Pride of Detroit
As a Toronto Blue Jays fan, I did not expect to feel further disappointment after losing Game 7 of the World Series in extra innings. Leave it to the Detroit Lions to make a bad weekend even worse for me.
Coming off a bye week, the Lions were heavily favored against the Minnesota Vikings—they were rested, they were healthier, and frankly, they looked better. Instead, it was Minnesota playing complementary football and Detroit struggling with execution. The Lions looked outclassed and now have to address some serious issues with the Washington Commanders coming up next week.
LaPorta has been quietly fantastic this season. His performance goes underappreciated, however, as his role has been more that of a safety blanket than the offense’s engine. That changed on Sunday, as LaPorta was arguably the Lions’ best player against Minnesota. Though Amon-Ra St. Brown had him beat in receptions (nine to LaPorta’s six), LaPorta tied the All-Pro receiver in yardage with 97. In particular, LaPorta thrived in the clutch. He had a 40-yard touchdown grab on fourth down on the opening drive. Late in the fourth quarter, LaPorta again converted a fourth down, this time rumbling for 17 yards.
On a day when the offense was not at its best, LaPorta was an unsung hero in a losing effort.
It’s time to admit that the Lions have a problem with their offense.
Outside of a dominant first drive (largely due to Sam LaPorta), the offense was inept. A summary of the Lions’ and Morton’s failure came at the two-minute warning. On second-and-2 down 10 points with 2:22 left in the game, the Lions ran a no-huddle shotgun run up the middle for a gain of a measly 1 yard. The Lions did not get another play off before the two-minute warning. The Lions scored on a deep shot to Jameson Williams, but by wasting the clock stoppage, it gave Minnesota an extra opportunity to run out the clock—something they quickly capitalized on.
Moments like these are a symptom of the problem: the Lions under Morton are stubbornly dedicated to running the ball up the middle and executing short passes. Jahmyr Gibbs had three catches for three yards—they refuse to utilize him as anything other than a dump off option. Outside of the first and last drives, the Lions could hardly muster a successful drive. They had four three-and-outs, plus a fifth three-play drive that ended due to a fumble. The Lions offense is better than this.
For all the bad from the offense today, at least Williams had a much-needed bounce back. Williams finished the day with four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. He provided the Lions with one of their few sparks on the day, carefully navigating the sideline en route to a 37-yard touchdown dive. This was a much-needed performance to get Williams clicking again. Ideally, I would like to see some of his...
