When your favorite football team takes an extended break, the wait to see them take the field seems endless. It seems even longer when they lose in embarrassing fashion. After 10 long days, the Detroit Lions returned to the field, looking to get back in the win column against the New York Jets.
Here are my four takeaways from the Lions’ 31-24 loss to the Jets in Week 3.
The offensive line rebounds and strengthens the ground attack
Detroit returned two offensive line starters from the Jets, left guard Christian Mahogany and right tackle Blake Miller. When they weren’t playing last week, the Lions’ offense struggled overall, but the ground game was impacted the most. This week, the ground game proved to be the biggest difference. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs led the action, channeling his inner Barry Sanders on his first of three touchdowns on the day:
Gibbs remains the focal point of the offense, but it felt a bit more balanced and spread out than in Week 1. He had 20 carries for 99 yards and two rushing touchdowns, while backup Sione Vaki had six carries for 26 yards. Gibbs came alive in the air when the team needed him most, totaling seven catches for 65 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
Quarterback Jared Goff threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, getting sacked twice. One of those sacks was due to Gibbs’ poor pass protection; it was bulldozed, forcing Goff to move quickly into the pocket. The offensive line was only flagged twice, a false start and a catch, playing disciplined football. Jets EDGE David Bailey came in with a sack in each game and finished with five tackles and one tackle for loss.
Tight coverage issues persist
A few years ago, the Lions struggled to cover the difficulties they faced. Whether it was the best tight end in the NFL or a practice squad call-up, it was a weekly issue. This issue hasn’t been very relevant in recent seasons, but so far it seems to be an issue this season. Against the New Orleans Saints, tight ends Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant combined for seven catches, 87 yards and two touchdowns. Against the Bills, Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox had nine catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
The Jets entered the game limited in the passing game, without second-year tight end Mason Taylor and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. That meant wide receiver Garrett Wilson would be the top receiving option, but rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq would see more targets, as would third-string tight end Jeremy Ruckert. Do you think that’s it? Jelani Woods also got involved, and the three tight ends finished with a combined 10 catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
This mission for Detroit should have been easier, even with a secondary that has struggled so far this season. The Jets called up several players from the practice squad to help fill out their offense, and the tight end position hurt Detroit the most. They need to resolve this issue during the bye week because they won’t have time to resolve it quickly and they will face some tight and tough competition coming up.
Lions can’t hold a lead
In week one, the Lions blew a 21-point lead against the Saints, and the game headed to overtime, where Detroit won on a two-point conversion stop, 31-30. This week, Detroit took a 24-10 lead to start the fourth quarter, and even though they felt like they had momentum, the Jets stayed in the game. They moved downfield and scored in less than four minutes, thanks to a defensive pass interference call on cornerback DJ Reed, and now it’s 24-16 after a failed two-point conversion.
Detroit’s offense faltered and failed on a fourth down attempt near midfield, giving the Jets possession with plenty of time remaining. Reed was flagged again for defensive pass interference, and while it didn’t matter because Wilson was still scoring, it was a poor defensive decision. In a situation like that, on fourth-and-6 with four minutes left, the defense trusted Reed without any safety help, and that was a big mistake. When a guy dominates the entire match, you have to do everything you can to slow him down, not make it easier for him.
After failing to stop a two-point conversion, Detroit fortunately came back and scored a touchdown to regain the lead. The defense managed a forced fumble when safety Chuck Clark sacked Jets quarterback Geno Smith, and linebacker Jack Campbell recovered it for the win. Detroit’s two wins should have been less stressful. They had a double-digit lead and missed them every time, relying on a defensive stop to get back into the game. You get one win in the NFL any way you can get it, but, ultimately, Detroit won’t be able to recover from this, or they have to continue to execute and make sure no team can come back.
The kick return game comes to life
As the offense moved the ball in spurts, the kick return team did everything they could to give it more juice. Running back Jacob Saylors had two impressive returns for a combined 81 yards, putting Detroit at the 38 and 47 yard line, giving them a shorter field to work with. Wide receiver Tom Kennedy returned one kick 23 yards and another 37 yards, but a penalty wiped it out.
With a strong offense with a lot of firepower like Detroit’s, a kick return game that makes their job easier helps a lot. The offense needed everything it could to move the ball against the Jets defense. They say you have to win in all three phases, and without Saylors’ strong kick returns, the margin for error on those drives for Detroit’s offense would have been that much narrower.
Gn sports
