DETROIT – Dan Campbell is trying to take all the blame for the Detroit Lions’ loss to the Buccaneers, but he only deserves some of it.
The Lions made an array of physical and mental mistakes on Sunday, and Campbell said at halftime and during his postgame comments that he “screwed” his team.
“Listen, 100% on the head coach there, alright?” Campbell said during his halftime interview with FOX. “I totally screwed my team. That is mine. ... Our team’s gonna have to overcome it. That’s the bottom line.”
Sure, some of the blame lies with Campbell. He’s the head coach, after all. But let’s be honest: This is a classic example of a general taking the fall for his troops.
Two others stand out if we’re assigning blame for the loss: Jared Goff and Ben Johnson.
Let’s get this out of the way first: I don’t have long-term concerns about Goff or Johnson. Goff is usually the definition of dependable, and Johnson has been one of the best play callers in the NFL.
That’s part of the problem, though: Both of those guys are far too experienced to make the mistakes that doomed the Lions on Sunday.
Final drive of first half
The most obvious example of game mismanagement came at the end of the first half.
The Lions had 17 seconds left, no timeouts remaining, and the ball on the 17-yard line. Right there, the worst-case scenario should have been a 35-yard field goal attempt from Jake Bates, who can hit those in his sleep.
But Goff dumped the ball off to Amon-Ra St. Brown in the middle of the field, where he had no chance to get to the end zone or out of bounds.
Obviously, Goff would have successfully spiked the ball with enough time to try a field goal if the Lions hadn’t been flagged for too many men on the field. But there’s no reason to put the team in that scrambling situation in the first place.
The pass got the Lions down to the 9-yard line, which would have made the field goal about a 27-yard try -- not a significant difference for Bates.
Does Campbell share blame here? Yes, there was some disorganization and miscommunication about whether the field goal unit should take the field. But the veteran quarterback has to know that the risk of the clock running out on that play isn’t worth the potential reward of a slightly shorter kick.
Third-down passing
Goff and Johnson also struggled on third down for the second game in a row.
On the drive with the fake punt, Goff had three chances to convert on third down and threw incomplete passes on each play. He finished the game with six incompletions on third-down attempts.
The Lions also played right into Tampa Bay’s hands on several third down plays, throwing short of the sticks when the Buccaneers were happy to give up those gains to force punts.
Here are five examples:
- Third and 10: 1-yard pass to Jahmyr Gibbs.
- Third and 6: 3-yard pass to David Montgomery.
- Third and 7: 6-yard pass to Sam LaPorta.
- Third and 9: 1-yard pass to Gibbs.
- Fourth and 8: 5-yard pass to Gibbs.
Final drive
Aaron Glenn’s defense battled all afternoon Sunday, giving the offense chance after chance to take back the lead.
Detroit’s final drive started from the Buccaneers’ 44-yard line, with 33 seconds left on the clock.
The Lions needed a touchdown, but somehow -- whether it was Goff’s decision-making or Johnson’s play calling is unclear -- they never took a shot at the end zone. Not once.
Instead, the Lions took a nine-yard gain that cost them their last timeout and then followed up with another nine-yard gain that melted away 13 of their 27 precious seconds.
After spiking the ball to stop the clock at 14, Goff threw three short passes that all would have ended the game if they had been caught, because they were in the field of play short of the goal line.
It was a really strange series for an offense that brought back almost every contributor from last year, when these types of comebacks were the norm.
Establishing the run
The Lions are off to a bit of a rusty start in the passing game. Maybe it’s because Goff and his receivers didn’t play in the preseason, or maybe the loss of Josh Reynolds is having a greater-than-expected impact.
But the Lions are running the ball exceptionally well. Gibbs averaged 6.5 yards per carry on Sunday, and Montgomery was once again automatic in short-yardage situations.
And we all remember what the Lions did to the Rams in overtime.
It feels like Johnson is really making a point to try to get the passing game on track, and it might have cost the Lions this particular game. Goff threw the ball 55 times while Gibbs and Montgomery combined for just 24 carries.
That’s not really how the Lions prefer to play, and it hasn’t been a recipe for success. I expect Johnson to get back to his roots in the coming weeks.
Nobody should panic
Like I said at the top, none of the issues that flared up during this loss feel like reasons for panic. Goff is a veteran quarterback who’s proven to be level-headed, and Johnson has earned the benefit of the doubt.
The margin for error is so small in the NFL, even when one team seems to have a significant talent advantage. The Lions more than doubled the Buccaneers in yardage, but they weren’t good enough in the red zone or on third down to capitalize and turn those yards into points.
Give it a few weeks, and if the Lions are still sputtering on offense, we can turn back to our favorite past time of uncontrolled panic. For now, let’s be thankful that the defense is looking strong.
