Was this really the worst performance of the year in the NFL?

by SuhSuhSuhdio on Jan 11, 2012 11:31 AM EST

I was making the rounds of reading national columnists following the Lions loss on Saturday. There are several who say that it was not the best weekend for referees, lots of talk about the forced fumble that should have been a TD and changed the complexion of the game, praise for CJ's performance in the loss, and lots of arrows cast at the defense, particularly for its second-half performance.

Even with some missed holding calls and some very generous spots resulting in first downs, the Lions D allowed 5 TDs and a victory formation (at the Lions 2 yard line) in the Saints' six second-half possessions. So it was not good. But was it as bad as ESPN columnist Gregg Easterbrook had to say about the performance? Read on and weigh in.

From the column on ESPN:

Twice in an NFL playoff contest, the Detroit defense had no one even attempting to guard a New Orleans receiver. It's not that the receiver beat his man -- there was no one to beat! Twice in an NFL playoff game, the Detroit defense surrendered touchdowns to uncovered receivers. In their final two games, the Lions allowed 90 points and 1,176 yards of offense. Detroit Lions defense, you are guilty of the single worst performance of the season. So far.

Isn't that going a little too far? Or if it's not, how much responsibility for this do the coaches bear? I'm honestly not trying to stir anyone up; I am just interested to know whether it is a fair assessment.

The whole segment is at the very bottom of the article here.

The Lions D previously got called out by the same columnist for a huge defensive lapse in the previous meeting with the Saints, when Chris Harris jumped his route and left Eric Wright hung out to dry as Meacham scored. From the very end of that column:

Sure, Detroit has injuries in the secondary -- everyone in the NFL has injuries. Six defenders to cover two receivers and the speed receiver goes deep one-on-one: Detroit Lions, you are guilty of the single worst play of the season. So far.

Chris Harris last week shouldered the blame for that play in an interview with SI's Peter King. But with Harris out this time around, and a healthy defense otherwise, I can't shake the feeling that the coaches didn't prepare guys the best way possible. The coaches didn't make our players drop two interceptions. But it seemed like the positioning on some of the key plays was awful, and some of that has to lay at the feet of the coaches doesn't it? Our D was on the field for nearly 21 minutes of the second half, and overall in the game, the Saints ran 81 plays and had zero punts.

So was it THE WORST?

How optimistic are you that our defensive struggles of late can be corrected in the offseason?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pride of Detroit or its writers. FanPosts are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable fans.

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Yes

The last TWO games played by the Lions Defense were the worst performances of the year and should be ranked #1 & #2.

Last year and for the first part of this year, our offense had the same problem. Unwillingness to change the gameplan, and only did so when forced to by the score. In the last 1/4 of the season Linehan actually opened up the playbook and did a good job allowing our star player – Stafford – to be the man.

On defense we stayed par, all year, even after every weakness had been exploited. They barely tried to put pressure on the QB (while playing zone) in either game resulting in rediculous numbers. Nearly 1,200 yrds of offense.

by Incantrix on Jan 11, 2012 11:41 AM EST reply actions

It was bad.

But that shouldn’t be surprising. It was against the most prolific passing offense in the league. The Saints defense didn’t do much better, but we aren’t hearing about hem because the Saints didn’t lose.

The secondary certainly needs to be addressed, but if you look at the biggest difference between the Saints and the Lions, it’s not the secondary, it’s the rushing attack. That’s the biggest reason they’re still playing and we are not.

by ziggyz on Jan 11, 2012 11:45 AM EST reply actions

Good point about the rushing attack

It’s what kept the Saints on the field for so long, while we gained only 32 yards or something on the ground. With the way the Lions team is designed, it doesn’t need to be a balanced attack necessarily, but we’ve seen the results of it being one-dimensional. We called only 10 running plays all game and regardless of the outcome of our drives on offense, that is going to give teams like the Saints extra possessions.

