Week Three: Detroit Lions (1-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (1-1)

[buddha]

1 minute ago, NYLion said:

Some of the 4th down calls were fine but it was too much. At some point, you can't coach this game like a video game. Going for it near lidfield in the 2nd quarter I believe, was one that I vehemently disagreed with. I'm just an armchair coach but there's too many instances when I find myself thinking that Campbell coaches like an amateur at times. He's not a rookie coach anymore, he needs to start learning from his mistakes.

i like the aggressiveness and think they should do more of it.  i think he got cold feet at the end and that was the problem.

i wonder how much st brown's ankle was affecting him?

 

[sabretooth]

10 minutes ago, TP_Fan said:

0-9-1 as a head coach in the road.  At least everyone likes him though!!

Your red-hot opinion counts for something

[TP_Fan]

Looks like an Achilles for walker. What’s the point of all of this. Everyone injured always. 

[Motor City Sonics]

When they went up 24-14 and then did not score after the fumble, I went out to the garage to do a few things.  Glad I did. Saved me a lot of anger.   Kind of saw this coming.      Defense is still being built.  They'll have to do it next year.  The MUST win the next one.  

[Mr.TaterSalad]

16 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I think it’s very simplistic to blame Campbell for this loss. Talent-wise, the Vikings are in another league, especially when you take injuries into account.

Did he make a critical poor decision or two? Yes.

To say he cost us the game though ignores the benefits he’s instilled behind the scenes.

Are the Vikings really head and shoulders above us on talent? Z'Darius Smith, Harrison Smith, and Eddie Kendricks are the only 3 players I can think of off the top of my head that we can't match them on just yet. Maybe defensively speaking that is enough to proclaim that they are simply more talented overall.

[Jason_R]

The 3rd and short where they tried the back shoulder fade early in the 4th was the worst decision. 

The run game doesn’t look nearly so good without Swift. Maybe if Levi and Paschal can get healthy this season we replace Amari with a 1st round CB and get another explosive runner. 

[RedRamage]

16 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I think it’s very simplistic to blame Campbell for this loss. Talent-wise, the Vikings are in another league, especially when you take injuries into account.

Did he make a critical poor decision or two? Yes.

To say he cost us the game though ignores the benefits he’s instilled behind the scenes.

I think this was a complete team loss.  I think you can point to problems everywhere.  Goff wasn't perfect (though not bad either), choose to not run more seems puzzling to me.  Receivers weren't getting open regularly.  Injuries were piling up. The DL got very little pressure. #24 was sucking it up big time and the secondary in general wasn't great.  ST made a number of mistakes (missed FG, less than great punts, take the ball out of the end zone and getting tackled before the 25-yardline too often).  I honestly don't know that there was any one area that played really, really well... maybe the OL I guess??

[Motor City Sonics]

1 minute ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Are the Vikings really head and shoulders above us on talent? Z'Darius Smith, Harrison Smith, and Eddie Kendricks are the only 3 players I can think of off the top of my head that we can't match them on just yet. Maybe defensively speaking that is enough to proclaim that they are simply more talented overall.

Yeah, but you have to win some of those games too, when you are outmatched.  10 point lead going into the 4th should be a win.    Going into the season you look at the Viking and Bears and say "2-2", so this really isn't one they were supposed to win.    I don't know why they replaced Riley Patterson.  I thought he was great at the end of last season.   He may be the kicker soon. 

[NYLion]

5 minutes ago, buddha said:

i like the aggressiveness and think they should do more of it.  i think he got cold feet at the end and that was the problem.

i wonder how much st brown's ankle was affecting him?

 

The injuries are ridiculous. At one point, their two biggest offensive weapons (St. Brown and Swift) were limping off simultaneously in the 4th quarter of a close game, then Reynolds hurts himself trying to catch a ball when he's wide open and limps off the next play. That's the Lions in a nutshell right there.

Still, they blew this game, flat out. Coaching and players both, choked.

Oh and why was Hutch even out there? He was a ghost most of this game and I bet he was playing injured. I haven't even touched on Tracy Walker yet. Oh and that their prized 1st rounder, two 2nd rounders and 3rd rounder can't get on the field. What a mess

[RedRamage]

18 minutes ago, holygoat said:

Yup. Seibert was never gonna make that kick, and Campbell lost his nerve at the worst time. 

I think it was the wrong call to go for the FG for two reasons: It's unlikely he makes it, giving the Vikings short field position.  But even if he does make it that doesn't stop the Vikings from winning on a TD.

I think the choice there should be been between a punt and going for it on 4th down.

[RedRamage]

20 minutes ago, buddha said:

in the big picture this was a game they were supposed to lose.  on the road against a division opponent who is a decent team.

This.  Before the season most of people put the Lions at 6-8 wins... not quite good enough to be average.  The Vikings are an above average team so you'd expect them to lose.  That's not to say I'm happy about it... I think they could have won if they'd just played a little bit better.  But I guess I didn't expect them to win.

