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2025 Detroit Lions: 2-1 Lions beat Ravens (194 Viewers)

Da Guru said:
Yesterdays game even though it was a win was one of the most listless NFL games I have seen in a long time. Seemed like neither team wanted to be out there.

Zack Zenner looked pretty good though.
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ZZ needs to be on this team in some capacity. Seems to bring a little life to a somewhat listless bunch.

 
Leroy Hoard said:
Looking ahead to a top ten draft pick, edge rusher should be #1 imo.
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Josh Allen.

Dude is stupid good, jumps off the screen.

However, I have PED concerns.. he gained something along the lines of 40 pounds this off season.. from appearances has a -% body fat.  :lmao:

 
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Ilov80s said:
Highest priority needs look like edge rusher, corner, safety, slot WR and TE. 

We still have issues with linebacker and we need a new grinder to replace Blount. We also need a plan for RG.

Not great. 
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Can they please just get rid of Nevin Lawson?  I'm sick of watching him have so close to good coverage, but still give up catch after catch.  Pretty sure he hasn't touched a football in 3 years.

 
swabs said:
Can they please just get rid of Nevin Lawson?  I'm sick of watching him have so close to good coverage, but still give up catch after catch.  Pretty sure he hasn't touched a football in 3 years.
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They need a lot of help in the secondary

 
lod001 said:
Stafford is just in it now to pocket $. He's ok with ham & eggers.
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Hard to imagine how anyone could have watched Stafford regularly over his career and think he is mailing it in.

 
tangfoot said:
As much as I disagree with 99% of his takes, I can't argue this one.  Staff has sucked for getting on 2 seasons now.
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its hard to judge a QB who hasn't had even an average running game for the entirety of his career, or a defense who can't stop anybody

 
tangfoot said:
Andrew Luck
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I'm not exactly sure what you're saying here other than maybe Indy fans aren't as dumb as Lions fan to be calling their best player the problem?

Their statistics are remarkably similar.  Indy's running game seems to be better every year, albeit just slightly.  Indy had the advantage of playing 6 games a year against Tenn, Jax, and Houston which allowed them to win a couple division titles in 2013-2014, giving them home playoff games.  they won both home playoff games and then got taken behind the shed by NE both of those years.  Stafford has had to play Brees in NO, and then Detroit got shafted in the playoff game at Dallas, and then had Russell Wilson in Seattle.  those years happen to coincide with the years we had a decent defense (but still no running game).  

for their careers:

Luck 60.6% comp, 166 TDs, 81 INTs, 89.3 qbr

Stafford 62.3%, 234 TDs, 129 INTs, 88.4 qbr

in Playoff games:

Luck (6 games): 56.5%, 9 TDs, 12 INTs, 70.8 qbr

Stafford (3 games): 63.2%, 4 TDs, 3 INTs, 87.8 qbr

don't get me wrong, I'd take Luck over Stafford all day.  Luck hasn't won anything of note either.  if he had a defense and a running game, I think he could.  I think they both could. 

 
ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions just found another $10 million in their couch cushions.

The NFL announced on Tuesday that the salary cap will rise by at least that much in 2019, to between $187 and $191.1 million. It was $177.2 million in 2018.

The cap, which is set based on league revenue, has now risen by at least $10 million in six straight seasons.

Detroit also will roll over about $7.8 million in unused cap space from this season. With about $153 million worth of financial commitments already on the books for 2019, plus another $165,000 in dead money, the Lions are currently sitting on about $41 million in cap space for 2019. That’s middle of the pack league wide.

But that number will surely rise, depending on where the cap is ultimately set and which players are released. T.J. Lang is the biggest potential casualty to watch. The oft-injured offensive lineman is currently set to count $11.5 million against next year’s cap. Detroit would save a whopping $8.8 million by choosing to move on.

Other potential cuts, based on the salary numbers and production:

Glover Quin ($7.9 million cap hit/$6.3 million in potential savings)

Nevin Lawson ($5.3 million/$4.2 million)

Theo Riddick ($4.4 million/$3.4 million)

Christian Jones ($3.9 million/$3 million)

Tavon Wilson ($3.9 million/$3 million)

Kenny Wiggins ($3.1 million/$2.8 million)

Sam Martin ($3 million/$2 million).

That’s $33.5 million in potential cap savings.
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matuski said:
Josh Allen.

Dude is stupid good, jumps off the screen.

However, I have PED concerns.. he gained something along the lines of 40 pounds this off season.. from appearances has a -% body fat.  :lmao:
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Are you Todd McShay? Just saw his list and has JA going #9 to the lions.

 
Eliminated from playoff contention is it time to shut Stafford down for the season and see what Ruddock can do?
At this point why not?  Stafford justneeds just to sit and watch for awhile and try to regroup as well..no need to play him the last 2 meaningless games.

If he shows anything he might be worth getting a draft pick for. 

 
So is Detroit getting credit for creating the blueprint to stop the Rams offense -- in a game where they gave up 30 and lost by 2 TDs -- the most Lions thing ever or what? I'm sure Nagy and Pederson will be sending Patricia a nice fruit basket as a thank-you.

 
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Leroy Hoard said:
Better kicking game and they win. Not going to cry over it though.
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Plenty of blame to go around.

Editor’s note: This is an opinion piece from MLive.com reporter Kyle Meinke.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Nobody snaps a football harder than Don Muhlbach. Few are more accurate. He’s so good, he can actually control the rotations of the ball so that it arrives laces out nine times out of 10.

All the holder has to do is catch the football and set it on its tip.

“The dude’s a freak," Lions holder Sam Martin once said. “Probably the first time anyone’s ever said that about a long snapper, huh?”

Muhlbach botched a snap once as a rookie. That was 224 games ago. And no one can remember him doing it since -- until Sunday, when he skidded one to Martin on a point-after attempt. And wouldn’t you know it, but it proved to be the difference in a 14-13 loss against Buffalo.

He spent a few minutes sitting at his locker after the game, a towel draped over his head. He’s done this before, though the emotions coursing through his veins were different this time. A guy as reliable as death and taxes, coming to terms with a mistake that ultimately cost Detroit a shot at the postseason.

“I let everybody in here down," he said. "It sucks.”

One locker over, Matt Prater wouldn’t let Muhlbach fall on the sword.

Prater had never missed a field goal that would tie or win a game in the fourth quarter. Not ever. Then he teed up a field goal that could have won the game late in the fourth quarter, and pushed it wide right.

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “You want to come through and make plays for your team when you get the opportunity, and it’s frustrating not to.”

Around the corner, Jarrad Davis was adamant he was really the one who cost the Lions a shot at the postseason. He played so well, including ripping Buffalo for seven tackles in the first quarter -- second best in franchise history -- but then jumped offside on a third-down stop coming out of the 2-minute warning. Buffalo went on to move the chains, Detroit couldn’t stop the clock and that was it.

The fat lady had sung in Western New York. And she came with parental advisories.

“I (bleeped) up,” Davis told a small group of reporters before making his way to the buses. “That’s it. I (bleeped) up. I messed up and lost it for the team.”

There is something poetic about this. A season where just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong, ending with a botched snap from a guy who hadn’t botched a snap in 14 years. A missed kick from a guy who had never missed a clutch kick in his career. A dumb flag from a guy who has been lights out for weeks.

All of them fighting over who was most to blame for things going so awry.

“I let everyone in here down," Muhlbach said. "That’s all the emotion you want there. Just try to go back and work harder.”

Thing is, work isn’t the problem. The Lions have outworked damn near everyone all year. Their training camp was so long, so physically demanding, some players weren’t fully buying into what Matt Patricia was trying to do. Then they went out there on opening night, with expectations of making the postseason, and got mopped by 31 points against a Jets team that has won just three times since.

The defense has improved as Patricia settled in, but the offense has regressed considerably. Attrition and injury have played their roles, twisting that unit beyond recognition -- Andy Jones caught a TD on Sunday; who is he again? -- but they weren’t exactly clubbing folks at full strength either. As the Lions plot for 2019 and beyond, they must consider new leadership on that side of the ball, because this Jim Bob Cooter-Matthew Stafford marriage isn’t working. Not anymore.

Stafford has had little to work with, sure. But then again, neither does Josh Allen. The rookie was playing without his top two running backs, then lost his third-string running back early against Detroit. At one point, he was playing without any healthy running backs at all. Yet he was able to hit an undrafted rookie receiver named Robert Foster for a 42-yard touchdown to win the game.

The Lions went three-and-out on their last series.

Stafford is completing his passes at the second-highest rate of his career, but for just 6.9 yards per attempt, his fewest since going 4-12 in 2012. He needs to average 302.5 yards in his last two games to avoid throwing for fewer than 4,000 yards for the first time in a full season. Problem is, he still hasn’t throw for 300 yards in a single game since Detroit dealt Golden Tate to Philadelphia.

Detroit grossly miscalculated the risks of trading Tate. Sure, Bob Quinn got a third-round pick in return and that is an excellent price for an expiring contract, but Patricia also said the deal wasn’t a sign they were conceding the division when they were just one game out of first place. In fact, he said the trade was actually an expression of their confidence in the depth of their offense, because they believed they could still compete even without Tate.

What a joke.

Predictably, the Lions have lost five of seven since the deal and scored more than 20 points just once. And that was in a blowout loss to Chicago where they picked up a couple garbage-time touchdowns.

The Bears, by the way, just won the NFC North. They did so with a first-year coach, too. They did exactly what Detroit said it could do, except, you know, actually backed it up with some wins.

“I know I’m disappointed,” defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois said. "I’ve been in the playoffs damn near every year. But it’s not about me, it’s about me trying to help the team get to a place it hasn’t been before. We got two games left.

“Anything you want don’t (normally) happen in one year. It’s a fairy tale if it happens in one year.”

Chicago is living that fairy tale right now, basking in its first division title in eight years. Oh my, what a long drought that is! Meanwhile, about 500 miles east, the Lions were still without their first division title in 25 years, the longest active streak in the league. Hell, even Tampa Bay has won the division more recently, and Tampa Bay hasn’t been in the division since 2001.

Detroit sold the Matt Patricia hire as a move to end that right now. Instead, it’s just been more of the same heartache. More empty promises. Too many mistakes, not enough talent, not nearly good enough coaching. Darius Slay, who made his first Pro Bowl last year, hasn’t been the same this year. T.J. Lang, who also made the Pro Bowl, has played just 30 percent of the snaps this year because of injuries to just about every body part you can name. Ezekiel Ansah’s hurt too. Glover Quin isn’t hurt, yet has played a step slow all season.

Up and down the roster, from the biggest stars to the long snapper, there is blame to go around. Truth is, this season was over long before today. Now, mercifully, we can end the charade.

On to 2019.
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Leroy Hoard said:
Probably just as well. Rest of team really didn't deserve the win and nothing else would have changed except draft position.
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Yep. Moved up to 7th yesterday.

BTW Jarred has been playing really well the last 6-8 weeks. Has limitations in coverage but they’re scheming to ameliorate that.

Ain’t no hiding Teez, that man cannot be on the roster when the new league year rolls around. He was active yesterday but don’t think he saw many snaps.

The Lions has zero hits on Allen yesterday & were giving up plays to a pair of UDFA rookie WRs; Ford & Quin had rough days. I like Walker though & glad to he’s been getting more time. Along with Slay & Diggs I feel like they have a decent foundation, that group will look better once they get a good edge rusher who can stay healthy. Add 1 CB and 1 S in the off-season but it can hopefully be through FA. Too many other needs on Day One / Day Two of the draft, and those late round DBs never seem to develop.

The rookie who started at RT yesterday had a solid outing. Really only need to get a RG next year.

FA/Draft needs:

1. Edge

2. Cover LB

3. G

4. TE and/or slot WR (need both but...)

5. CB

6. S

7. RB depth / quick CoP complimentary 

I could be wrong but I feel like the investment required to get another great cover guy isn’t worth it, we need a consistent pass rush. We already have a terrific group of interior lineman & along with JD we should be excellent at stuffing the run in 2019.

 
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Leroy Hoard said:
So your "solution" would be to cut him and take a 29.5 million dollar cap hit.

I'm sure that will improve this team tremendously.
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No, the team screwed themselves with that contract but it's time to search for a QB. This guy has had 10 years and produced nothing worthy of even 1/2 the salary and he had one of the greatest WRs in NFL history.

 
BobbyLayne said:
Thing is, work isn’t the problem. The Lions have outworked damn near everyone all year. 
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If this is really true, then the Lions will be fine.

As a long-time fan who used to park cars at the Silverdome I don't recall a sustained work ethic ever being the organization's strong suit...so that is the one thing in this season that offers hope they are on the right track.

Just let it go and get back to work. 

 
So what do we think about Patricia's job this year? I admit, I haven't been following him specifically too much (other than the weird chiding of a reporter over his posture), but I do like the fact that the team hasn't quit on him and has been playing hard down the stretch. Hopefully the talent/injury situation improves and they're in a decent position for next year.

 
zftcg said:
So what do we think about Patricia's job this year? I admit, I haven't been following him specifically too much (other than the weird chiding of a reporter over his posture), but I do like the fact that the team hasn't quit on him and has been playing hard down the stretch. Hopefully the talent/injury situation improves and they're in a decent position for next year.
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Give him an OC of his own choice(not his qbs) and some more talent and see what happens. Unlike most others there,  he is in his first year.

 
zftcg said:
So what do we think about Patricia's job this year? I admit, I haven't been following him specifically too much (other than the weird chiding of a reporter over his posture), but I do like the fact that the team hasn't quit on him and has been playing hard down the stretch. Hopefully the talent/injury situation improves and they're in a decent position for next year.
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Incomplete or C-?

He was hired because 9-7 & first round exits weren’t good enough. He had largely the same cast sans Ebron, added Ragnow, Kerryon & Hand as starters, Walker & Crosby are getting a lot of snaps, both look promising. No significant FA additions that I recall. Short term failure? Kinda early to say.

Team looked unprepared & terrible in every phase 4 straight PS games, opened by getting blown out by a rookie QB on a bad team & then losing one they shouldn’t have in SF. Kerryon coming out party on SNF was one of the most complete victories I have ever seen by this franchise. The loss in Jerryworld was pretty much the last time one got away from them; starting with the Seahawks loss, every L was deserved. And after the Seattle game, post-Tate, the offense has been horrible.

Both the offensive line run blocking and interior D line are much better than under Caldwell. Golladay blossomed (no correlation), Stafford regressed. Ansah couldn’t stay on the field & the DBs played, as a unit, about the way I expected absent consistent pressure. JD looked lost before the bye but I think they’ve figured out how to take advantage of his strengths the last couple months.

In a year or two they might have a really good defensive unit with an old school ball control offense, and if you combine that with special teams that should be a solid contender. At least...I think that’s what they might be aiming toward. One thing you can say about 2018 is the team lacked an identity.

I wasn’t exactly sure where they headed in the offseason. They brought Ansah back, which might have looked like they thought they had the pieces in place to make a run. Except they added zero impact players via FA or trade. The Ebron decision was curious because of the talk in the runup to the deadline, and now 8-9 months later (about the time Eric equaled then surpassed his previous career TD totals) we get this convenient Gronk rejected us cover story.

The Snacks trade was brilliant! What a great addition.

Guess the most important thing we learned this year is our franchise QB is Kurt Cousins with a better fastball. Gotta make lemonade for two more years, can’t move that contract before 2020.

 
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Hand & Kerryon to IR. Future looks bright   :headbang:  for both rookies. 5 solid contributors - 3 starters, likely 5 next year - and 2-3 future Pro Bowlers is a pretty good draft.

Diggs (S) makes the Pro Bowl as an alternate, likely will play. Slay gets his first reputation honor but he got snubbed a couple times so whatevs. When healthy he’s still a top cover guy & his will to win - his ability to single handily be the difference between a W and an L - is unmatched on defense.

As bad as Lawson, Tabor & Ford have been, the backfield will play better next year if they add a top notch Edge rusher.

The Lions are the least aggressive offense in the NFL; 61.2% of passes are 5 yards or shorter. While the cover story is that’s by necessity due to trade/injury, I’m looking forward to moving on from JBC. That has to be a 12/31 (if not sooner) decision.

 
One of the things that was ALWAYS been a trademark of the Stafford era - this predates JBC - has been slow starts. Both in game (hence the comeback King 2011, 2014-16) and to each season sans 2011. The last few years, you could trace that directly to inadequately addressing gaping holes in the 53 man.

2015 - Slay improved in his second year, Diggs became a good slot CB late, but rookie Lawson was a sieve all year. Levy missed all year & the group nosedived - opposing QBs completed 68% of passes.

2016 - lost Reif & replaced him with Robinson, complete disaster. No answer for chronic injury losses of Levy & Tullouch; LBing corps went the entire season with zero turnovers, FF or sacks. Opp completion % was NFL record 72.6.

2017 - signed 2 veteran O-linemen to man the right side but still couldn’t fix the run game. Edge rusher / containment was point of weakness.

2018 - failed to execute on Plan B after cutting Ebron, no Edge containment or pressure (Ziggy resigned but couldn’t stay on the field.)

Lot of offseason needs - RG, Edge, TE, Slot, cover LB, CB, S, possibly RB or QB - but what is the one glaring need that has to be addressed & will result in another poor start if it is not?


 
Great post, good to see others not just knee jerking in response to the blowhard local fans and media. My first answer is they must solve the edge rush problem. With ziggy  gone they need to make that the #1 thing. Another cb besides slay would be nice. Tate will be missed but maybe a draft pick or FA that can provide another recieving option?

 
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Leroy Hoard said:
Great post, good to see others not just knee jerking in response to the blowhard local fans and media. My first answer is they must solve the edge rush problem. With ziggy  gone they need to make that the #1 thing. Another cb besides slay would be nice. Tate will be missed but maybe a draft pick or FA that can provide another recieving option?
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OL/DL all day long.  Both hide weakness and make everything else better when they are stong.

 
The Lions need to cut Stafford loose like Favre in his heyday and deal with a few more turnovers but with a more explosive offense.   I think Stafford has it in him but needs a more dynamic OC

 
Da Guru said:
The Lions need to cut Stafford loose like Favre in his heyday and deal with a few more turnovers but with a more explosive offense.   I think Stafford has it in him but needs a more dynamic OC
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I'm old enough to remember when everyone was praising JBC for doing the exact opposite.

 
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Da Guru said:
The Lions need to cut Stafford loose like Favre in his heyday and deal with a few more turnovers but with a more explosive offense.   I think Stafford has it in him but needs a more dynamic OC
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He is without a WR1, TE1, RB1 (maybe), slot WR.  Not to mention OL.

This is a bad offense until they can get some talent.  There is no style of offense this team will do well.

 
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matuski said:
He is without a WR1, TE1, RB1 (maybe), slot WR.  Not to mention OL.

This is a bad offense until they can get some talent.  There is no style of offense this team will do well.
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Um... I think you are undervalueing who Detroit has...

WR1 - Kenny Golladay (hes right there)

RB1 - Zach Zenner (you must have just forgotten about him)

TE1 - that guy they have... you know who I mean... I guess hes not horrible... right?

Slot WR - Golden Tate (and he is awesome... wait... oh yeah.. he was traded. Well they have Jones... oh shoot...IR... But dont they have that one guy, you know the wr who they said had potential?)

OL - who needs an offensive line when you have those weapons? 

Also dont forget Blount.  He is still on the roster I think... you know... maybe you are right...

 
CaptainJT said:
Um... I think you are undervalueing who Detroit has...

WR1 - Kenny Golladay (hes right there)

RB1 - Zach Zenner (you must have just forgotten about him)

TE1 - that guy they have... you know who I mean... I guess hes not horrible... right?

Slot WR - Golden Tate (and he is awesome... wait... oh yeah.. he was traded. Well they have Jones... oh shoot...IR... But dont they have that one guy, you know the wr who they said had potential?)

OL - who needs an offensive line when you have those weapons? 

Also dont forget Blount.  He is still on the roster I think... you know... maybe you are right...
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:lmao:  

 
Lot of offseason needs - RG, Edge, TE, Slot, cover LB, CB, S, possibly RB or QB - but what is the one glaring need that has to be addressed & will result in another poor start if it is not?
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The same biggest need for 50+ years and counting...a new owner.

 
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