I am not banking on Best returning (despite some recent comments to suggest he may), but I really and truly hope that Leshore can help us establish some kind of threat in the ground game, more than anything to help the defense get rest between drives and keep opponents’ defenses guessing somewhat.

by SuhSuhSuhdio on Jan 11, 2012 11:59 AM EST up reply actions

Typical hyperbole

Was it a bad performance? Yes. WORST IN THE NFL!!!!!!! No.

The Lions ceded a ton of yards and points to the top 2 offenses in the league. Disappointing, but not shocking.

You want to know a worse performance? Look at the first two games of the Chiefs’ season: a 41-7 loss at home to Buffalo (4 TDs to Fitzpatrick?) followed by a 48-3 smackdown from the Lions.

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by simscity on Jan 11, 2012 12:05 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

+1

This is exactly correct. We hear a lot of noise about how badly the Lions played against the Saints and Packers. So go back over the season and take a look at what the Packers and Saints have done to other teams. What about the 42 points the Packers put onto the Saints in their first game of the season. How about the 49 points the Packers scored against the Broncos, or the 45 points the Pack put up against the Chargers, or the 46 points Green Bay scored against Oakland. Those are just the Green Bay games.

Maybe we should take a close look at the 62-7 beatdown the Saints put on Indianapolis to find out worst defensive performance. How about thew 49 points the Saints put on the Giants or the 42 points the Saints scored on the Vikings, or the 45 points the Saints put up on Atlanta only the week before.

Is anybody seeing the point yet?

We have some people that love to exaggerate everything they see. The look at a moment in a vacuum and throw away all grounding in context and comparison. The plain truth is that the Packers and Saints put up 40 burgers on a LOT of teams. The Saints did it to two other playoff teams besides the Lions.

The performance by the Lions defense was poor, but it was hardly unique or unexpected. It was a combination of a lot of factors. Instead of just blindly running around like chicken little, we should be understanding that the Lions had the unique misfortune of having to play the two best offensive teams in the NFL twice each in their final six games.

Yes, the Lions need to improve their defense, but this is not a license to start overreacting and scream about ripping it all apart. We need better depth in the secondary and better play from the starters across the board on defense.

Keep your perspective, but most of all, keep the faith. Mayhew and Schwartz have not given us any reasons to believe they cannot continue to make the Lions a better team.

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by TuffLynx on Jan 13, 2012 12:10 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Rec'd ....

You hit the nail on the head, my friend.

"That's my quarterback man"- T.O.

by Lionking4420 on Jan 13, 2012 4:27 PM EST up reply actions

Was this ESPN article by any chance

written by Joshsun?

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-Aristotle

by UndaDawg on Jan 11, 2012 12:38 PM EST reply actions

All joking aside,

I do think the defense was pathetic our last two games. In fact, I blame the losses squarely on our Defense. The offense played great. (Stafford just seems to get better and better)

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-Aristotle

by UndaDawg on Jan 11, 2012 12:42 PM EST up reply actions

Gregg Easterbrook....but maybe that's just an alias ;-)

by SuhSuhSuhdio on Jan 11, 2012 2:04 PM EST up reply actions

I wouldn't read too much into the title

There’s a new “Single worst play of the season so far” every week in TMQ. “Bad Play of the Week” doesn’t have as much punch.

by jammitch! on Jan 11, 2012 1:30 PM EST reply actions

With our Offense pretty much coming back next year

even stronger if Best and Leshoure are healthy,

Imagine what a defense that just sucks would do for us. NFC Title?

by ATL Lion on Jan 11, 2012 3:34 PM EST reply actions

I notice he also mentions Brees 4th down dive...

and states that it’s something he has advocated that teams do for a while, but fails to mention that the goal line “break the plane” rules aren’t in effect at any other point on the field.

by Mogwai on Jan 11, 2012 4:58 PM EST reply actions

It was ONE of the worst...

probably not the worst though…
the Colts gave up 62 to the Saints… that was bad.
And don’t forget we made an outstanding Denver defense look downright awful when we spanked them in week 8. However, the two games where we allowed a combined 90 were the two most important games of our season and we totally and literally dropped the ball. I think that is why they are considered the worst performances… because of how important each game was!

by AxelFoleysLions on Jan 11, 2012 7:27 PM EST reply actions