http://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=401030957
Boxscore.
espn
The Detroit Lions -- if it wasn't known already -- have an offensive problem. The franchise just can't score. Some of it has to do with injured players (Kerryon Johnson, Marvin Jones) and traded-away players (Golden Tate), but overall there just isn't much pace or explosiveness to the Detroit offense --
and that makes it difficult against the Rams. Detroit's defense has actually managed well against Los Angeles, holding the Rams to 5.9 yards per play
in the first half. But Los Angeles doubled-up the Lions yardage-wise (218-108) and on the whole, the offense just isn't at a place where it can fall behind and hope to come back late like it used to in the past. It's just not there.
Todd Gurley is really good. But that onside kick call from Matt Patricia was worse than the third-down draws and screens and the first onside kick. Even if you stop them, Greg Zuerlein's leg is strong enough to ice the game against you. Poor situational football all around.
Poor situational football. An offense that couldn't move and had some bizarre play calls. Just another Sunday in the land of the Detroit Lions, 30-16 losers to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon. This loss does a lot, though.
It ensures Detroit will not have three straight winning seasons for the first time since the mid-1990s. It also means the the Lions will go 25 years (and counting) without a divisional title.
How the Lions lost -- in the game against one of the NFL's top teams but mistakes in the fourth quarter that crushed them -- is just emblematic of the team's problems, no matter the coach, quarterback or general manager, over the past quarter-century.
espn
http://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=401030957
Todd Gurley-led Rams beat Lions 30-16, clinch NFC West title.
espn
Matt Patricia's explanation for the onside kick with all three timeouts and 2:57 left while down seven, 23-16.
"Think about the situation, think about the team we're playing, right? The Rams. They're one of the best four-minute teams in the League. (They) obviously score a lot of points, very dynamic. I mean, they're outstanding. They have a lot of talent, they have a lot of guys in the situation that can make big plays. So, with the timeouts that we had, I think it was 2:54 left on the clock, go for the onside, either way we have to stop them, right? If they get two first downs, game's over, doesn't matter. So, we have to stop them in that situation and try to hold them, and (we) really thought it was the best opportunity for us to get a chance to get the ball back. We had some good things, we thought, set up for it, and we just have to go out and execute. But certainly, when you play really good teams or really good offenses that perform well in those situations, a lot of that comes into play. There's some momentum that comes into play. But in that situation, I would say, with 2:54 left on the clock with as many players as they have on offense, and how good they've been in that situation so far this year, two or three first downs ends the game. So, midfield or backed up, we were just trying to get the ball back." Then followed up with that one first down or even a stop could give them a chance to have Greg Zuerlein make a field goal that could put the game out of reach, Patricia essentially said the other way is always going to look different. "I mean, the flipside's easy. It's either going to be good or bad. So, I think in that situation, we were trying to make the decision that was good. And say that statistically, and what they do and what we have to defend—there's probably like a line of demarcation in there time-wise that we were talking about all the way through where we said, ‘All right, if it gets underneath this, then let's take a shot and let's make sure we get it here. Because again, in that situation, it would just be too close and they're just too good in that situation."
espn
http://www.espn.com/blog/detroit-li...troits-division-drought-25-years-and-counting
Detroit's division title drought: 25 years and counting.
espn
