Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, argues with an official after being ejected from Detrioit’s 27-15 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving day, resulting in a two-game suspension. (Photo Courtesy NYTimes.com)
The Detroit Lions, currently 7-4 and tied with the Chicago Bears for second in the NFC North, have had a tumultuous season so far. After roaring out of the gates to a 5-0 start, they have since dropped four of their previous six contests.
Their recent struggles have made the road to the playoffs that much more difficult. There are, however, many other factors to consider in examining why they have played poorly as of late.
Leading the offense has been third-year quarterback Matt Stafford, who has bravely played through injury most of the season and somehow still thrown 26 touchdown passes. His main target this season is wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who has already surpassed 1,000 yards on the season; if he continues on his current pace of touchdowns per game he could shatter many single-season receiving records.
Kevin Siefert of ESPN.com wrote that, “I’m not sure if it’s reasonable to expect Johnson to keep scoring at his current pace of 1.8 touchdowns per game. But he doesn’t have to in order to break Randy Moss’ record (of 24).”
The Lions have struggled the most in establishing a run game to balance out their potent passing attack. Starting running back Jahvid Best was recently lost for the season due to concussion-like symptoms, and backups Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams are not long-term solutions at the position. Recently, Kevin Smith was claimed off waivers and showed some production, but he too has been addled by the injury bug. These problems have been further complicated by an aging offensive line that includes mainstays like center Dominic Raiola and left tackle Jeff Backus.
On the defensive side of the ball, the group as a whole has performed better than expected in some areas, but certain positions have fallen short of the pre-season expectations. For the majority of the season, the Lions have led the league in turnover differential; that is, how many turnovers they cause compared to how many they give up. The defensive line as a whole has performed well, with defensive ends Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril combining for 13 sacks so far. The group’s Defensive Rookie of The Year, Ndamukong Suh, has struggled to garner 19 tackles and three sacks. Suh was recently suspended for two games for an unsportsmanlike penalty on Thanksgiving when he inadvertently stomped an opponent on the ground.
Similarly, even though defensive backs Amari Spievey and Chris Houston have combined for seven interceptions, this has been overshadowed by numerous big plays being surrendered by Eric Wright. To compound matters, starting safety Louis Delmas was injured in the blowout Thanksgiving loss to Green Bay.
Dave Birkett said, “The injury problems in the Detroit Lions secondary aren’t getting any better. Delmas and Houston missed practice for a second straight day today with knee injuries sustained in last week’s Thanksgiving loss to the Green Bay Packers; backup cornerback Brandon McDonald, who suffered a quad injury in the same game, returned to practice briefly but left during individual drills to work on the side with trainers.”
A lone bright spot for the defensive unit has been the consistent play of the linebacker corps. Stephen Tulloch has stepped up in the clutch with both sacks and interceptions; DeAndre Levy leads the team in tackles and both Bobby Carpenter and Justin Durant have produced quality minutes when called upon.
The rest of the season will not be kind to the Lions, says Justin Rogers of Mlive.com.
He wrote that, “Among Detroit’s final five opponents are playoff locks Green Bay Packers (11-0) and New Orleans Saints (8-3), as well as AFC West leader Oakland (7-4). Always dangerous, but underachieving San Diego (4-7) is on the horizon as well. The Lions’ final opponent, the 2-9 Minnesota Vikings, might seem like a gimme, but anything can happen when division opponents collide.”
These games are important because the Lions’ main competition for the Wild Card spots in the playoffs, the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears, have a much easier schedule ahead of them. Only time will tell, weather or not the Lions can keep it together for an entire season and finally make it back to the playoffs.