When the Detroit Lions suffered a 34-9 blowout loss to the New England Patriots last Sunday, there were plenty of football fans that shook their heads and thought “here we go again”. Only two weeks ago, the Lions were on top of the NFC North at 7-2 following four straight wins and held the potential tiebreaker over the rival Green Bay Packers after beating them 19-7 in their initial meeting.
However, back-to-back losses to the Patriots and Arizona Cardinals have dropped Detroit to 7-4. Suddenly, the potential tiebreaker against Green Bay is a lot less relevant considering they trail them by a game in the standings now. And even if it does come into play, the Lions still have to go to Lambeau Field to play the Packers one more time in their season finale.
Beyond that, the Lions are trying to overcome history and show that this is a team that’s stronger mentally than it has been in the past. So far, there are few buyers of that theory. Here are three reasons why the Lions are still the same old Lions, and will miss the playoffs this year:
Recent History
A quick look at Detroit’s recent history shows there is a precedent for a collapse down the stretch. In 2012, the Lions were 4-4 before losing their final eight games to finish 4-12. In 2013, Detroit was 6-3 but lost six of its final seven games to finish 7-9 and miss the playoffs again. After opening this year at 7-2, the Lions are now 7-4 and even with a favorable schedule the rest of the way, they will be in tough to make the playoffs. Detroit trails Green Bay by a game in the division but would likely have to win out – including a win at Lambeau Field in Week 17 – to unseat the Packers at the top of the NFC North.
The road to a Wild Card spot isn’t any easier either as they are currently tied with the San Francisco 49ers and defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks for the final NFC Wild Card spot. It’s going to be tough sledding and history shows this team isn’t up for it.
The Running Game Isn’t Doing Much
One weakness that has been exposed over the past couple of weeks is Detroit’s inability to move the football when the aerial attack stalls. The Lions own the 10th-ranked passing offense in the NFL but they rank 30th in rushing yards per game, and that has left Matt Stafford exposed in the pocket. The fact that opposing defenses don’t respect the Detroit running game means that they can dial up exotic blitzes or drop extra bodies in coverage without the threat of being exposed on the ground. The Lions have been held to a combined 15 points over the last two weeks with five field goals and zero touchdowns in back-to-back losses. That’s not going to cut it.
Defense Has Been Exposed
The Detroit defense has been excellent all year, ranking No. 1 against the run. However, the Patriots exposed their pass defense last week as Tom Brady threw for 349 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Lions defense has registered excellent numbers this season but they have also had the benefit of playing the New York Giants, New York Jets, and Minnesota Vikings and all three of those teams have really struggled on offense this year. They also faced the Packers when their offense was ice cold, hosted the Buffalo Bills in Kyle Orton’s first start at quarterback and played the Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. On the whole, that’s been a soft schedule and their pass defense hasn’t had to deal with much. However, Brady showed what this secondary is really made of (not much) and we’re likely to see more of that down the stretch.
