One-Dimensional Offense Still Muzzling Once-Potent Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions have a claim among the most disappointing teams in this young NFL season after an 0-3 start. Based on what we have seen, it's hard to imagine things turning around anytime soon.

While there are many issues surrounding the franchise, the main problem has been an offense that has been too one-dimensional, even for a pass-heavy league. The Lions have put their faith completely in quarterback Matthew Stafford to lead them to victory, and he has consistently come up short.

On paper this is an offense that should be among the best in the NFL. Stafford has had outstanding years in the past, while Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate represent one of the top receiver tandems in football. Adding in high recent draft picks like Eric Ebron and Ameer Abdullah and there is a lot of talent at the skill positions. While the offensive line is inconsistent, it is more than enough to lead this group to elite numbers on a weekly basis.

However, the 24-12 loss to the Denver Broncos highlighted exactly what has gone wrong this season for Detroit.

Stafford finished the game with 282 passing yards and a touchdown while completing 68.9 percent of his passes (good), but he also had three turnovers while being overworked with 45 pass attempts (bad). While some will question his decision-making, the reality is the coaching staff rarely gave him a chance to succeed.

Denver has shown already this year it has the potential as one of the league's top pass defenses. The secondary makes athletic plays all over the field, while the pass rush with Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware made it hard for Stafford from the start of the day (via NFL.com):

Without any balance offensively, it was even easier to defend.

The Lions only attempted 18 rushes, with running backs totaling 29 yards on the ground. Amazingly, this was the most rushing plays in a game this year. While it's easy to say the lack of success caused a change in game plan, the reality is the staff never really gave it a chance. When they did, they inexplicably continued to give touches to Joique Bell.

Bell finished Sunday night with six rushing yards on 10 carries. He often charged straight toward the line and went nowhere, with the exception of his highlight three-yard rush as longest of the day. He wasn't any better in the passing game and ended the night with four total yards from scrimmage on 11 touches. For the season he currently has 22 rushing yards on 20 carries.

That is not really what you want from a starting running back.

Sigmund Bloom of Football Guys was critical of the 29-year-old veteran:

Abdullah wasn't too much better on the ground with just 23 rushing yards on eight carries, but he showed his dynamic ability with a 16 yard catch-and-run for a touchdown. The rookie has big-play potential in the open field and deserves a chance to show what he can do on more of a consistent basis.

Even if the Lions don't give Abdullah more touches, an expanded rushing attack would benefit the offense by limiting Stafford. The former No. 1 overall pick has obvious physical talent, but since his outstanding 2011 season he has struggled when forced to do too much.

Year	Pass Attempts/Game	QB Rating	Record
2012	45.4	79.8	4-12
2013	39.6	84.2	7-9
2014	37.6	85.7	11-5
2015	42.7	78.7	0-3

Different coaches have come through Detroit, but the pass-first approach remains. Beyond that, many of the plays feature deep routes and long dropbacks in the pocket. Even with the weapons around him, this is clearly not a great recipe for success because sacks and turnovers always seem to follow. Stafford himself admitted after the game he has a problem holding onto the ball too long (via Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com):

At the very least there should be more short passes to take advantage of the quickness available on the roster. Still, that doesn't necessarily guarantee success as much as a balanced attack.

The Lions had a strong passing attack last season (12th in the NFL in passing yards) but couldn't run the ball (28th in rushing) and therefore suffered in scoring (22nd in points). If it wasn't for the great defense, the squad wouldn't have been playoff-bound. With Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley gone and DeAndre Levy hurt, that defense has dropped off a bit. If the offense doesn't pick it up, more losses will be on the way.

Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi clearly has his style, but it is obviously not working. With a pair of tough games on the way against the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, Detroit's season could be over before it ever had a chance to succeed.

We expected more of Detroit after an 11-5 year, and big things are still possible. Unfortunately, it will require some major changes in the offensive strategy.

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