5 Adjustments Detroit Lions Must Make in Week 2 Matchup with Minnesota Vikings
It turns out there aren't any voter polls or playoff committees in the NFL. One loss—no matter how disheartening—doesn't derail a season, so the Detroit Lions can suit up next week with the same hopes they held last month.
But they need to bring better execution and a couple of twists to the game plan if they hope to leave Minnesota with a better result.
These aren't wholesale changes that require months to implement. They're rather small tweaks that can turn this team back into the playoff contender of 2014 instead of the lead-losing conservatives we saw last Sunday.
Get Aggressive on Offense
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Just a week ago, we were discussing the importance of wide receiver Calvin Johnson's ridiculous height advantage over everyone in the San Diego Chargers secondary. Unfortunately, we left offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi out of the group text, and the message was never received.
Check the tape. Try to find a single instance where quarterback Matthew Stafford attacked the shorter cornerbacks. I'll wait.
Actually, I won't. I'm on a deadline, and the answer is none.
No back-shoulder throws or chances for Johnson to go get it. Just a lot of empty drives that finished with Stafford on his back or shaking his head in disappointment.
It should be noted here that the offensive line didn't help out much. It's tough to attack downfield when your eyes are dragged down to the defensive front by virtue of its 12 quarterback hurries, per Pro Football Focus.
And none of this means the Lions should force the ball to Johnson. That type of approach would waste the effort put into building a talented roster around him, but it's all right to give one of the game's best players a chance to make a play every now and then.
And in the Secondary as Well
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No, the secondary isn't completely to blame for Sunday's loss. In fact, few would argue with you if you hung that defeat on the linebackers.
But that's not an excuse for failing to make the proper adjustments when needed.
Quarterback Philip Rivers torched the Detroit defense for 404 yards by getting the ball out quickly and forcing the Lions to contain his playmakers. My game notes are littered with the words "slant," "cross" and "flair," painting the picture that was so clear on Sunday afternoon.
Justin Rogers of MLive.com came to the same conclusion, although he got fancy and used numbers, the most telling being Rivers' ridiculously quick release—1.77 seconds on average in the second half.
No amount of pressure can alter that type of speed. That's why it was imperative that defensive coordinator Teryl Austin bring his secondary up to limit the yards after the catch. This week brings plenty of capable quick-hitters like wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson and running back Adrian Peterson, so repeating this mistake could be quite deadly.
Get the Ball to Your Playmakers
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The best part of Detroit's two-minute offense—aside from the prevent defense—is how Matthew Stafford quickly gets the ball to players in space, letting them make people miss and pick up yards.
And much like last year, it's still a mystery why it takes Detroit so long to turn to that approach.
Running back Ameer Abdullah is the best example of this problem. He averaged over seven yards per carry but was only given seven attempts. He also added 11 yards per reception but only saw four targets.
Granted, the Lions only had 47 total offensive plays, the worst in the league by far. There weren't a ton of balls to spread around.
But the two stats are linked. Get the ball into Abdullah's and Calvin Johnson's hands and there might be opportunities for everyone with increased snaps. Don't, and the offense will continue to struggle, especially if the offensive line continues to falter.
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Get Tough with Tackling
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The offense didn't do the team any favors after pouncing out to a quick 14 points. And that still wasn't the biggest issue that faced the Lions.
It was tackling, which is disheartening because the defense made huge strides in that area last season.
In all, Detroit whiffed on 12 tackling attempts, letting running back Melvin Gordon and company take short plays and turn them into long gains. Remember that 3rd-and-19 conversion? That's just the most glaring example of a huge problem.
To put it in perspective, the Chargers only had six missed tackles. That's the difference between a win and a loss in its most basic terms.
Adrian Peterson didn't have the season opener many anticipated from the 2012 NFL MVP. However, weak wraps and arm tackles won't slow him down, regardless of if he's lost a step or not.
Get Healthy
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General manager Martin Mayhew did a nice job putting together a talented roster across the board with some decent depth at certain positions. That doesn't mean he has two DeAndre Levys, though.
And that was one of the underlying causes for all of the problems discussed here.
Levy is the linebacker who diagnoses and busts screens before they develop. He's also the player who handles those short routes that Philip Rivers used to score 30 straight points.
All four of the linebackers who played last week gave up a quarterback rating of over 100 on their targets, with Stephen Tulloch "leading" the way with a 147.7 rating allowed. That won't get it done against a high school team, much less a presumed NFC North contender.
The right side of the offensive line also struggled with its reserves. Guard Larry Warford and tackle LaAdrian Waddle are miles ahead of Manny Ramirez and Cornelius Lucas, respectively, and Matthew Stafford's well-being requires both of their presences.
But they're easier to hide than the loss of Levy. Should Detroit be forced to take on an angry Adrian Peterson or a focused Peyton Manning without its best defensive players, an 0-3 start will suddenly find itself on the table.
All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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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