Comcast Red Zone Recap: Week 12

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Lions - 2 scores on 3 chances (1 touchdown, 1 field goal, 1 turnover on downs)

The Lions' red zone trips were pretty strange during this game.  The first one was a direct result of a fumble on the opening kickoff, giving the Lions the ball right at the 20.  Detroit scored on the fifth play of the drive when Matthew Stafford found Calvin Johnson from a yard out.

The next trip to the red zone for the Lions didn't come until the fourth quarter.  Twice the Lions drove inside the 5-yard line, and twice they failed to score a touchdown.  The second red zone trip of the game ended on a failed fourth down play when Stafford threw the ball out of the end zone, and the third one ended on a Jason Hanson field goal.  These two red zone trips were enormous disappointments, though the first one of the fourth quarter did set up a safety.

Packers - 4 scores on 4 chances (2 touchdowns, 2 field goals)

Similar to the first meeting between the Packers and Lions this season, Green Bay had a bit of trouble scoring touchdowns inside the red zone.  Their first trip to the red zone quickly produced a touchdown, but the Lions managed to hold the Packers to a field goal on the next two drives that went inside the 20.  The Packers' final red zone trip of the game also produced a touchdown, but overall I thought the defense did a pretty good job once Green Bay was inside the 20.  Of course, one Packers touchdown was from just outside the red zone, but one thing that stood out is that the Lions made stops a couple times before Green Bay was even able to get inside the red zone, such as when Mason Crosby missed a field goal early on in the game and when Julian Peterson forced a fumble on fourth down.  That was the biggest positive I took out of the defense's performance on Thanksgiving.

Overall

The offense not only didn't get the ball into the red zone enough, but when it was inside the 20 it didn't do a very good job of getting the ball into the end zone.  When you consider that the Lions were down by the goal line twice in the fourth quarter and couldn't get into the end zone either time, it's hard not to be disappointed with the offense.

The defense gave up points of some kind every time Green Bay was inside the red zone, but they only gave up 2 touchdowns on 4 chances.  All in all, I'd classify that as a success, as the defense once again kept the score closer than it could have been.