5 Takeaways from Detroit's 30-20 Loss in Green Bay
With the NFC North title and a playoff bye week on the line, the Detroit Lions traveled to Green Bay to face the Packers. A sporadic effort came up on the short end of a 30-20 decision.
Detroit had its moments, but the Packers prevailed, thanks to a more consistent effort and fewer mistakes than the visiting Lions. The difference between the four-time consecutive division champs and the team which has never won the NFC North were readily evident, even in a pretty close game.
With the loss, the Lions fell to the sixth seed in the NFC and will head to Dallas to face the Cowboys next Sunday. Detroit finished the regular season with an 11-5 mark, the team's best record since 1991.
Here are five quick takeaways from the initial viewing of the disappointing loss.
Another Slow Start Doomed the Lions
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In what has become a painfully recurring theme, Detroit once again failed to come out of the tunnel with the precision and intensity of the opponent.
Some games it has been the offense sputtering early. Others, the defense lagged behind. We covered this topic a few times during the season, most recently after the Minnesota game in Week 15.
It's a malady the Lions could not shake in Green Bay, either...as social media reminded us:
"Hey lions let's have another slow start...it's not like we are playing one of the best offenses or anything
— Jacob Stempky (@J_Stempky05) December 28, 2014"
"The lions cant start slow today like they always do
— David Solberg (@Dsolberg7) December 28, 2014"
The common denominator is Jim Caldwell and the coaching staff. Having two rookie coordinators not accustomed to devising game plans appeared to be a problem all season. Joe Lombardi and Teryl Austin will get better at this in prepping the offense and defense, respectively, but in games against playoff teams like Green Bay, their inexperience cost the Lions.
Detroit went three-and-out on its first drive. Again. Green Bay marched 62 yards on 10 plays before Detroit's defense awakened with an inspired goal-line stand.
The Lions did not score until late in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Packers ran 25 plays on their first three drives. That the score was just 14-7 at the half was incredibly fortuitous for the Lions.
If Detroit hopes to win in Dallas, it must come out firing on both sides of the ball.
Special Teams Were Awful
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This is another carryover issue from last week's narrow victory over Chicago. Detroit's special teams were lousy in Soldier Field, and they weren't much better up the Lake Michigan coastline on Sunday.
After Detroit's second offensive drive, Sam Martin punted the ball straight down the middle with poor hang time. Then this happened, as shared by the Score:
"Packers' Micah Hyde opens scoring with this incredible 55-yard punt return TD. http://t.co/i6WXMX2nKb https://t.co/hoWNF00njg
— theScore (@theScore) December 28, 2014"
Jeremy Ross ran the ensuing kickoff out from deep in the end zone. He didn't make the 15-yard line, but fullback Jed Collins—who missed the first tackle on Hyde's return—was flagged for holding. The last thing the slow-starting offense needed was bad field position, but that's what Ross and the return unit gave it.
Martin had another gaffe later. Midway through the third quarter, he pooched the kickoff out of bounds. That gave the Packers great field position at their own 40-yard line, and they cashed it in for a touchdown on the shorter field a few plays later.
It was a bad day for the normally reliable punter. His 38.0 average on four punts is almost nine yards below his season average, and just one effort pinned the Packers inside their own 20.
There was a bright spot when reserve safety Isa Abdul Quddus blocked a Mason Crosby field goal, though Matthew Stafford fumbled while trying to hand off the ball on the next play to negate any momentum.
Losing Larry Warford Could Be Bad
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Detroit's offensive line once again fell victim to the virulent injury bug. This time it was right guard Larry Warford who went down. Yahoo Sports' Eric Edholm provided details:
"Larry Warford has been carted back to the locker room. He looked none too happy when he was being attended to by trainers. Huge loss. #Lions
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) December 28, 2014"
The War Daddy did not return, further destabilizing a patchwork line already missing two starters.
Exacerbating the issue is that his normal replacement, Travis Swanson, was playing center in place of the suspended Dominic Raiola. Swanson played well in the pivot, but being there forced Garrett Reynolds into the lineup at right guard.
There were no details on Warford's status going forward after the game, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com:
"Caldwell didn't offer any updates on Larry Warford's knee injury other than to say he hopes he heals quickly.
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) December 29, 2014"
If he cannot go, look for Swanson to slide over and take his spot as Raiola returns at center. The third-round rookie started four games for Warford earlier in the season but was not overly impressive.
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The Run Defense Came Up Short
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Entering the final week the Detroit run defense was dominant throughout the season.
| Figure | Rank | |
| Yards Per Game | 63.8 | 1st |
| Yards Per Carry | 3.1 | 1st |
| Rushing 1st Downs | 3.5 | 1st |
All figures from Team Rankings.
Green Bay and Eddie Lacy were not fazed by what the Lions accomplished earlier. They gashed the vaunted run defense.
As Tim Twentyman of the team's official website noted:
"Lacy became the first 100-yard rusher against the Lions this season as he rushed for exactly 100 yards on 26 carries. As a team, the Packers racked up 152 yards on the ground, the largest total against the Lions this year.
"
The New York Jets in Week 4 were the only other Lions' opponent to rush for even 90 yards. Lacy beat that by himself, thanks in no small part to excellent blocking up front by the Green Bay offensive line.
It's not going to get any easier next week. Dallas boasts the league's top rusher in DeMarco Murray, who broke Emmitt Smith's team record for running yards in a season. The Detroit defensive front must hold up better against Dallas' strong offensive line and imposing rushing attack than they did against Lacy in Green Bay.
Fortunately, there was one great positive from early in the game to build upon...as SportsCenter highlighted:
"Green Bay goes for it on 4th and goal but Eddie Lacy is stuffed at goal line. Game remains scoreless in the 1st quarter.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 28, 2014"
Ndamukong Suh Finds Controversy Once Again
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One week after Raiola earned a suspension for deliberately stomping on Chicago defensive tackle Ego Ferguson, another Lion with a lengthy disciplinary history committed a similar act.
Ndamukong Suh was rushing Aaron Rodgers when he was initially pushed back a bit by Packers guard T.J. Lang. His right foot landed on Rodgers' ailing left calf in what absolutely appeared to be a case of incidental misfortune.
The next back with his left foot, however...Suh, as CBS Sports' Will Brinson referenced:
"Suh stomping on Rodgers ankle? https://t.co/UON1ea4Jiv
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) December 29, 2014"
Social media reaction was swift and decidedly weighed against the defensive tackle, who has a prior suspension for stomping on then-Packers center Evan Dietrich-Smith back in 2011:
"Yeah, that's blatantly on purpose from Suh. Felt him with right foot, so knew he was there.
— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) December 29, 2014"
"Suh just stepped on the Baaaaaaddddd Man's leg on purpose. And Detroit's about to pay for that. Mark it down.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) December 29, 2014"
"Of course it was. Suh's a repeat offender stomp artist. RT @judybattista: Fox had the replay of Suh stepping on Rodgers. Was it intentional?
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) December 29, 2014"
My personal take? I think the first step was completely unintentional. As for the second one, it's not nearly on the level of Raiola's misdeed in Chicago. Suh never looks down or behind him, and that will make judging intent extremely difficult. I do not think he will be suspended.
At the same time, I agree with the loud voices proclaiming Suh gets zero benefit of the doubt. It's hard to defend him without pinching my nose. For a guy angling for a massive payday this offseason, he sure goes about his business stupidly.
All statistics are from ESPN's game box score unless otherwise indicated.
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