Three Things We Discovered in Week 17 About the Detroit Lions.
The Detroit Lions‘ Saturday night game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17 ended in a loss.
SportsGrid examines the lessons the Lions taught us during the disappointing game.
1. Jared Goff kept turning the ball over when it was appropriate.
The controversy surrounding Taylor Decker’s eligibility for the two-point conversion attempt will undoubtedly take up a lot of attention, but Jared Goff’s difficulties ought to make up more of the news. Although Goff has done a fantastic job of assisting the Lions in returning to relevance in the NFC, he has also prevented the team from realizing its full potential. At a pivotal point in the fourth quarter, Goff mishandled the ball. The Lions recovered it and proceeded down the field, but if he hadn’t forced throws within narrow windows, the outcome of the game could have been different. We won’t be holding our breath just yet, but the Lions can advance further in the postseason if Goff doesn’t turn the ball over.
2. The Defense of Lions had Don’t Break, Bend Mentality
On paper, it appears fantastic that the Lions were able to limit the Dallas Cowboys’ explosive offense to 20 points. Nevertheless, the Lions let Dak Prescott throw for 345 yards and two touchdowns, with CeeDee Lamb turning in a standout 227-yard receiving performance. Prescott and Lamb kept going after a critical hole in the Lions’ secondary. The Lions can’t let teams rip apart their secondary in that way if they want to surprise some people in January. Given his ability to sabotage an opponent’s passing strategy, Aidan Hutchinson is the unpredictable player in this situation. In Week 17 against the Cowboys, Hutchinson recorded three sacks and four tackles for a loss.
3. The Running Game Is Still Essential for Successful Offensives
It goes without saying that the Detroit Lions’ running game plays a big part in their offensive success when it is thriving. A strong offensive line allows David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, one of the best quarterback duos in football, to perform at their peak. Montgomery and Gibbs combined for just 108 yards on 29 carries in Week 17’s game against Dallas. Both Montgomery and Gibbs possess explosive qualities that can be used in the passing and running games. In the postseason, they will need this talented duo to be even more effective. Their top priorities continue to be managing the clock and keeping their defense off the field. It is crucial for the Lions to win in the trenches and dominate on the ground, regardless of the team they play in the Wild-Card round of the playoffs.
