This post is sponsored by Comcast's NFL RedZone Channel.
Lions - 1 score on 2 chances (1 interception/safety, 1 touchdown)
I suppose if you're only looking at whether or not the Lions scored points, then they technically were 2/2 in the red zone against the Rams. Since a turnover happened before the first points were scored, though, I'm not going to count that as a successful trip inside the 20. Though it did produce points, a successful trip inside the red zone is when a touchdown or a field goal is scored, not when Matthew Stafford throws an interception and it turns into a safety because the defender decides to run back into the end zone and gets tackled.
The Lions' other trip to the red zone was a short and successful one. Following a big pass to Bryant Johnson that put the Lions on the 5-yard line, Matthew Stafford scored a touchdown on a run two plays later. The 2-point conversion following the touchdown was also successful, making for one heck of a sequence of plays.
Rams - 1 score on 2 chances (1 field goal, 1 interception)
NFL.com recorded 3 trips to the red zone for the Rams, but I am not going to count the last drive where they ran the ball once and took a knee twice. Yes, that drive started and ended in the red zone because the Lions turned the ball over on downs, but that was not really a red zone opportunity considering the Rams were just trying to run the clock out.
As for their 2 real red zone chances, they were not very good, to say the least. Both trips inside the 20 lasted only one play. The first time a holding play moved the Rams from the 13 to the 23, and they were unable to move the ball at all after that. Josh Brown did make a field goal to salvage something out of the drive, but it was a pretty quick red zone appearance. The same goes for when the Rams made it to the Detroit 17 in the third quarter. After two straight incompletions, Marc Bulger had his pass tipped into the air and intercepted by Dewayne White, meaning 0 points were scored on this drive. Not only did this red zone appearance not alter the score, but it gave the Lions the momentum that led to their game-tying touchdown.
Overall
The biggest problem for the Lions' offense is that they are still not taking more drives into the red zone. Quite a few times they were able to move the ball, but the drive stalled before they were anywhere near the Rams' 20-yard line. That is a big part of why they only managed to put 10 points on the board against St. Louis, which was a really disappointing effort. It's good to see that they scored one way or another when they did get into the red zone, but I'd still like to see the number of trips increase in the future.
The defense was just the opposite for the Lions. Not only did the defense limit the Rams to only a couple real red zone opportunities, but those opportunities only produced a field goal. The first red zone chance only lasted a play because a holding penalty took St. Louis outside of the 20, and then Dewayne White brought the second chance to an end by making a great interception. Let's hope the defense keeps up their great play in the red zone long enough for the offense to figure it out for at least one game. If the Lions get a solid red zone performance out of both the offense and defense on the same day, it could be enough for their second win of the season.