Thanksgiving was a kick in the teeth. The Detroit Lions lost to the Packers that day, and it served as a game in which a lot of negative trends came to a head in a brutal loss. But after a loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, those same trends have now reached a tipping point.
The Lions have been playing very sloppy football lately, and it continued Sunday against the Bears. But this time, they couldn't get a comeback done like back in Week 11 at Ford Field.
The Lions have some soul-searching to do now. The issues that have been plaguing this team can and will cost them in the playoffs if they aren’t addressed.
Here are the Lions grades for Week 14.
Detroit Lions Week 14 Report Card
Offense: 1/5 Stars
No matter the circumstances, you cannot have your offense disappear for three out of four quarters and expect to win. The Lions had two good offensive possessions on Sunday, and were shut out in the second half.
Zero first downs in the third quarter, zero execution from the offense in the second half, and multiple turnovers. The Bears to their credit, completely figured out the Lions' offense.
Lions are good enough to do a lot, but not really good enough to spot people multiple turnovers every week
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) December 10, 2023
They didn’t revive themselves until it was too late, and for the fourth straight game had long stretches of play in which they were completely unable to do anything productive.
Jared Goff was also not good on Sunday. Missing open throws, and making poor decisions with the ball. The form he shows in cold weather games leaves plenty to be desired.
Offensive player of the game: RB Jahmyr Gibbs
Gibbs had 82 total yards and a rushing touchdown on 14 touches Sunday, highlighted by a 36-yard run. On a day the Lions had 267 yards of offense, he stood out when everyone else this side of David Montgomery (85 total yards) had a rough day.
Touchdown @jahmyr_gibbs1‼️#DETvsCHI |📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/65jheBetNY
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 10, 2023
Defense: 2/5 stars
A difficult day for the defense. Even when they played well, they were repeatedly put in awful situations. The Bears had back-to-back drives where they started at midfield then inside the 30-yard line, scoring two touchdowns to effectively win the game after it was tied at 13.
The positive takeaway is the pass rush showed some juice. The Bears aren’t great in pass protection, but the Lions took advantage of the opportunity with three sacks and eight hits on Justin Fields.
Now for the bad. The Lions still cannot contain a mobile quarterback to save their lives. The secondary was getting obliterated by a bad Bears' offense. And they failed to capitalize on way too many chances to get off the field (not even going to discuss the 4th and 13). A lot of people on the defensive side for Detroit need to look in the mirror after this game.
Defensive player of the game: DL John Cominsky
It’s been a quiet season for Cominsky. But he came to life on Sunday, with a sack and other occasions where he impacted the pass rush.
On a day where not many players stood out for a good reason, Cominsky at least made his presence felt.
Rookie report
Jack Campbell had a "fine" game on Sunday. He didn't play to the level he did against the Saints. That being said, he was also better than he has been at times this season. He showed off some good range and was more disciplined against Fields compared to Week 11. However, he also had moments where he overplayed his gap, or couldn’t wrap up to finish a play. It was an up-and-down game for the rookie linebacker
Brian Branch was not very noticeable. For a defensive back, you take those types of games all day. There’s not much else to say besides that.
Sam LaPorta was a focal point for the Bears defense. He was never going to replicate the career game against the Saints, but he struggled to get open against the Bears’ linebackers.
Needs improvement: The 3rd Quarter
Whatever weird spell was put on this team to prevent them from playing up to their expectations in the third quarter needs to be dealt with. It’s legitimately costing them games now. The Lions entered the third quarter on Sunday up 13-10, and they left it down 19-13 with Chicago in a goal-to-go situation. Completely unacceptable.