Six takeaways from the Detroit Lions’ 20-16 defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
We all knew that repeating an NFC Championship appearance would be difficult for the Detroit Lions , but we did not envision a struggle like this.
After pulling out a victory with overtime heroics in Week 1, the Lions could not muster a similar result against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, falling to 1-1 to start the season. The defense was solid on the day, but the Lions offense was uncharacteristically befuddled in the red zone, leaving far too many points on the table. Those types of miscues cost the team the win in a game they overwhelmingly dominated.
Let us examine some takeaways from the Lions’ first loss of the season.
Hutch in the clutch
For as dominant as the pass rush was last week against the Los Angeles Rams , it only amounted to two sacks. Between holds and short, quick passes, there was a reason why the Lions did not get home to Matthew Stafford. The Buccaneers , however, did not follow the Rams’ game plan. That two-sack total was quickly eclipsed by the Lions defense this week—in one quarter and by one man no less.
The man of the hour was Aidan Hutchinson, notching himself 4.5 sacks (five in spirit) in another outstanding performance. Hutchinson was demolishing the opposing linemen as he further cements himself as one of the league’s premier pass rushers. That is not to say that he was without help, however. The interior was collapsing the pocket throughout the game thanks to the work of Alim McNeill and the debut-making DJ Reader. Despite missing Marcus Davenport due to injury, it was another productive outing from the defensive line.
Hutchinson was the star of the defense last season, but it was too often a one-man show. Pressures upon pressures did not amount to sacks upon sacks. With an elevated supporting cast and Hutchinson himself making strides, we could be on the cusp of a truly dangerous pass rush.
Goff is off
The panic button is far from being pressed, but it is creeping into our minds through two games. Fresh off a sizable contract, Jared Goff’s early-season performances have left a lot to be desired. In both games, he has had deep shots to Jameson Williams, but beyond the infrequent explosive plays, it has been middling play from Goff and the passing offense.
Goff was 34-for-54 on the day for 307 passing yards, finishing with two interceptions and many more near-misses. Too often Goff has been missing open downfield targets, skipping passes short, or failing to lead his receivers into catches.
His first interception should have been called for defensive pass interference, but regardless, it was a tough game for Goff. Goff was phenomenal in 2023, but through two games in 2024, it has been far from the dominant performance many were hoping for. Aside from one or two drives per game, he has looked rattled—the offensive line is not to blame either, having held strong thus far. The epitome of this performance was his final throw of the game in which he skipped the ball to Tom Kennedy on fourth-and-10 against a prevent defense.
The difference between Week 1 and Week 2 was the role of Amon-Ra St. Brown, who rebounded from a quiet season debut with over 100 receiving yards against Tampa Bay. Getting him more involved will be crucial for the offense to start clicking again. Speaking of Goff’s safety blankets…
Where in the world is Sam LaPorta?
If the Lions want to get their offense back on track, Sam LaPorta needs to become involved in a greater capacity. He is playing nearly every down, but the targets are not coming his way and he simply does not look like his All-Pro self. Perhaps defenses are honing in on the star tight end, perhaps Goff is missing some makeable shots, perhaps LaPorta is not getting open like he has in the past. There are numerous factors in play regarding LaPorta’s lack of production, and it is not as simple as feeding him more targets. The Lions need to reevaluate what works with LaPorta and how the offense can reintegrate him as a focal point.
Arnold needs to adapt to NFL officiating
Through two career NFL games, rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold has picked up four penalties, all of which were of the sizeable variety (three defensive pass interferences and one facemask). While I do not agree with some of the officiating calls, it nonetheless illustrates how the NFL wants defenders to play, and Arnold needs to adapt whether he wants to or not. The NFL is quick to flag physical cornerback play, which is a detriment to physical-style corners like Arnold, but you cannot give referees the excuse.
Barnes is proving to be a pivotal part of the defense
Derrick Barnes has quietly been a star for the Lions defense so far this season, and with the pending health of Alex Anzalone , he could be pressed into an even larger role. Barnes played 82 percent of snaps in Week 1, largely as a linebacker in coverage and run defense. His role changed a bit against the Buccaneers, also leaning more into his SAM role as a pass rusher. His coverage stood out as well, forcing a sack on one play and batting down a Baker Mayfield pass on the Buccaneers’ penultimate drive to keep the game alive.
Depending on how severe Anzalone’s concussion is, Barnes and Jack Campbell could play important roles in the coming weeks. I feel confident in Barnes, so the onus is on Campbell to shake off the second-year rust.
Too many wasted plays
Detroit finished with 463 total yards on offense and one touchdown. That is, without question, inexcusable. By most metrics, the Lions were the better team on Sunday. They racked up the yardage on offense. They were able to stymie the Buccaneers offense for a majority of the game, finishing with just 216 yards allowed.
The key reason why the Lions fell to the Buccaneers was their inability to finish drives. Detroit converted just one of their seven red zone possessions into a touchdown, settling for field goals, turnovers on downs, and whatever the final play of the first half was. It was a poor outing from Goff as discussed above, but it was also a disappointing showcase of Ben Johnson’s offense.
Too often the Lions were wasting plays with poor design or poor execution. Jahmyr Gibbs had seven receptions for 22 yards, nine of which came on a reception in the dying seconds of the game. Goff finished with an average of 5.6 yards per attempt. Those two numbers illustrate how ineffective the Lions’ short passing game was outside of St. Brown. It felt like most of their screen passes—far too many by my count—amounted to minimal or negative yardage. Just look at all the passes within the line of scrimmage:
Not great. pic.twitter.com/KW9pySWpZE
— John Whiticar (@Whiticar) September 15, 2024
Turning upfield was an issue for the Lions offense with many instances of players opting to run east-west instead of north-south. St. Brown in particular is guilty of this, and while it can result in great plays, it can also lead to some wasted yardage and time. On the final play of the first half, an inbounds completion to St. Brown resulted in a running clock that led to a botched spike and field goal attempt.
The Lions have enough talent on offense that performances like these should not be happening. Detroit needs to overhaul their red zone offense because the early results are not good nor acceptable.