Pride of Detroit
In their fourth matchup since the 2021 trade, the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams faced off in another close game. Detroit took the lead first, and while they were up 24-17 at the half, their adjustments made in the second half hurt the team. In the second half, the offense scored only 10 points, while the defense allowed 24 points. The Lions couldn’t overcome the Rams’ high-powered offense in the end as they lost 41-34.
Every game from here on out is a must-win game for the Lions. No more mistakes, and the team can’t do anything wrong in the next month. Before we look forward, here are my five takeaways from the loss to the Rams.
For weeks, Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson hasn’t had the type of impact that Lions fans come to expect. He gets pressure on the quarterback, but he’s been low on the sack total and struggling in filling his gaps on run defense. His best game this year was against the Baltimore Ravens, where he took over and made some key stops when the team needed them. Against the Rams, the Lions needed a stop after missing a field goal on their opening drive, and the Rams were moving down the field with ease.
As soon as it appeared that this game might be a long day for the Lions’ defense, Hutchinson read the play and picked off Stafford, returning it 58 yards to put the Lions in the red zone.
Detroit scored on the following play to take the lead 7-0, but Hutchinson wasn’t done yet. He continued to be a problem for LA, finishing with three tackles and a big sack in the second quarter to force the Rams to punt for the first time all game. Hutchinson continued to pressure Stafford all game long and forced a few incomplete passes, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough in the end.
Last week, we saw the return of the infamous guard rotation at the left side as starting guard Kayode Awosika missed the game due to an ankle injury. It was between Trystan Colon and rookie Miles Frazier, and I believed Frazier had the better performance.
Colon got the start again against the Rams, and unlike last week, it seems the rotation between him and Frazier wasn’t as frequent, with Colon getting the majority of the snaps. Seeing more time on the field, it wasn’t a good day at the office for Colon. He was beaten on the inside frequently, struggling to run to the outside on pull plays, and Frazier appeared to do a better job once again.
If left guard Christian Mahogany can return next week for the Lions, the offensive line will see an upgrade overall. If he still needs another week, I want Frazier to get the start and get more snaps than Colon. Colon just doesn’t seem...
