Detroit Lions Week 2 Report Card: A frustrating loss with a familiar script

The level of excitement for the Detroit Lions heading into their home opener reached unprecedented levels. The Lions were 1-0, facing an opponent that was 0-1. Detroit was relatively healthy heading into the game, while their opponents were beaten up. The arrow was pointing straight up, and everyone was excited. Then the teams actually took the field.

Similar to last year, Detroit came into this matchup with Seattle, a very beatable team, feeling like they could win. Last year, it was a combination of questionable defensive play calling, poor defensive execution, and a pick-six that ultimately was the difference. This year … was not too far from the same.

Once again it was a very frustrating loss, only made more so by the fact that it was the same type of mistakes we saw at the start of last season. The Lions without a doubt deserved to lose this game, but there was such a clear path to victory. 

Offense: 3.5/5 Stars

Is it fair to criticize an offense that scored 31 points? Probably not. That being said, the offense had opportunities to put up even more points in this game. Between a couple of failed fourth down attempts, some questionable third down play calls and playing too conservative at the end of regulation, this could have been a 40-plus point game for the offense. 

Again though they still had a good game. The passing attack was clicking with efficiency, despite Amon-Ra St. Brown dealing with injuries throughout the day. The ground game wasn’t phenomenal, but David Montgomery was running hard and creating yards after contact up until he left with an injury. 

It was a good day for the offense, so to say that it could have been even better just proves how high the ceiling is for this unit. 

Offensive player of the game: QB Jared Goff 

This game was something of a tale of two halves for Goff. In the first half, he completed 12 of 15 passes for 188 yards and two scores with a perfect passer rating (158.3). In the second half he still played well for the most part, but a few mistakes proved costly. 

Truth be told though, despite the pick-six and a few inaccurate passes, Goff was really good. He was playing so well that it would be frustrating to see the Lions take the ball out of his hands in short-yardage situations. 

Goff’s command of the offense cannot be questioned. He is in control, he is comfortable, and he will find his rhythm as long as he is kept clean in the pocket. 

Defense: 0/5 stars

On paper, this should have been a game in which the defense stepped up and proved they’ve made some improvements. Instead, it looked like a regression to this unit’s worst form from the past two years under Aaron Glenn. 

Considering Seattle was missing their two starting tackles, the lack of pass rush was very concerning. Aidan Hutchinson failed to take advantage of the favorable matchup, and nothing the defensive line tried resulted in pressure on Geno Smith.

In the secondary, things look like they are still a work in progress. Cam Sutton looked fine on one side of the field, but the same cannot be said for Jerry Jacobs. He had a brutal day, getting beat by Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf numerous times. 

Considering the resources that have been poured into the defense, and in the secondary specifically, it was an embarrassing game. 

Defensive player of the game: S C.J. Gardner-Johnson 

The whole ski mask idea died rather quickly, but Gardner-Johnson at least tried to feed off the energy of the crowd. He played with intensity, especially against the run. 

The game didn’t go very well for the defense, but you can see that Gardner-Johnson is trying to change the mindset and confidence level of the defense. However, there is something curious about his deployment that we will get into later. 

Rookie Report

Those expecting the Jahmyr Gibbs breakout game were left holding their breath. Even with the injury to Montgomery, Gibbs was still used fairly sparingly. He got more work as a receiver in this game, but he couldn't get much going on the ground.

Jack Campbell wasn’t overly noticeable in this game. One interesting point was the fact that he was occasionally lining up at EDGE in obvious pass-rush situations. It might be a bit before Campbell is a starter, but the Lions are trying to get him on the field in new ways.

Sam LaPorta has proven he is by far the best tight end on the roster. He was doing a fantastic job at holding onto the ball through contact. Additionally, he was consistently breaking tackles and gaining more yards after the catch than most tight ends would. 

Brian Branch didn’t have a splash play like he did in Week 1, but he still had a positive game. He was on the wrong side of the game-winning touchdown, unable to keep up with Tyler Lockett. That being said his presence against the run and as a blitzer was impressive. And he is already one of the Lions’ better options in man coverage.

As for the other rookies, they didn’t play much. Antoine Green got on the field with the offense a little bit. Aside from him though there were no other meaningful contributions. 

Needs improvement: Aaron Glenn

We are nearing territory where it’s becoming a legitimate question of whether or not Aaron Glenn is a good defensive coordinator. For every glimmer of hope over the past few years, there has been a game like this one. 

Yes, the players deserve blame for failing to execute. However, at what point can you sit back and say the players weren’t put in a position to succeed? James Houston is a very good situational pass-rusher, so why is he being asked to cover an an athletic tight end like Noah Fant down the field in man coverage? Why are the Lions playing so much zone if they aren’t good at it? 

To further that argument, the Lions found a diamond in the third round of last year's draft in Kerby Joseph. He has proved himself as a ball-hawking safety with range playing in single-high like Glenn favors. So why is he being asked to play in the slot close to the line of scrimmage? C.J. Gardner-Johnson is capable of playing that role, but one of the biggest reasons he was brought in was due to his ability to play in the slot and in the box. 

It’s all just very confusing, and it seems like Glenn needs to take a step back and get back to basics with this defense. The Lions waited until they were 1-6 to make changes last year. They can’t afford to wait that long again. 

Play of the game: Alex Anzalone’s 4th quarter sack

After an atrocious second-half performance by the defense, Detroit needed something. Quite literally any sort of stop. Down by three, in a third and long situation, the Lions could not afford to give up a big play. The secondary held up, the edge rushers generated pressure, and Alex Anzalone went in for the kill. 

Unfortunately, the comeback effort fell short in overtime, but this play kept Detroit alive in the final moments.