After a crucial NFC North division 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings , the 5-3 Lions must rebound with a dominant win against the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Last year’s playoff loss provides a little extra motivation to beat Washington, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff admitted, “That’s definitely a part of it, absolutely. I think more than that, we want to get off of a losing streak here and get a W….So yeah, we’re trying to get a win… and maybe use that as a little added motivation if we need it.”
Detroit Lions Looking To Avenge Playoff Loss To Washington Commanders
If the Lions are to emerge victorious on Sunday, the team must limit scoring opportunities for veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota, contain the brutality of LB Frankie Luvu, and re-ignite the Lions’ scoring momentum and efficiency.
Lions fans are understandably upset and blaming John Morton’s play-calling. But not all of the problems can be blamed on the offensive coordinator. Despite the close score, all three phases of the team share blame for the loss to Minnesota. Setting the tone in practice this week, Dan Campbell reminded the players that adversity is part of the process. It’s how a team responds that separates the good teams from the rest. “Let’s make the corrections, let’s go back to work this week, and let’s get better. And let’s play better football next week.”
Key To Lions’ Victory Over Commanders: Clean Up The Penalties
Penalties, along with multiple miscues and missed offensive line assignments, contributed to one of Detroit’s worst performances in the Dan Campbell era. The team drew a season-high 10 penalties for 76 yards, which proved to be the difference in the game’s outcome. The Vikings capitalized by taking advantage of the short field and scored.
Acknowledging the costly penalties against Minnesota, Campbell stated firmly, “I want to play a hell of a lot better than we did last week. We need to amp this thing up and clean this up. Let’s play disciplined football for 60 minutes. Doesn’t have to be perfect, not looking for perfect. I just – let’s clean some of this stuff up.”
Cleaning up the penalties and sloppy mistakes will go a long way in limiting the Commanders’ ability to score.
It All Starts With the Offensive Line
Detroit has the NFL’s top running back duo and one of the best offenses in the league, but it all starts with a strong performance from the offensive line. Sunday’s game exposed what happens when the offensive line fails to provide adequate protection. Goff was under constant pressure and took five sacks and 11 hits.
Although he was under constant pressure, Goff still had a respectable game. He completed 25/37 for 284 yards with two touchdowns. J.J. McCarthy recorded 14/25 for 143 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. However, McCarthy’s precision throw to Jordan Addison capped off a solid enough performance to seal the win.
Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery were completely shut down, with nowhere to go. They combined for 20 carries for a total of 65 yards, one of the worst ground games ever under Campbell. By contrast, Minnesota had 66 rushing yards in the first half. Montgomery’s costly fumble in the second half gave the Vikings a 10-point lead.
In addition, the offensive line was called for multiple penalties. Whatever miscues, communication issues, and missed assignments resulted in such a horrific performance must be corrected immediately. Detroit has an offensive arsenal of talent that rivals the NFL’s best, but without a productive offensive line to support and protect them, those weapons go to waste.
A Lack of Third-Down Conversions Sank The Lions’ Offense
Another huge area that needs improvement is the offense’s ability to convert third-down plays. This has been an ongoing issue the entire season. Goff says fixing the third-down problem is simply a matter of “executing better.” Recognizing his own mistakes in Sunday’s loss, Goff admitted, “Being accurate with the ball…and putting the ball where it needs to be at the right time and getting rid of it.”
Morton’s key three-word phrase is “recognize, communicate, and execute.” Fans need to see those words carried out on the football field.
Defense Must Contain The Ground Game
In addition to shutting down wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end Zack Ertz, the Lions defense must contain rookie Jacory Croskey-Merrit’s ground game. Croskey-Merritt has emerged as Washington’s number one back with 440 yards on 94 carries with 4 touchdowns.
The Vikings recorded 142 yards in their rushing attack, including a 31-yard carry by Aaron Jones that led to a field goal. Despite Kelvin Sheppard’s proclamation this week that he “refused to ever get run out of the stadium,” that is exactly what happened on Sunday. The Lions have previously had one of the league’s best run defenses. They are a physically gifted unit that has been able to shut down the NFL’s best backs. But on Sunday, they were missing in action. The Lions must re-establish their top rushing defense and shut down the Commanders’ ground game.
Correctable Issues and A Chance for Redemption
Last season’s 15-game success was a unicorn that created a distorted expectation for this team. In the course of a 17-game regular season, it’s to be expected that there will be losses. But it’s the manner in which Sunday’s loss happened that rattled fans’ nerves. It was highly unlikely that this team was going to be able to duplicate that NFL best-ever record. With four losses already this season, the Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t match it either.
Goff said, “I think a season, there are ebbs and flows. It comes and goes. You fight adversity, you get over adversity. A few weeks ago, we were the greatest thing since sliced bread, and now we are a horrible offense, apparently. It comes and goes. We try to get better, and we try to fix it. Certainly, there are things to fix in this game. I can go back a few weeks, where there have been things we need to get better at. Yeah, it’s not missing us. We know that, we’re not naïve to it, and planning to get things fixed.”
The good news is that, as Campbell stated, following the Lions’ Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers, these are fixable issues. The team came storming back to score 52 points against the Chicago Bears. Trust that Campbell and his staff will correct what needs to be corrected, and the Lions will rebound with a victory on Sunday.
Main Image: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The post Detroit Lions Looking To Avenge Playoff Loss To Washington Commanders appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football .