Detroit Lions: 6 Key Mistakes That Doomed Detroit Against the Saints

The Detroit Lions showed they had the talent to compete on Sunday Night Football. What they didn't have was the composure to turn that into a victory.

Once again, stupid plays and even stupider penalties doomed the Lions to a second straight defeat and now losses in five of their last seven games. If they hadn't insisted on playing dumb, childish football, they very well could have won.

It's the story of this game.

It may very well become the story of this season.

Here are the six biggest mistakes the Detroit Lions made in last night's 31-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Forgetting How To Tackle Early

If the first half was defined by a single play, it was midway through the second quarter when Drew Brees found Robert Meachem deep down field on a blown coverage.

Eric Wright was all alone with Meachem but didn't even attempt a tackle as the wideout danced around him for another 15 or so yards and a touchdown.

It was hardly the only play where the Lions turned a short gain into a long one for the Saints with poor tackling. It's hard enough to beat the Saints without giving them extra yards with a lack of effort like Wright showed on that one memorable play.

Missing Open Receivers

On at least two occasions Sunday, quarterback Matthew Stafford missed the big play. He kept his numbers relatively clean until desperation time but continually was making the small, safe play as opposed to the big play available downfield. 

That may be a bit unfair to Stafford, who looked better throwing the ball than he did all last month.

Unfortunately, with Drew Brees and the Saints opening up a sizable lead on the other side of the field, conservative play did the Lions no favors early. 

Stupid Personal Fouls

11 penalties for 108 yards. 

Several of those calls for stupid personal fouls erased big Lions plays.

Same old story from Thanksgiving; different national audience getting to see the Lions' look like petulant children. 

It didn't really affect the game beyond the obvious ramifications that continually putting the offense in a hole will and did do, but if you're talking about missed opportunities, here's another one: a chance on a national stage to tell the nation that they're not an immature, unprofessional team.

So much for that.

Two Missed Field Goals

Jason Hanson has been known for being automatic at the kicker position. But with one questionable blocked field goal at the end of the first half and a second, admittedly 55-yard-long, missed field goal, Hanson couldn't deliver for his team in the clutch. 

Neither were really his fault. The referees missed an offsides call on the blocked field goal and it was an odd decision to go for a kick that long, even inside the Superdome, but both qualify as mistakes of some form or another. Even if only one of the two was really a Lions' mistake, neither helped their cause on Sunday night.

Three Words: Offensive Pass Interference

Not once, not twice, but three times on Sunday night the Lions were called for offensive pass interference. All three were pretty weak calls, but the Lions put themselves in that position by building a reputation all season long for being that kind of team.

Even if you think that the calls shouldn't have been made, the referees clearly established they were making it the first time. To do the same thing twice more in the same game is absolutely inexcusable.

As commentator Cris Collinsworth said at one point last night, "it's hard enough to beat the New Orleans Saints without beating yourself too." 

Inaccurate Passes Late (and an Interception To Seal It)

Still, with all of these mistakes, the Lions still managed to keep up with the Saints for the majority of last night's game. Indeed, entering into the fourth quarter, they were only down seven points.

And Matthew Stafford started missing throws. First one, then two, then three. His decent but not great numbers quickly fell into mediocrity as the incompletions started racking up.

With the game on the line, bailed out by a stupid New Orleans penalty (they can't all be on the Lions, after all), Stafford then threw an interception to seal it.

It was a great microcosm of the game as a whole: Given a chance by the Saints, the Lions respond with a boneheaded move of their own.

And that's why they lost on Sunday night.