5 Lions Who Must Step Up for a Detroit Playoff Push
Two losses in a row have dulled the luster off the Detroit Lions' rising star, but the team is still in solid position to make a run and get into the playoffs.
In order for that to become reality, some things have to change from the performances in Arizona and New England. That much is obvious.
While plenty of personnel need to step up, five in particular can have the greatest impact. If Detroit winds up making the playoffs, it will likely come from improvement from these five Lions.
Eric Ebron
1 of 5
Other than the recent competence shown by third-round pick Travis Swanson at right guard, this year's rookie draft class has done next to nothing for Detroit. No selection disappoints more than the first one, tight end Eric Ebron.
The 10th overall pick has consistently underwhelmed...at best. Lions fans have not seen his best very often. In New England and Arizona, the North Carolina product was at his worst.
His Pro Football Focus grades (subscription required) are probably higher than they deserve to be:
| Overall | Pass | Run Block | Catches | Targets | |
| Cardinals | -3.3 | -1.7 | -0.8 | 4 | 4 |
| Patriots | -1.7 | -1.6 | -0.3 | 2 | 7 |
One of those missed targets in New England was an ugly drop. He also got his hands on another ball that probably should have been caught, too. On at least two occasions the rookie appeared to run the wrong route.
"I don't really know what to say about Eric Ebron. O is struggling, play sheet gets shaved down, and he's still running around clueless.
— Alen Dumonjić (@Dumonjic_Alen) November 24, 2014"
Detroit drafted Ebron to provide a versatile receiving threat and matchup dictator. His speed is too much for most linebackers, and he's too big (6'4", 265 lbs) and strong for most safeties. Unfortunately, it has not worked well.
As Mike Rothstein of ESPN.com noted last week, the Lions are planning on using him more heavily now that he is back to full health. Ebron needs to significantly raise his concentration and overall level of play to merit the increased opportunities.
Ezekiel Ansah
2 of 5
This is a case of a player who has not played poorly. Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah is someone who can make a bigger impact than he has made recently.
He has made his name by making big plays. The 2013 first-round pick has 13.5 sacks and five forced fumbles in his first 25 games. His blend of length, strength and speed makes him a nightmare matchup for opposing offensive tackles.
He hasn't showed that in the last two weeks. Like the rest of the defensive line, Ansah's contribution has been minimal as a pass-rusher. Pro Football Focus has him registering just two quarterback hurries in New England and two more, plus two QB hits, in Arizona.
He continues to play quite well versus the run, but solid run defense is not why general manager Martin Mayhew selected Ansah with the fifth overall pick last year. The Ghana native has proved he can make the splash plays the defense desperately needs.
Ansah's bulling and screaming his way into the backfield is a catalyst for the entire defense. A better pass rush helps the back end in coverage. It might lead a skittish quarterback like Jay Cutler or Josh McCown to throw an interception or two—game-altering big plays the Lions have not been making lately.
DeAndre Levy
3 of 5
Linebacker DeAndre Levy was the NFC Defensive Player of the Month in September. The strong first month built upon his breakout 2013 campaign, where he emerged as one of the best all-around outside linebackers in the NFL.
It would have been quite difficult to maintain such lofty play, and the bearded one has indeed regressed. While he's still quite effective against the run, his work in the passing game has become a disturbing problem.
Alex Reno of SideLion Report provided an excellent breakdown of Levy's issues in coverage last week:
"2014 has been a completely different story. Teams have lost that respect for Levy’s ability to defend the pass, and have been targeting him once every 5.5 cover snaps. Only Anthony Barr of the Minnesota Vikings has been targeted more often.
Surprisingly, Levy has already given up more yards after the catch through 10 games (355) than he did the entire 2013 season (301).
"
New England continued to exploit Levy, targeting him nine times, per PFF. He ceded eight completions, including the one pictured above. His lateral range and awareness are not as sharp as they were last season.
Also concerning are the missed tackles. He's now charged with 15, second-worst in the league for outside linebackers.
The Lions sorely need Levy to get back to his September self. He's another player who has not consistently played to his talent level recently but has the potential to get hot and make a big positive impact going forward.
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Matthew Stafford
4 of 5
Matthew Stafford is quickly becoming one of the most divisive figures in all the NFL. One of the reasons why is because folks on both sides of the argument hold valid points.
In my twice-weekly radio spots on ESPN 96.1 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, host Sean Baligian and I have gone over the same mantra ad infinitum: Stafford has improved his play, but he needs to play better more often for the Lions to improve.
It boils down to that simple statement. Stafford has indeed played better in 2014. His mechanics are much more consistent and proper. He's cut way back on the forced throws into heavy coverage, thus limiting the turnovers. Despite playing behind a porous line, he's shown better agility and improvisational ability under duress than in years past.
He even set a mighty impressive NFL record in the loss to Arizona:
"Matthew Stafford becomes fastest QB in NFL history with 20,000 career passing yards (71 games). pic.twitter.com/tZFs55jwIO
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 16, 2014"
Yet Stafford can be better. When the offense fails to score a touchdown in two straight games, ultimate responsibility falls on the man at the controls.
He's having real trouble seeing the field. I wrote about it last week, but it pervaded in the humiliating loss in New England:
"Golden Tate wide open on third down over the middle, Stafford never looks at him. Punt.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) November 23, 2014"
From a more critical eye:
"If you didn't know anything about him, saw just today's game so far, you'd think No. 9 from the Lions is a rookie making his debut.
— Frank Schwab (@YahooSchwab) November 23, 2014"
Stafford needs his supporting cast, from the patchwork line to the receivers, to raise their level of play. Great quarterbacks set that example. We've yet to see Stafford do that consistently.
Jim Caldwell
5 of 5
The Lions have lost between the lines the last two weeks, but they've also been beaten behind the scenes. Both Bruce Arians in Arizona and Bill Belichick in New England soundly beat Caldwell in the coaching department.
Bill Simmons was at his sardonic best on Caldwell's coaching acumen in New England:
"Thank you, Jim Caldwell. Really appreciate everything you did for the Patriots in the first half.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 23, 2014"
From conservative, predictable play-calling to ponderous fourth-down decisions, Caldwell and his coaching staff were embarrassed by Belichick and the Patriots.
"It's almost like they're coaching different sports RT @NickDewig: Belichick vs Jim Caldwell is the most lopsided coaching matchup of the day
— Chris Wesseling (@ChrisWesseling) November 23, 2014"
Everything the Lions have tried offensively the last few weeks, the opponents have been ready and waiting to attack. Flat starts demonstrate a lack of opponent-specific game-planning. The majestic comebacks glossed over those flaws against the likes of the Falcons, but better teams like the Cardinals and Patriots don't relent.
The substitution patterns are often baffling and half-baked. On New England's first red-zone incursion, Ndamukong Suh and Ezekiel Ansah were not on the field. The constant shuffling of receivers and running backs is an issue, too.
"Lions take Golden Tate off the field after he converts that third down because substitutions are mandatory in this offense for some reason.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) November 23, 2014"
Another of Caldwell's issues is that he has two rookie coordinators under him. While Teryl Austin's defense has been fantastic, Joe Lombardi's offense peaked in Week 1 and has steadily devolved into one of the worst units in the NFL.
Caldwell, who has an offensive coordinator background, needs to help fix Lombardi's issues or find someone else can do the job better. While the players must execute better, the coaches need to help them by putting them in better position for success.
Advanced statistics are from Pro Football Focus, which requires a subscription for premium content. All other stats are from NFL.com.
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