. 45 also happens to be the number the Lions put up on Sunday in the win against the Arizona Cardinals. In addition, 164 is also nearly double the 84 points Mike McDaniel's Los Angeles Chargers have scored, so a bullet may have been dodged in the offensive coordinator hiring cycle.
The best part? The Lions' offense could be even better if they just figure out the first quarter.
Through five weeks, the Lions have scored a total of ten points in the first quarter. An average of two points per first quarter, which accounts for 6.1% of their total points. They've been shut out in three of the five first quarters so far.
They definitely improved in the second quarter, scoring at least ten in each of the past four games. Their 57 total points in the second quarter are just one point shy of the Tennessee Titans' collective points scored for the season to date.
It's a similar story for the remaining quarters. They've scored 45 in both the third quarter and the fourth, along with seven in overtime. Average them out, and you get two points in the first quarter, 11.4 in the second, nine in the third and fourth, and seven in OT.
What this means is that the first-quarter scoring has been lagging behind the rest of the regulation quarters by a full touchdown. Match the success of other quarters, and that's 35 points the Lions have left on the board this season, which could've been huge in the losses against the Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers.
The offense sputters out of the gate
Given the slow starts to begin the game, you'd think the Lions would be just as sluggish coming out of halftime, right? Wrong. The Lions have scored on each of their first second-half drives, scoring a TD in all but one of the five games for a total of 31 points, which leads the league.
Three of those drives took under four minutes in game time, with another a hair over four minutes. The average drive is 7.4 plays of 61.8 yards (8.35 yards per play). That's the polar opposite of how the Lions have played in the first quarter, where they average 5.18 plays for 18 yards (3.47 yards per play). Take away the Lions' 13-play, 89-yard, TD drive in Week 1, and that average drops to 4.4 plays for 7.3 yards (1.66 yards per play).
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Six of the Lions' 11 first-quarter drives have ended in a three-and-out, including three times against the Cardinals on Sunday. On the first drive of the game alone, the Lions have gone three-and-out three times, with two of those drives ending in negative yardage. For that first drive, the Lions average 5.2 plays for 11.6 yards (2.23 yards per play), while scoring three points.
So what gives? Is it preparation? The scripted plays? Or something else entirely?
What is really going on in the first quarter?
It's tough to pinpoint the exact culprit, but it appears the Lions operate under the "Everyone has a plan 'til they get punched in the mouth" mentality, to take a quote from boxer Mike Tyson. They get hit. They adjust. They settle in. Once they lock into the flow of the game, the offense becomes a well-oiled machine.
However, there's one suspect unit on offense that's especially slow to get going: the offensive line. Quarterback Jared Goff has been sacked 11 times this season. Seven of those 11 sacks have come in the first quarter. Three of those sacks have occurred on the first drive of a game. On Sunday, the Cardinals got to Goff three times in the first quarter.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who is fourth in the NFL in rushing yards following MNF (504), has averaged 3.2 yards rushing on the first drive and 17.8 in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Goff, who is second in the league in passing yards after MNF (1,485), averages 14 yards passing on the first drive and 30 pass yards for the quarter as a whole. In both cases, that Week 1 TD drive makes up most of those numbers, with Gibbs having 46 of his 89 rushing yards and Goff having 48 of his 150 passing yards.
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The O-line hasn't given Goff and Gibbs much to work with early on. That could be the fact they're still building chemistry together. Both of their guards are in their second year as starters. Their right tackle is a rookie. Their left tackle is making the tough transition over there from right tackle. Their center wasn't even supposed to be the starting center. Once they do settle in each game, they're one of the best O-lines in football.
If the culprit is indeed the O-line, much of that should sort itself out naturally as the season goes on. But offensive coordinator Drew Petzing shouldn't bet on the lack of an accomplice. It may be more than just the O-line.
A lot has gone right in Petzing's first season with the Lions, but he has a very clear mission as he heads into his first Bye week with the team: solve the case of the missing first-quarter offense.
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