Pride of Detroit
While the Detroit Lions entered this game with slim hopes for the postseason, they let their final opportunity slip through their fingers with self-inflicted mistakes (six turnovers) and another ineffective game plan. Let’s take a look at how the Lions adapted their approach to their rematch with the Minnesota Vikings.
After being efficient with the football all season, Goff accounted for five of the Lions’ six turnovers on the day. While you can argue he wasn’t at fault in several of the mistakes, there were clear chemistry issues between him and the rest of the offense. In general, Goff’s been very good this season and one of the Lions’ best players, but this was arguably his worst performance of the year.
With the Lions’ game plan calling for adaptability, they once again leaned on Gibbs at a higher rate than normal as they constantly looked for answers on offense. Montgomery was more involved in the run game, but he struggled more than he has in recent weeks, a theme for the entire offense on the day.
St. Brown was the Lions’ best offensive weapon, per usual, but TeSlaa also stepped up his game, as Goff struggled to get Williams the ball due to his route concepts being further down the field. Overall, the wide receivers’ usage took a step back in this game as the Lions’ offense needed to adjust to the Vikings’ pass rush. As a result, we saw the Lions use their tight ends significantly more in an attempt to give Goff time in the pocket.
Choosing to lean on three tight ends over 50% of the time in order to slow down an aggressive pass rush matches traditional methods. However, when at least two of the three tight ends you’re needing to lean on are practice-squad level at best—resulting in your more talented skill players staying on the bench—it’s not surprising that the offense failed to move the football with any consistency.
