Biggest Takeaways from Detroit Lions' Week 14 Loss

The Detroit Lions' 21-14 loss to the St. Louis Rams felt routine.

There wasn't anything special about it. There wasn't a defining moment.

There was a touch of excitement when the Lions evened the score at seven, but Todd Gurley waltzed down the field quickly and ran away with the game, along with Detroit's chances of a .500 record at the season's close.

It smacked of every other disappointment the Lions have served up since the third quarter of Week 1. And when something happens nine out of 13 times, it can certainly be classified as routine.

A Golden Distraction

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

The Lions came up with a bold strategy this past Sunday: Avoid Calvin Johnson.

He went through the first three quarters without catching a pass. All he had to show for his efforts was a late reception that kept his impressive streak—a catch in every career game—alive.

Breaking it down further: The Rams created seven points off Johnson's five targets by virtue of an interception returned for a touchdown, while the Lions managed a measly 16 yards.

Meanwhile, Golden Tate went off for a pair of touchdowns on short passes opposite Johnson, finishing with 60 yards on nine catches. And running back Theo Riddick, wide receiver T.J. Jones and tight end Eric Ebron each finished with more targets than Johnson.

Perhaps the Lions schemed away from Johnson, or Stafford didn't find him open when he worked through his progressions. Whatever the cause, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has gone out of his way to get the ball to Tate in this game and previous contests. He failed to do the same for Johnson this week, and the offense stalled out consistently.

Joique Bell's Renaissance

Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

While the team's performance as a whole was a throwback to the Matt Millen era, Joique Bell's showing bore a resemblance to happier times. Well, for him at least.

Bell enjoyed a renaissance, finding a few open rushing lanes and even forcing two missed tackles, per Pro Football Focus. The result was an impressive 7.1-yard average, as he tallied 50 yards on seven carries.

Detroit also incorporated him into the screen game. Bell snagged two passes for 25 yards. Both stat lines were better than rookie rival Ameer Abdullah's respective outputs.

However, this trip down memory lane doesn't mean we've arrived at a new normal for the aging running back. This strong performance raised his average on the season to a rather pedestrian three yards per carry. Bell must bring this type of production again next week before this performance is considered anything else than a nostalgic fluke.

The Matthew Stafford Pendulum Swung Early and Often

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Good Matthew Stafford and Bad Matthew Stafford rarely show their faces in the same game. His career has been pockmarked with stretches of bad play that has kept the scales from tipping toward "good" permanently, but he usually sticks to one side or the other on any particular game day.

That changed Sunday. There were even instances where the yin and yang sprang up on the same play.

After a late botched snap, Stafford had the composure to corral the ball and get himself set to complete a pass. He then promptly threw it into the arms of a diving defender, narrowly escaping throwing a game-ending interception.

There were also too many missed throws that didn't make sense. For instance, he had Calvin Johnson open along the left sideline but couldn't put the ball anywhere near Johnson's incredible catch range, missing an opportunity deep in Detroit's own territory.

Yet there he was throwing lasers and getting his team back into the game with a little over two minutes left, setting the stage for the dramatic onside kick.

Stafford will be—deservedly so—Detroit's quarterback for a long time, but the bad days are going to be frustrating, especially when there is just enough bad sprinkled in to ruin an otherwise good performance.

St. Louis' Ground Game Set the Tone

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Rams running back Todd Gurley was this game's MVP, and it wasn't close. The rookie racked up 140 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.

But he wasn't the only one to make the Lions pay.

Wide receiver Tavon Austin sliced up Detroit's defense with impunity as well. He averaged 10 yards on four carries and added 19 receiving yards, which made him the change-of-pace back who put the Lions on their heels.

The Lions defense was also accommodating to Case Keenum. The Rams quarterback was sacked once, hit three times and hurried just four times, per PFF. Keenum didn't take advantage, but you can rest assured that Drew Brees won't be nearly so forgiving next Monday.

The Final Nail in the Coffin

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Had the Lions pulled off the entirely realistic feat of winning their last four games, head coach Jim Caldwell would have finished the season at 8-8, giving him a 19-14 record over his two-year tenure in Detroit. And that includes last year's heartbreaking playoff loss.

Owner Martha Firestone Ford then would have had a rational basis for keeping Caldwell around for at least one more year. A winning record with a postseason appearance isn't a fireable offense in Detroit.

However, that hope—although fans would likely use a different word—was shattered in St. Louis. The remaining shards are so small that it's impossible for Caldwell to put them together again.

The Lions have been disorganized for weeks, using timeouts for special teams situations because they were missing a player on the field. There's no more glaring example of this misconduct than Mason Crosby's missed potential game-winning field goal in Week 10. The Lions defended the play with 10 men.

This past Sunday showed a team whose unpreparedness was only equaled by its lethargy, and that's reason enough for dismissal in any town.

All advanced stats are sourced from Pro Football Focus.

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.