[Jason_R]

2 minutes ago, NYLion said:

The injuries are ridiculous. At one point, their two biggest offensive weapons (St. Brown and Swift) were limping off simultaneously in the 4th quarter of a close game, then Reynolds hurts himself trying to catch a ball when he's wide open and limps off the next play. That's the Lions in a nutshell right there.

Still, they blew this game, flat out. Coaching and players both, choked.

Oh and why was Hutch even out there? He was a ghost most of this game and I bet he was playing injured. I haven't even touched on Tracy Walker yet. Oh and that their prized 1st rounder, two 2nd rounders and 3rd rounder can't get on the field. What a mess

They lost a game they were expected to lose on the road. They are not going anywhere this year. The key for this year is whether they spend their first round picks next season on a new QB or on defensive help. QB play was not their weakness today. 

[MichiganCardinal]

I said 9-8 coming into this year and I think they can certainly  still get there. I was one of the more "out there" predictions too. This was one frustrating loss, no doubt about it. Let's not lose sight of the bigger picture though.

[RandyMarsh]

Gotta say I don't really agree with the decision to kick the FG near the end, the risk doesn't justify the reward. Yeah if it would've put us up 2 possessions sure but going from 3 to 6 wasn't a big enough gain to risk giving the opposition great field position if you do miss which considering it was a career long attempt was a relatively high probability.  

He really should've just gone for it instead, atleast there the reward was that you close out the game instead of the reward being just going from 3 to 6 pt lead. Also I'm not sure your odds of picking up 4 yards was that much worse than an unreliable kicker attempting a career long kick. 

[Motor City Sonics]

Just remember.............The Fords bought the Lions on November 22, 1963.     The curse lives. 

[Motor City Sonics]

I am fine today.   Matt Patricia lost.    I hate him more than I like the Lions.   It's weird and very petty and immature, but I want him to suffer (professionally).   

[buddha]

13 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

They lost a game they were expected to lose on the road. They are not going anywhere this year. The key for this year is whether they spend their first round picks next season on a new QB or on defensive help. QB play was not their weakness today. 

yeah, goff didnt lose them this game, but he didnt make the plays to win it either.

they - like almost every nfl team - needs a playmaker at qb, not a caretaker.

goff was fine today.  at some point they need better than fine.

[buddha]

21 minutes ago, NYLion said:

The injuries are ridiculous. At one point, their two biggest offensive weapons (St. Brown and Swift) were limping off simultaneously in the 4th quarter of a close game, then Reynolds hurts himself trying to catch a ball when he's wide open and limps off the next play. That's the Lions in a nutshell right there.

Still, they blew this game, flat out. Coaching and players both, choked.

Oh and why was Hutch even out there? He was a ghost most of this game and I bet he was playing injured. I haven't even touched on Tracy Walker yet. Oh and that their prized 1st rounder, two 2nd rounders and 3rd rounder can't get on the field. What a mess

hutch was getting pressure when they schemed him pressure: up the middle on a stunt.  he hasnt been able to get around the edge in any of the three games he's played.

[buddha]

is arizona gonna fire kliff after this week?  or wait until their bye week?

they have a late season bye, so i expect a firing before then.

[gehringer_2]

31 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I said 9-8 coming into this year and I think they can certainly  still get there. I was one of the more "out there" predictions too. This was one frustrating loss, no doubt about it. Let's not lose sight of the bigger picture though.

Yeah - this team is one draft since 3-13. 

[MichiganCardinal]

The Chiefs and Bills both lost this week in infuriating fashion. So basically we are just like them.

[Jason_R]

Swift had seven rushes for 31 yards. The offense is nowhere near the same without his explosiveness. 

Jamaal Williams is a great story but he has been mediocre as RB2. 

[Motown Bombers]

Jamaal Williams had the same YPC as Swift including two TDs.

[Jason_R]

13 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

Jamaal Williams had the same YPC as Swift including two TDs.

Yes and Swift is playing on one ankle. 

Edit: They both rushed for 4.4 ypc. The league average. Mediocre. Yes Williams’s average would have been higher had he not hit paydirt, but we did not have the explosive plays in the running game that powered the offense in the first two weeks. 

Edited September 25, 2022 by Jason_R

[Hongbit]

This was a tough one for me.  It doesn’t matter that this was never circled as a win on all of our season predictions.  They played better than the Vikings today and should’ve won, yet when crunch time came they gave it away in all too familiar Lions fashion.  

This is exactly what Brad and Dan have been preaching all off season about not doing.  It was about changing the culture and building a tough, gritty team that can overcome and find ways to win these type of games.   Dan talked about it at length on Hard Knocks about creating a winning mentality that makes good on the one or two key plays to win games at the end.    Sucks to have them in this exact situation with a chance to take a step forward only to find out that not much has changed with their end game mentality since last season.  

Edited September 25, 2022 by Hongbit