Detroit Lions: 5 Biggest Areas of Need They Must Still Address

Opening weekend has come and gone in the NFL, and the Detroit Lions are 1-0.

So, why isn't Detroit throwing a party? This team hasn't been 1-0 in years, and it certainly hasn't done it by beating a 10-win team on their home field under disadvantageous weather conditions.

If anything, I've complained about this win more than I've celebrated it. It was so close to total domination, but the Lions made enough bad plays to keep breathing life into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But a win's a win, right?

And for Detroit a win might be even more than "just" a win. This is the first time they've been over .500 since 2007.

So, why am I only a little bit happy? I should be ecstatic.

Wait, is this what it feels like to expect to win a football game? To go into a game feeling confident of my team's chances and not be let down?

Is this what it feels like to be a fan of a decent team?

It's kind of nice.

And with the time I'll save not feeling blissful over a seven-point win in the season opener, I can focus on the areas that still need work.

Buzzkill? Maybe. But this is what it feels like to have high expectations for the Detroit Lions.

Red-Zone Offense

Four trips to the red zone in this game resulted in 20 points. That's not bad, but it could have been better.

The Lions had no trouble moving the ball between the 20s, but their first couple of drives stalled in the red zone.

Putting six points up on the board in the first three drives is decent production, but the Lions' second drive produced seven points for the Bucs.

The complexion of this game would have been very different if the Lions led 14-10 early rather than trailing 10-6.

Granted, the Lions produced touchdowns later, and they won the game.

But, 50 percent is not a good red-zone conversion rate. It's good that they got points on every drive rather than turning the ball over, but this is still an area that could improve.

Brandon Pettigrew could help by not dropping touchdown passes.

Closing

What you'll see a lot of from me here is blaming the conditions (extreme heat and humidity) for the Lions' shortcomings late in the game.

Because there was absolutely no way the Lions should have won by only a touchdown.

This was a game that the Lions dominated for about 55 minutes. Still, they were down 10-3 after giving up only a yard of offense, and they let off the gas once they went up 27-13.

That probably has to do with the fact that Stafford cramped on the touchdown pass that put them up and was effectively immobilized for the remainder of the game.

But, overly simplistic play-calling, stupid penalties, and shell defense put the Bucs within 40 yards of winning a game they had no business being close in.

Again, I blame the heat. But it's something worth taking note of, even though I'm willing to give it a temporary pass this time.

I'm just saying, let's make sure this doesn't become a trend.

Can't blame the heat or humidity if it happens again at Ford Field.

Discipline

Stupid.

Stuuuupid.

That was Jim Schwartz's reaction to the personal-foul penalty taken by Gosder Cherilus at the worst possible moment.

Stupid, with extra emphasis on the "u."

And he's right.

The Lions have made a bad habit of taking bad penalties at bad times for the last couple of years. This sort of behavior has cost them wins in the past, and it almost did again Sunday.

Can you imagine what it would have felt like if the Lions lost this game, having led 27-13 at the two-minute warning?

"Same old Lions," the refrain would have said.

We all know by now that these are not the same old Lions. The same old Lions don't take their B game on the road to start the season and handily beat a 10-win team in tough weather conditions.

But, the same old Lions do put themselves in positions to win games then give them away in the most painful ways possible.

Bad penalties, defensive breakdowns, needless turnovers, bad play-calling—these are the things we're all used to seeing.

Much of that comes back to discipline.

Not forcing a pass when you're up is one form of that, but the Lions need to break down and go all the way back to basics.

This isn't the schoolyard, Gosder. You get paid millions of dollars to help your team win football games, not help give them away.

Same goes for you, Stephen Peterman. Just because your penalty came at a less-crucial time, that doesn't make it any less stupid.

The Run Game

For the most part, the Detroit Lions had a banner day on the ground.

Considering that the Lions' main improvement on the ground is already out for the season (Mikel Leshoure), this is a unit that is exactly the same as last year, with the exception of Jahvid Best's having two more healthy feet.

But, last year the run game fizzled.

In the preseason, the run game fizzled.

In the season opener? The run game earned 126 yards and six first downs. It wasn't flashy, but it was effective.

That's what it seems like on the surface, and I must admit that Jahvid Best did a fantastic job of reading his blocks and doing what we all thought he couldn't: run between the tackles.

I thought it was great day rushing. I had probably set my standards a little too low, and it clicked after hearing Jim Schwartz mention it in his press conference.

The Lions had five rushing plays for lost yardage, totaling 11 negative yards. They ran 35 rushing plays total. That means that once every seven rushing plays, the Lions lost an average of over two yards.

That's not getting it done, even though the Lions averaged a respectable 3.6 yards on the ground, overall.

It showed up especially late, when the Lions were trying to run the clock. When Tampa stacked the line of scrimmage to stop the run, the Lions were helpless to power through it.

Now, ask any offensive player after the game, and they'll tell you the entire offense was gassed and cramping.

I would chalk it up to that if the Lions hadn't already developed a reputation as an anemic running team.

Now, if you ask me if I'll accept 126 rushing yards per game, I'll say, "Sure." One game into the season, that's good enough to make them a top 10 rushing team.

The question is really whether they really can notch over 100 yards rushing on a consistent basis, and whether they can get yards on the ground when it really counts.

I'm a bit skeptical.

Pressure Up Front

I don't know much about the Bucs offensive line. I'm sure they're not a bunch of bums.

What I do know is that they did a pretty adequate job of keeping pressure out of Josh Freeman's face.

That isn't to say the defensive line was neutralized all day, but they didn't terrorize Freeman they way they did, say, Tom Brady a couple weeks ago.

Shall I blame the heat again?

I will, in addition to the unfamiliar grass field, but I hesitate.

The defense hardly even had to play in the first quarter, and the Lions dominated time of possession all day.

Still, how many times did you hear the names Corey Williams or Ndamukong Suh in this game?

Each of them had a single tackle. Suh did get a hit on Freeman early on, but the QB was hardly getting roughed up.

How about Cliff Avril? He had one tackle and an assist.

Kyle Vanden Bosch got a hand on the ball and forced a fumble out of Freeman, and Willie Young chased him down from behind and shook him up after he rushed for a couple yards, but that was the worst he had to face all day.

It isn't as though Freeman had a perfect pocket on every play, and "pressure" is hard to quantify with stats.

But, the Lions have poured an awful lot of talent into the defensive line, and we've come to expect big things from them.

What they produced was not big, but average.