Lack of Offensive Aggression, Adjustments Dooms Detroit Lions Again

The Detroit Lions' 28-19 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings wasn't a tale of two teams. Everybody loves quoting Charles Dickens or touting the definition of insanity in these situations, but that's entirely too complex.

This one came down to coaching—plain and simple.

Understandably, there will be some heat on head coach Jim Caldwell.

"

Calvin Johnson 100% scored on that circus catch. He scored a touchdown. Lions chose not to challenge the call on the field, and ran a play.

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) October 25, 2015"

Yet this game was decided well before Detroit started throwing the ball with abandon on its second-last drive, and the onus for that ineptitude falls squarely on the shoulders of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

It's quite a confusing situation, and it's only natural that the fans have so many questions. Therefore, let's use this solemn occasion to break out a hypothetical mailbag.

How Bad Was It?

Detroit's first quarter brought a lot of optimism, giving hope that Lombardi had taken the lessons learned against Chicago's atrocious defense and was applying them against Minnesota.

There were deep throws to Calvin Johnson. There were weak-side runs that caught the Vikings defense off guard, and there were even a couple of touchdown throws from Matthew Stafford.

"

Lombardi is still the least popular guy employed by the Lions, but his game plans/play calls much improved in recent weeks.

— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) October 25, 2015"

Then, as Detroit Sports 1051's Denny Kapp noted, the wheels fell off:

"

Since the #Lions took a 14-3 lead with 1:24 to go in the 1st quarter, they've totaled 15 yards on offense.

— Denny Kapp (@DennyKapp) October 25, 2015"

Just in case that point didn't sink home, a tweet by the Detroit News' Josh Katzenstein provides a different perspective:

"

On four drives in the second half, the Lions have lost 4 yards.

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) October 25, 2015"

Detroit finished with 274 total yards of offense, with 110 coming on the final two drives. Oh, and after piling up 17 points in its first four drives, the offense never notched another point.

But...How Is That Possible?

One would assume that such a simple question must have a complicated answer. How else could the solution evade a professional coaching staff with years of experience?

While answering that second query could be fun and allow for some creative writing, let's focus on the field, where Detroit was missing two key components as the game wore on: aggression and adjustments.

The first problem will be easy to demonstrate once the passing game is charted. There weren't any deep shots to loosen up the Vikings defense after the first quarter, and according to DetroitLions.com's Tim Twentyman, that timid temperament transferred to a later 3rd-and-long:

"

Pitch play on 3rd and 13? Not a fan. #MINvsDET

— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) October 25, 2015"

There were more colorful tweets that might have better captured the inanity of the play call, but we run a family-friendly program here at Bleacher Report.

Anyway, the cause of that demure demeanor could have had something to do with the leaky protection.

After Detroit opened the game with clean pockets and wide rushing lanes, the Vikings made a few tweaks and started teeing off on Stafford.

"

If you want to know what's like to be Matt Stafford, play in traffic during rush hour

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) October 25, 2015"

When things weren't working, the Vikings used a different approach. It's difficult to be sure since the game took place in Detroit—and these things are as rare as a Sasquatch catching a pass from Joey Harrington—but Minnesota might have done some coaching there. 

Lombardi and Caldwell wouldn't hear of such nonsense. They continued to run the same play-action passes that worked on the first few drives, confident that what had worked once would work again.

It didn't. Stafford took seven sacks and 13 hits, even being brought down once before he could take the fourth step of his dropback.

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

So Lombardi Is Done, Right?

Sadly, it's likely that the Lions will head to London with Lombardi in tow. This season is too far gone for the team to make such a drastic move one week before its bye.

But there could be relief in sight. The case against carrying on with the status quo is too strong to be ignored, and the rest of the organization needs to go into save-its-job mode quickly or find itself following Lombardi out the door at the end of the season.

At least one other Lions writer, Jeff Risdon of RealGM, agrees with me:

"

Another inept offensive performance in London and I do think Lombardi is done. Caldwell will sacrifice him to save his own hide.

— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) October 25, 2015"

This was another game that was there for the taking. Detroit had a nice initial game plan and worked it well. But when Minnesota decided to punch back, the Lions shrugged instead of sidestepping and throwing a counter.

And this knockdown should put the coaching staff down for the count.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter @BrandonAlisoglu.