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Lions Red Zone Recap: Week 5

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Lions - 3 scores on 3 chances (2 touchdowns, 1 field goal)

The Lions opened the game on the door step of the red zone thanks to the Rams' failed surprise onside kick. Once inside the red zone, however, the Lions' drive stalled and they had to settle for a 30-yard Jason Hanson field goal. Luckily this was the only time the Lions settled for a field goal in the red zone on this day.

Detroit was back in the red zone in the beginning of the second quarter. The Lions put together a solid drive filled with Shaun Hill completions out of the shotgun. Eventually Detroit got all the way down to the one-yard line, at which point Hill threw a fade to Calvin Johnson for a touchdown. On the very next drive it was more of the same. The Lions moved the ball with Hill passing out of the shotgun, and they eventually got down by the goal line. This time around Hill found Brandon Pettigrew for a three-yard touchdown after having all day to throw. The O-line gave him plenty of time and eventually Pettigrew got open for the TD.

Rams - 2 scores on 3 chances (2 field goals, 1 fumble)

St. Louis did not do well in the red zone, to say the very least. The Rams' offense went nowhere in the second half of this game, but in the first half they actually were able to move the ball. Once inside the red zone, though, things came to a screeching halt. Just look at St. Louis' first trip inside the 20. The Rams quickly moved the ball down the field and got into the red zone on a 30-yard pass, but on the very next play Danny Amendola coughed up the ball and the Lions recovered.

The other two red zone appearances did not result in turnovers for St. Louis, but they did fail to produce touchdowns. Both times St. Louis had to settle for a field goal after getting down to the 10-yard line, which was very important for the Lions. By holding the Rams to field goals, Detroit was able to extend the gap by scoring touchdowns of its own, which is how this game got out of hand so suddenly in the second quarter.

Overall

This was just an excellent game all-around for Detroit, so it's no surprise that things went well inside the red zone. Offensively, the Lions put points on the board every trip inside the 20. Two of those trips resulted in touchdowns, which was very good news. Defensively, things went extremely well for the Lions. St. Louis got into the red zone three times in the first half and didn't score a single touchdown. Further, they turned the ball over on one of the trips inside the 20. St. Louis' offensive struggles inside the red zone allowed the Lions to extend their lead and turn this game into a blowout, so kudos to Detroit for a job well done.

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