Detroit Lions vs. New England Patriots: Complete Game Grades for Detroit
The Detroit Lions entered Sunday with the toughest task in the league—winning in Foxborough, Massachusetts), and the New England Patriots confirmed that assertion with a 34-9 beatdown.
There isn't much solace to extract from this one except that nobody has beaten the Patriots at Gillette Stadium this year.
"One reason why I love #Lions Twitter: everyone pays the Patriots their due respect. That's a damn good football team & DET acknowledges it
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) November 23, 2014"
This game was competitive until the waning moments of the first half, when the Patriots put up 10 points in three minutes. After that, the wound would only worsen as the Pats marched on.
Before we put this game in the rearview mirror, let's dig into the defeat and hand out grades to each positional unit.
Quarterback
1 of 10
The unfortunate starting point for Matthew Stafford was the fourth-quarter slide.
The Lions were down 18 and had managed to sneak inside New England's 30-yard line. After a drop by Jeremy Ross, Stafford was forced to take off on 4th-and-10.
"Got to go head first there or run out of bounds. When you slide it's where the slide starts. 9-yard run by Stafford on 4th and 10. #DETvsNE
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) November 23, 2014"
The sticks were a mere four feet away. There was no excuse for not knowing where he was on the field. He'll be kicking himself for that play when he sees the tape, and likely is already doing so.
The rest of the day was just as frustrating.
The offensive line left him under duress nearly every time he dropped back, and his receivers refused to give him any help.
"Third TD drop by the #Lions today. Perfect throw by Stafford.
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) November 23, 2014"
Still, Stafford wasn't at his best. There were errant throws and miscommunications between him and his wide receivers (most notably Golden Tate). That's how you end up going 18-of-46 passing for 264 yards and one interception.
That's a 49.5 passer rating to add to the inexplicable slide.
Grade: C-
Running Back
2 of 10
It's almost impossible to give the running backs much more than an incomplete. The offensive line had so much trouble opening rushing lanes that you have to feel back for the ball-carriers.
"I'll say this about Joique Bell today, he might not be picking up big chunks, but no negative plays.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) November 23, 2014"
It might be tough to find, but that's actually praise. Bell—as he has for the past few weeks—had to dodge defenders in the backfield before he could think of picking up positive yardage.
In all, he had 48 yards on 19 carries for a 2.5-yard average. And every yard was earned.
Theo Riddick only had two carries for 12 yards and picked up some garbage-time receiving yards (three catches for 40 yards). He was mostly invisible by design, although he did drop a couple of passes as well.
Grade: C
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
It's possible that Calvin Johnson isn't Megatron anymore. He couldn't make the plays that had become routine for the former All-Pro wide receiver.
"Calvin's got to catch that, no doubt. Second drop today. But Stafford has to lead him more.
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) November 23, 2014"
He finished with four catches for 58 yards.
His running mate, Golden Tate, did perform reliably, finishing with four catches for 97 yards. He is the only one worthy of mention and the reason for the plus on the grade.
Joseph Fauria dropped an early touchdown opportunity to give Detroit the lead. He didn't see another target on the day. The Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett mentions the drop here:
"Absolutely. Second one shoulda been caught RT @HougBen: You think two goal line fades are ok?
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) November 23, 2014"
Jeremy Ross also tacked on an end-zone drop, and Corey Fuller couldn't handle a deep ball with the game mostly decided.
Ross ended with 35 yards on three catches, while Eric Ebron—who also had a costly, easy drop—only notched two grabs for 23 yards.
Grade: D+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Left tackle Riley Reiff went down early in this one, and any hope of a decent offensive performance went with him.
"What Akeem Ayers just did to Cornelius Lucas is illegal in 32 states.
— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) November 23, 2014"
The undrafted rookie was overmatched all afternoon. The Patriots attacked him, forcing Matthew Stafford to keep an eye on his blind side.
Stafford was hit six times and sacked twice, according to ESPN. Stafford's constant scrambling is the only reason for the low number. He repeatedly attempted hurried throws on the move that led to nine passes defensed for New England.
If you subtract the 31 rushing yards from Stafford and Golden Tate, since those yards aren't the product of the offensive line, Detroit averaged 2.9 yards per carry. There isn't a positive to be gleaned along the front line.
Grade: D
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Ndamukong Suh made it known to the New England Patriots with a few minutes left that he couldn't be run on.
The Patriots thought they already knew that, and completely neutralized the defensive line using quick passing and wide receiver screens.
"The #Lions are also working on six-plus quarters without a quarterback sack along with the no touchdowns.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) November 23, 2014"
The defense hasn't posted a single sack since the Miami game two weeks ago. That tweet was from just after halftime, meaning Detroit's sack-less streak stretches at least eight quarters.
Coincidentally, the line can't back up Suh's boast. The Patriots put up 90 yards on 20 attempts for a 4.5-yard average.
The one play that stands out as a positive—aside from a couple quick Suh penetrations in the first quarter—was George Johnson's tackle for a loss after a flair to Shane Vereen.
The Patriots are a great football team. The only way to beat them is to get to Tom Brady. The defensive line only registered three quarterback hits (Suh, Jason Jones and C.J. Mosley) and failed to upset Brady's rhythm.
Grade: C-
Linebacker
6 of 10
DeAndre Levy had another 10 tackles and some bone-crushing hits. However, it was not a good game for the linebacker or his corps.
"The freakish decline of DeAndre Levy's coverage skills is really disturbing.
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) November 23, 2014"
The Patriots tight ends feasted on blown assignments and soft middle coverage. In one instance just before the half, New England ran the same play (10-yard dig to Rob Gronkowski) on two consecutive plays and picked up a first down both times.
Additionally, Josh Bynes looked to be the guilty party that left Tim Wright so incredibly open on one of his scores. The recent addition finished with three tackles.
"Josh Bynes stared at Rob Gronkowski as Tim Wright ran by for a wide open TD.
— Pride Of Detroit (@PrideOfDetroit) November 23, 2014"
Tahir Whitehead added another seven quiet tackles.
This unit didn't do much to give Detroit a chance. There was the occasional sniffed-out screen, but it was a poor showing overall.
Grade: D+
Secondary
7 of 10
General manager Martin Mayhew needs to get some love for bringing in James Ihedigbo. The strong safety put up nine tackles, two passes defensed and a huge interception to keep the game within striking distance after the half.
"James Ihedigbo with an interception in the red zone. Big play for the Lions. Red the pass to Gronk perfectly.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) November 23, 2014"
But he was a lone wolf in a secondary that was torched to the tune of 349 yards and two scores.
"The grass was covered, though RT @Ian_Leja: Watching Glover Quinn cover grass on 3 straight possessions is upsetting.
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) November 23, 2014"
The Lions defense requires a balance of every unit working together. The amount of time Brady had to throw made it nearly impossible for the secondary to effectively stop him.
However, there were plenty of blown assignments. In particular, Cassius Vaughn had the look of a kid who gets called on by a teacher while he is daydreaming of retirement.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Detroit's special teams were extremely busy against New England.
Sam Martin booted five punts, averaging 46.2 yards per punt with two downed inside the 20. He was his usual excellent self.
"Sam Martin: Punt god
— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) November 23, 2014"
Even Matt Prater wasn't too terrible. He did miss a 53-yarder by a slim margin, but nailed his other three (including one from 49 yards).
But the coverage units struggled mightily.
"Amendola has shown potential on kickoff returns over the past few weeks. That potential just came to fruition on an 81-yard kickoff return.
— Erik Frenz (@ErikFrenz) November 23, 2014"
If it weren't for a couple flags, the special teams carnage would have been even worse when Julian Edelman returned a punt for a touchdown later.
Grade: B-
Coaching
9 of 10
There wasn't much to clap about for the Lions this week.
The defense looked human against the Patriots' second-ranked offense. That's not incredible on its own, but the secondary and linebackers were often sitting so far off the line of scrimmage that the Patriots were happy to pick up 5-10 yards per play.
"Can't believe the Lions aren't even attempting to challenge the Patriots receivers. Just letting Brady throw hitches & stick routes.
— James Light (@JamesALight) November 23, 2014"
But the defense did stiffen a bit in the second half. They were able to keep the Patriots out of the end zone until the final minutes, keeping the door slightly cracked for the offense.
However, the cavalry would never arrive.
The play-calling wasn't nearly as bad as weeks past. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi sprinkled in screens and even goal-line fades that were only lacking in execution.
Yet the overall game plan didn't make a ton of sense.
"Patriots knew they couldn't run today, so they didn't even try. Lions insisted on balance in the first half. Advantage Patriots.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) November 23, 2014"
Additionally, there was a lack of aggression. Head coach Jim Caldwell opted for a field goal instead of taking a chance from the Patriots' 1-yard line. Some would defend it by saying the second quarter is too early to press the issue, but it's common knowledge that you must score touchdowns against New England.
Grade: C-
Final Grades
10 of 10
QB: C-
RB: C
WR/TE: D+
OL: D
DL: C-
LB: D+
Secondary: C-
Special Teams: B-
Coaching: C-
Cumulative Grade: D+
Detroit isn't on New England's level at this point. That's not surprising since the Pats are arguably the best team in the league.
The real downside here is that the only true rival to that throne is in the NFC North—the Green Bay Packers.
Detroit still controls its own destiny within the division. If it can beat some very beatable teams (Chicago twice, Minnesota and Tampa Bay), the division will be on the line in Week 17 assuming Green Bay doesn't fall apart.
Hope is not lost. However, if the roar is going to be restored with a playoff win, the offense must find a way to become competent instead of anemic.
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.
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