Lions vs. Chiefs: Score and Twitter Reaction from Wembley Stadium

Last week, the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars provided fans with a thriller that featured a massive comeback and a captivating game-winning drive. This week, the Detroit Lions could barely compete with the Kansas City Chiefs for a single quarter.

Alex Smith had a second straight sterling performance, and Kansas City scored four touchdowns on the ground en route to a 45-10 rout over the Lions in England.

Smith set a career high with 78 rushing yards, including a 49-yard scamper that doubled as the game's biggest play. It was the first time in nearly two full calendar years Smith, who is fleet of foot despite not having a reputation among the game's quickest quarterbacks, has gone over 50 yards on the ground.

Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman came up with an apt comparison:

Smith also went 18-of-26 for 145 yards and two touchdowns, completing the majority of his passes underneath to Travis Kelce or on screens to running backs. Kelce has had at least five receptions in his last three games and got into the end zone for the first time since Week 1 with a two-yard score in the third quarter. 

The NFL's fantasy feed appropriately gauged the reaction of owners everywhere:

Jeremy Maclin, who was returning from a concussion, added 35 yards and a score. It was his second touchdown since joining the Chiefs and continues a trend of Smith actually getting the ball to his pass-catchers in the end zone—even if it hasn't translated to wins.

The running game compiled 206 yards, with Charcandrick West leading the way with 97. West has come through with two straight solid performances after a shaky first outing since Jamaal Charles went down for the season. 

“He’s actually really good, too,” Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said coming into the week, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. “I don’t think people were expecting that out of him. He’s a great player and did a good job."

Paylor also offered midgame analysis:

As for the Lions offense, it appears firing an offensive coordinator and two assistants did nothing to fix their woes. The Chiefs rang Matthew Stafford's bell for six sacks, continuing a downward spiral reminiscent of Stafford's injury-plagued early seasons in Detroit. He's been brought down 13 times over the last two weeks after taking only nine sacks through the first six games.

The Lions fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, along with offensive line coaches Jeremiah Washburn and Terry Heffernan, after starting 1-6. Head coach Jim Caldwell was careful to warn that massive adjustments to the game plan were unlikely with only a week for new coordinator Jim Bob Cooter to install his system. 

"We may have a little different variety, maybe a little different twist here and there along the way, but you can't make a thousand changes in a very, very short period of time and expect your guys to grasp it, particularly after teams that you're facing are still operating and doing the same things they were working on in the spring," Caldwell said, per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com.

HBO's Bill Simmons offered a tongue-in-cheek reaction:

Stafford finished with 217 yards and a touchdown against two interceptions. Trailing big for most of the game, the Lions threw the ball 38 times and were able to run only 14 times. That likely played a factor in the lopsided nature of the score, as Detroit had success when handing the ball off. Joique Bell set his season high with 56 rushing yards on only seven carries.

Calvin Johnson spearheaded the Lions passing attack with five receptions for 85 yards, while Golden Tate added 59 yards on six grabs.

With the Lions now 1-7 heading into their bye, one has to wonder whether Caldwell will be the next to go. The Lions have a depleted coaching staff after firing three assistants, so Caldwell might stick around through the end of the season, but it's clear some major changes are needed. Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post is ready for the coach to get the axe:

A year removed from a playoff berth, the Lions are once again one of the worst teams in football. If switching offensive coordinators didn't help, maybe it's time to start working their way up the chain. 

Postgame Reaction

Caldwell appropriately assessed his team's performance, per Chris Lehourites of the Associated Press (via Sun Herald): "Not a good outing, obviously. An understatement. We ran the ball decently early on, but we reached the point where we wouldn't be able to regain lost ground quickly enough to keep running."

The Lions head coach also said he expects to stay at his post, per Tim Twentyman of the team's official website. 

Chiefs coach Andy Reid commented on Smith's one-week emergence as a runner, per Lehourites: "He had some very positive yards for us at needed times. We know he can run. We don't really want him to run, but if it works out that way that's OK."

Smith was looking forward to the second half of 2015 after a 3-5 start, per BBC: "It was about putting four quarters together and we did that today. I was especially pleased with the second half when we stayed focused despite having a big lead. We had dug a little hole for ourselves earlier in the season, but the last two weeks have been good for us. We now have the second half of the season to look forward to."

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter