Here is a sampling of the national reaction to the Detroit Lions’ 29-22 Week 12 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Yahoo Sport If you hadn’t been following the NFL prior to Thanksgiving, the Detroit Lions’ loss on Thursday would not have seemed out of place. A Green Bay Packers quarterback firing downfield for a 53-yard gain on the first play? I’ve seen that. The Lions scoring right away but failing to convert the extra point? It’s a new wrinkle, but it works. A quarterback fumble returned for a touchdown, followed by another fumble? A fake punt that fooled no one and resulted in a sack at their own 23? That’s Lions football on Thanksgiving, folks.
But this Thanksgiving was supposed to be much better in Detroit. The Lions are quite good. Only one NFL team had a better record than them entering Thursday. That was not the case on Thursday. The Packers completely dominated the Lions. Green Bay easily defeated Detroit 29-22 as Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes and an undermanned defense pressured Jared Goff all day. Thanks to a Detroit touchdown in the final minute, the final score looked much better. The Physical
“Underneath the feel-good vibes, the first-place status, the gleaming 8-3 record, and the winning brand of football the Detroit Lions have proven capable of playing this season lies a team that, if it continues on its current trajectory, could face a harsh reality come January.” That much was clear following a 29-22 loss to the Green Bay Packers and a less-than-pleasant Thanksgiving.
“They were ready, man,” said Lions coach Dan Campbell after the game. “They played extremely well, while we did not.” We didn’t play well enough together, and we didn’t complement each other.” On Thursday, there wasn’t much complementing among the three phases for the Lions, and there wasn’t much to compliment. Select your fighter. Offense? Defense? What about special teams? Coaching? It’ll most likely end in defeat, as it did on Thursday.”
“There was no miraculous comeback in Detroit this time.” Goff couldn’t keep the ball after a three-interception performance on Sunday, fumbling twice in the first quarter to allow the Packers to take a big lead. The quarterback fumbled three times and struggled to manage a muddled pocket. According to Next Gen Stats, Goff missed a number of throws while under pressure, completing only 6 of 16 passes. When the veteran quarterback turns the ball over six times in four days, it’s difficult to win consistently, especially with a defense that struggles to get stops. Unlike Sunday against Chicago, Green Bay provided no hope for a comeback. In the third quarter, trailing by two touchdowns, the Lions attempted an ill-fated fake punt from their own 23-yard line and failed twice on fourth down. Detroit was 0 for 5 on fourth downs for the day. The Lions added a touchdown late in the game, but it was too little, too late. Mistakes came back to haunt a young team still trying to win against a division rival on Thanksgiving.”
“The Lions are known for having a strong offensive line, but Jared Goff was constantly under pressure on Thursday, and it wasn’t just Rashan Gary.” The Lions gave up 12 quarterback hits, and Goff never felt at ease with the timing and rhythm of Detroit’s offense. Goff fumbled three times on the day.” SportsCenter on CBS “The Lions were consistently within striking distance of the Packers, but their overaggression cost them multiple times throughout the game.” Dan Campbell went for it five times on fourth down and failed to convert until the game was effectively decided with less than three minutes remaining.
In a 20-6 game, the Lions went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Packers’ 35, but rushed to get the play off before the two-minute warning (they didn’t have to), resulting in an incomplete pass. Midway through the third quarter of a 23-14 game, they decided to run a fake punt on their own 23-yard line and failed to gain a yard (the Packers scored a touchdown on the short field to make it 29-14). They also failed to convert a fourth-and-7 on the Packers’ 12 yard line, leaving the score at 29-14.”
“In the first half, Goff was pressured on 45% of his dropbacks, going 9-of-20, and was sacked three times.” Detroit’s offensive line has been one of the team’s strengths, but it struggled against the Packers while missing offensive lineman Jonah Jackson (wrist) for the second game in a row. On November 14, veteran guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai was also placed on the injured reserve list. It’ll be interesting to see how the team utilizes linemen Kayode Awosika and rookie Colby Sorsdal.”
