- Thread Author
- #1
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2011
- Messages
- 100,285
Article pretty spot on. From Mlive..
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Grading the Detroit Lions after the team's 34-9 loss to the New England Patriots:
QUARTERBACKS: D-
Matthew Stafford's final stat line is brutal, but when he did make great throws, and there were at least a few, his receivers did little to help him out. Corey Fuller allowed a long potential touchdown pass to go right between his hands. Eric Ebron put a beautifully placed touch pass over the secondary on the ground and Jeremy Ross couldn't hang on to a back-shoulder fade, also in the end zone.
Sliding short of the sticks on a fourth-down scramble in the fourth quarter was the icing on the cake of Stafford's underwhelming performance.
RUNNING BACKS: D
The good news is the Lions eliminated a lot of the negative runs, but Joique Bell, who shouldered nearly the entire load, never gained more than six yards on any of 19 attempts. And 13 of those carries went for three or fewer yards.
WIDE RECEIVERS: D
Golden Tate got back on track with three long receptions, including two on the first drive. Calvin Johnson, the other half of the dynamic duo, was far from his best and finished well under 100 yards.
As mentioned in Stafford's grade, both Fuller and Ross dropped what would have been touchdown passes.
TIGHT ENDS: F
The team's top three tight ends entered the game healthy, but barely contributed. Joseph Fauria dropped a pass in the end zone (that's three for the team, if you're counting) and Ebron had two grabs for 23 yards on seven targets.
OFFENSIVE LINE: D+
The group played poorly, but could have been much worse after left tackle Riley Reiff went down in the opening seconds of the game. Cornelius Lucas stepped in and played better than he has earlier this season, but still gave up a sack and the hit that led to Stafford's lone interception.
In total, the Patriots registered two sacks and four additional hits on Stafford. On the ground, the Lions averaged 3.9 yards per carry, but the running backs were held to just 2.9 yards per attempt.
DEFENSIVE LINE: D
The group has struck fear in the heart of opposing offensive coordinators when it comes to running the ball. After gaining more than 200 rushing yards last week, the Patriots didn't even bother trying to establish the ground game against the Lions.
But with Tom Brady dropping back to pass more than 50 times, the Lions couldn't register a single sack, the second consecutive week the unit has been shut out. The quarterback often got rid of the ball quickly, but when he held it, he had time and used it to dissect Detroit's back seven with surgical precision.
LINEBACKERS: F
With the Patriots rarely running the ball, the linebackers' job was to cover and they did it poorly. The coverage across the middle was soft, especially when Detroit dropped into zones throughout the first half. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski picked up two massive chunks at the end of the first half, allowing New England to add three points before heading to the locker room.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: F
The coverage on the edges wasn't any better as receivers found giant patches of open space throughout the contest, contributing to Brady completing 21-27 passes in the first half.
SPECIAL TEAMS: F
Matt Prater made three of his four field-goal attempts, including efforts from 48 and 49 yards, but he missed a 53-yarder at the end of the first half that gave New England the field position to add some late points.
The coverage units drag down the grade, allowing Julian Edelman to return a kickoff 81 yards after the Lions had cut the deficit to 7-6 early in the second quarter. The Patriots punched it in two plays later and the rout was on.
Add a boneheaded penalty by C.J. Mosley on a field-goal attempt, that gave the Patriots a fresh set of downs they turned into another touchdown, and it's a brutal day for the entire group.
COACHING: F
The offensive play-calling was better, but execution was poor, leading to yet another touchdown-less performance. At some point, the ability to execute, especially when it's a consistent issue, FALLS ON THE STAFF.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Grading the Detroit Lions after the team's 34-9 loss to the New England Patriots:
QUARTERBACKS: D-
Matthew Stafford's final stat line is brutal, but when he did make great throws, and there were at least a few, his receivers did little to help him out. Corey Fuller allowed a long potential touchdown pass to go right between his hands. Eric Ebron put a beautifully placed touch pass over the secondary on the ground and Jeremy Ross couldn't hang on to a back-shoulder fade, also in the end zone.
Sliding short of the sticks on a fourth-down scramble in the fourth quarter was the icing on the cake of Stafford's underwhelming performance.
RUNNING BACKS: D
The good news is the Lions eliminated a lot of the negative runs, but Joique Bell, who shouldered nearly the entire load, never gained more than six yards on any of 19 attempts. And 13 of those carries went for three or fewer yards.
WIDE RECEIVERS: D
Golden Tate got back on track with three long receptions, including two on the first drive. Calvin Johnson, the other half of the dynamic duo, was far from his best and finished well under 100 yards.
As mentioned in Stafford's grade, both Fuller and Ross dropped what would have been touchdown passes.
TIGHT ENDS: F
The team's top three tight ends entered the game healthy, but barely contributed. Joseph Fauria dropped a pass in the end zone (that's three for the team, if you're counting) and Ebron had two grabs for 23 yards on seven targets.
OFFENSIVE LINE: D+
The group played poorly, but could have been much worse after left tackle Riley Reiff went down in the opening seconds of the game. Cornelius Lucas stepped in and played better than he has earlier this season, but still gave up a sack and the hit that led to Stafford's lone interception.
In total, the Patriots registered two sacks and four additional hits on Stafford. On the ground, the Lions averaged 3.9 yards per carry, but the running backs were held to just 2.9 yards per attempt.
DEFENSIVE LINE: D
The group has struck fear in the heart of opposing offensive coordinators when it comes to running the ball. After gaining more than 200 rushing yards last week, the Patriots didn't even bother trying to establish the ground game against the Lions.
But with Tom Brady dropping back to pass more than 50 times, the Lions couldn't register a single sack, the second consecutive week the unit has been shut out. The quarterback often got rid of the ball quickly, but when he held it, he had time and used it to dissect Detroit's back seven with surgical precision.
LINEBACKERS: F
With the Patriots rarely running the ball, the linebackers' job was to cover and they did it poorly. The coverage across the middle was soft, especially when Detroit dropped into zones throughout the first half. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski picked up two massive chunks at the end of the first half, allowing New England to add three points before heading to the locker room.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: F
The coverage on the edges wasn't any better as receivers found giant patches of open space throughout the contest, contributing to Brady completing 21-27 passes in the first half.
SPECIAL TEAMS: F
Matt Prater made three of his four field-goal attempts, including efforts from 48 and 49 yards, but he missed a 53-yarder at the end of the first half that gave New England the field position to add some late points.
The coverage units drag down the grade, allowing Julian Edelman to return a kickoff 81 yards after the Lions had cut the deficit to 7-6 early in the second quarter. The Patriots punched it in two plays later and the rout was on.
Add a boneheaded penalty by C.J. Mosley on a field-goal attempt, that gave the Patriots a fresh set of downs they turned into another touchdown, and it's a brutal day for the entire group.
COACHING: F
The offensive play-calling was better, but execution was poor, leading to yet another touchdown-less performance. At some point, the ability to execute, especially when it's a consistent issue, FALLS ON THE STAFF.
Last edited:
