Detroit Lions: So What Really Went Wrong Against the Bears?

Being out here on the West Coast and being way to cheap to plunk down $200 for the NFL Package, I can only see updates of Lions games online or wait for the highlights. Neither of which really gives you a good indication of what really went on.

But as I look at the stats, I have to wonder what really went wrong?

Passing

Stafford:  24 for 36, 296 yards, 1TD, 1 INT
Cutler:  18 for 28, 141 yards, 2TD, 0 INT

Statistically, Stafford beat out Cutler right?  But in my eyes, the edge goes to Cutler because he threw 2 TD's and ran for another.  But another strong performance by Stafford and he would have had his first 300 yard game if he hadn't left the game early.

Third down efficiency

Lions: 7/17 41% Bears: 2/10 20%

Detroit moved the chains...sustained some drives and it looks like the defense did OK against the Bears, allowing them to only convert twice on 10 attempts.  I can only conclude the Bears had some huge plays on first and second downs. 

The Lions' defense gave up one long run by Forte of 61 yards which was half of his 121 yards. Take out that run and he still averaged 5.45 yards per carry. Forte must have been rushing for huge chunks since he only carried the ball 12 times.

Time of Possession

Lions:  36:30  Bears:  23:30

Lions had the ball 13 more minutes than the Bears. They kept the Chicago offense off the field.  Unfortunately, our defense was on the field at the same time.  Game was tied 21-21 at the half.  Special teams gave up a 102-yard TD return to Johnny Knox which pretty much sealed the deal. 

Offense could not respond as the Bears defense woke up and the Lions defense fell asleep. Bears struck at will in the second half.

Total Net Yards

Lions:  398 yards Bears 276 yards

Detroit out-gained the Bears by 122 yards. That, combined with winning time of possession, generally means you are controlling the ball, right? Calvin Johnson had a huge day, with eight catches for 133 yards and Stafford distributed the ball well, hitting 10 different receivers. 

But only Will Heller caught a touchdown pass, and Cutler played just as well and hit two different receivers for touchdowns.

Net Rushing Yards

Lions:  90 Yards Bears:  151 Yards

This is one part where the game was decided.  Kevin Smith, after getting 106 yards against the Redskins, ran for only 30 yards in 19 attempts.  A 1.5 average yards-per-carry is paltry. The positive side is that he did score twice. But the team, as a whole, only attempted to rush the ball 26 times for a minuscule 90 yards. 

Not rushing the ball effectively played right into the Bears defense. And while Stafford did statistically have his best day so far, the Bears sacked him five times.

Net Passing Yards

Lions:  308 yards Bears:  125 yards

Bears passed only when they needed to. And why would they throw when their running game was so effective? The Bears, as a team, had only 20 rushing attempts but with an average of 7.55 yards per carry, you are not going to need many attempts to get down the field. 

Cutler’s longest pass was 25 yards, so the secondary was doing an adequate job.  But the front seven, mainly the defensive line, allowed huge holes for Forte and Company to run for daylight.

Summary

The Lions offensive statistics showed they played well enough to win this game.  Normally, scoring 24 points is enough to win. What isn't cutting it is the defense giving up 33-plus points per game. 

I'm not as worried about the offense as I used to be. Seems like Stafford is the real deal (yeah, I know, it's only been four games but he's improved every game.  The kid is going to be special), Kevin Smith, while falling flat against the Bears, still scored two touchdowns and showed some toughness by getting through his shoulder injury. 

This season, the Lions will fine tune the offense as best it can and put up with the sorry excuse for a defense. The 2010 draft, I'm sure, will be defense-oriented where I hope they can get an elite pass rusher as well as a run stuffing defensive tackle.