Detroit Lions Monday Morning Quarterback: Heartbreaker Against the Jets

The Game

Typically I write the Monday Morning Quarterback articles immediately after the game. The reason I do that is because the game is fresh in my mind and it’s a lot easier to recall details. 

I couldn’t do that after this loss. The Lions found a new way to rip our hearts out, and this time, it hurts. 

With a 10-point lead late in the game, the Lions managed to blow the lead and probably any hope for the remainder of the season with another Matthew Stafford injury.

Notice I haven’t even written the final score (23-20) because it doesn’t matter. The fact is, the Lions lost yet another game they should have won. 

I am tired of defending this team. Yes, it is young. Yes, the players need to learn how to win. But halfway through this season, and with two impressive wins under their belt, they should know better.

The Good

Nate Burleson

After a tough couple of weeks in which he suffered from a case of the fumbles, Nate Burleson turned in his best performance as a Lion. Seven catches for 113 yards and a touchdown is impressive, but here is what made it even better: he was only targeted eight times.

Seven catches on eight targets means he could have had an even bigger day had Stafford looked for him more often.

Nick Harris

Harris is quietly putting another good season together. Against the Jets he averaged 47 yards a punt, with a very impressive over-40-yard net average, and he also dropped three punts inside the twenty.  Not a bad day for a classy player.

Chris Houston

Chris Houston played a fabulous game, and then he got injured. Houston had only one completion go against him. The stat I really liked was that he had three passes defended. Houston is playing significantly better than anyone anticipated. It has gotten to the point where teams are throwing away from him.

The Bad

Insistence on running between the tackles

Watching the Lions repeatedly try to run between the tackles reminds me of a dumb bird. 

You know what I am talking about, right? We have all seen it. A bird that keeps flying into a closed window when all he's doing is banging his head into the glass. It's exactly what the Lions run game looks like.  

I just can’t understand why, when they have a back with world-class speed like Jahvid Best, they don’t try to run behind Jeff Backus and Rob Sims.

A lot can be said about Backus, but the fact remains he is one of the Lions better run blockers.

Penalties

How many times can I write about penalties? Apparently, the answer to that question is 16. In every game this year, penalties have killed the Lions.

No penalty was bigger than the absolutely moronic late hit by Julian Peterson on the Jets' game-tying drive. I sat there wondering if he was trying to make the Lions lose. 

Missed tackles in the fourth quarter

Missed tackles at the end of the game were the main culprit why the Lions lost. We can point a lot of other things out, but had the Lions just tackled, they would have won this game.

The Ugly

The Matthew Stafford Injury

It has now come time to question if Stafford has major shoulder issues. I think it would be a big mistake if the Lions go the rehab route again. Once you separate your shoulder, you are much more likely to do it again, unless you have surgery. 

Shut the young man down, get his shoulder right, and get him ready for next year. 

The heartbreaking thing is that he is playing winning football. Was he great? No. But he did account for three touchdowns this week, after throwing for four the previous week. Good quarterbacks get you points when you need them, and Stafford can do that.

The Ugly (part two)

Calling a Pass Play After The Two Minute Warning

How can a play go wrong on so many levels? It was wrong to call a pass play to begin with. It was wrong to put the game on the shoulders of Drew Stanton and Jerome Felton.

Stanton should not have thrown the pass. I might be able to understand it if Stanton was throwing the ball downfield, but he was throwing it three yards behind the line of scrimmage. The chances of getting a first down on that throw were zero. Stanton should have just taken the sack.

Misleading Stat of the Day:

Two Chop Block Penalties on Steven Peterman

Steven Peterman has committed many penalties this year, but he didn’t commit any yesterday. The referees completely blew those two calls. Peterman did go low on the blocks, but neither time was the defensive lineman engaged with Dominic Raiola.

Play of the Day

The Michigan defense stopping Illinois on the two point conver…Oh wait, wrong game. I really don’t have a play of the day. The Lions didn’t make the play they needed, when they needed it.

Quote of the Day

“We just need to make sure we’re ready at all points and times; ready to make plays when we have to and get out of situations that we put ourselves in.”—Ndamukong Suh talking about the mistakes late in the game.

Random Thoughts

It was so hard hearing them talk about how great Mark Sanchez is, when all he did was throw two-yard swing passes.

Is it over for Stafford?

Why didn’t Jim Schwartz learn from Eric Mangini last year when Mangini decided to pass and give the Lions extra time?

Overall Impression

This one is just a killer. The hope here is that the Lions can get over this loss and prepare for next week.

Next Week

The Lions will travel to Buffalo to take on the winless Bills.