Lions-Rams: Detroit's Inexcusable Loss Sends Team Reeling

Well, for those who thought this season might be different, the Detroit Lions have done it once again.

Two weeks ago, the Lions had a few excuses in a 26-0 loss to Green Bay—injuries, especially to first round picks Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, left the team will little punch.

Inactives on the defensive side, including starters Sammie Lee Hill, DeWayne White, and Ko Simpson, gave an already talent-starved team little hope.

The loss in Week Eight against the St. Louis Rams has no excuse. The Detroit Lions lost in every facet of the game.

On Offense

The Lions were terrible on offense from the outset of the game.

On the opening drive, Kevin Smith appeared primed to set critics back as the Lions moved the ball well. Smith had 17 quick yards, and Maurice Morris and Aaron Brown both contributed runs of their own. Yet a penalty on Will Heller and a drop by Bryant Johnson led to a Nick Harris punt.

It didn't get any better.

At the end of the game, Stafford sailed several throws over his receivers' heads to lead to Marc Bulger kneeldowns.

Stafford finished the game with a rating of 46.0 after completing 14 of 33 passes for 168 yards (5.1 avg.) and an interception. He also added a rushing touchdown.

Objectively, Stafford had a very poor game. His throws were not crisp and often missed their targets, and a better defense would have had four interceptions, not one.

However, Stafford cannot shoulder all of the blame.

Four first half drops (six overall) killed the rhythm and momentum of the offense and changed the look of the game. Two of the drops would have put the Lions into field goal range, ensuring, at worst, a two-point deficit at halftime rather than eight, as well as chances of getting into the end zone.

In the end, six drops is only six drops. Stafford still missed, badly at times, on 13 other targets—mostly to wide receivers.

Protection was also an issue as Stafford was sacked twice, hit five times, and pressured numerous others. Many of Stafford's overthrows have to be credited to the offensive line as he was forced to throw while backpedaling or before he had time to set.

Indeed, on the final drive Stafford faced the most pressure of the day, when St. Louis knew he would be throwing.

Overall, the offense was a dud, and there is plenty of blame to go around.

On Defense

The Lions were no better on defense, giving up a season-high 149 yards to Steven Jackson.

Looking at the bright side (if you can call it that), the Lions' pass defense somewhat looked ready while facing one of the NFL's worst passing units. Even with Anthony Henry and Jason Hunter inactive, the defensive backs had 10 pass deflections, and the defensive line was able to pressure Bulger into many bad throws. That is the good.

The bad news is that the pass rush did not generate a sack or even hit Bulger. Although he was harassed, the aged quarterback's jersey was clean for much of the game in what may be the difference between a loss and a win.

The run defense was horrendous as Hill's return meant nothing to the interior line of the Rams. Jackson found creases all day as Jason Brown and company manhandled he Lions' front seven.

The Lions' starting front seven was responsible for only 21 tackles as Jackson penetrated the secondary, getting to Louis Delmas, Simpson, and others.

Coaching

This is where Lions fans begin to worry.

Coaching may have been at its worst, coming off a bye week, against a team which had yet to achieve an NFL victory in 2009.

The St. Louis Rams did almost everything in their power to lose the game and still came out victorious.

The coaching woes, as always, start with special teams—St. Louis' fake field goal for a touchdown is the story of this game. Coach Jim Schwartz made an indefensible decision in trying to apply pressure rather than covering a receiver after St. Louis came out in an offensive formation and then called a timeout.

Although Josh Brown certainly can hit from 54 yards, Schwartz was clearly out-coached by fellow first-year man Steve Spagnuolo.

Stan Kwan can be blamed for much in terms of failure in the past few years for the Lions, but that decision is entirely on Schwartz.

Play calling was again an issue on both sides of the ball, as the exotic blitz combinations of Gunther Cunningham failed to bring down Bulger and the offense again looked impotent without Calvin Johnson.

For the second time this season, the offense looked horrible needing to make a drive late in the game. Much of that can be blamed on play calling. The lack of a safety valve on longer passing plays led to sacks against Pittsburgh and overthrows against St. Louis.

With 1:38 left on the clock and timeouts to call, the Lions were in no real hurry to move 80 yards and score. The Lions tried to move 20 yards at a clip and ultimately failed. The final drive was also doomed by two offensive holding penalties—one offsetting a personal foul and the other moving the Lions 10 yards back.

Penalties are also symbolic of poor coaching.

The Lions were penalized eight times for 67 yards. Overall the Lions have committed seven penalties per game for an average of 58 yards. For an offense only averaging 293 yards per game, 58 yards is huge.

Summary

Where should the Detroit Lions go from here?

1-15 is a solid option with only one team left on the docket, Cleveland, who could be considered bad enough for Detroit to easily beat. Certainly a team with more mental stability than the Lions could pull out a few more, but this is a team which looks to be as lost as ever before.

Talent-wise, the team is going upward, that is sure. The depth is better than ever in recent memory, and young building blocks are in place.

However, while the franchise may have light at the end of the tunnel, the 2009 Lions do not. This game against St. Louis was a last chance to show that this team has the mentality of a winning organization.

Michael Schottey is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and the producer and host of The Average Joe Sports Show on 860AM KNUJ (New Ulm, MN). He is also an NFL Analyst and Senior Writer for DraftTek.com.