In a rematch of the 2023 season opener, the Detroit Lions headed back to Arrowhead to play the Kansas City Chiefs. The Lions almost started the game with a fun trick play, but it was deemed illegal and overturned, turning seven points into three. The Chiefs would respond with ease to take a 6-3 lead. Detroit got the lead back quickly to make it 10-6 and it seemed like this would be a shootout type of game. The Chiefs had no issues responding as well, making it 13-10 at the half and once they got that lead, they never looked back. The Chiefs would never punt or turn the ball over and come away with the 30-17 win over the Lions.
Let’s get into my six takeaways from the loss.
Secondary showed it was banged up
The secondary had a big target on its back heading into this showdown. The secondary was without cornerbacks D.J. Reed, Terrion Arnold, Avonte Maddox, and Khalil Dorsey. Additionally, safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph were clearly not 100 percent. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was licking his chops and he had his way with the Lions’ pass defense.
Mahomes went 22-for-30 for 257 yards and three touchdowns, with 10 carries for 32 yards to go with it. The Lions’ secondary had very few positive plays, as safety Thomas Harper made a nice pass deflection, but that was the only highlight of the game by them. The Chiefs only punted the ball once all night.
Joseph left the game briefly and luckily did return, but that will be something to monitor here in the final game before the bye week. No unit on this team is more excited for a week off than the defensive back group, and hopefully, in preparation for the Minnesota Vikings, the unit will be back to almost full strength. After the game, Branch started an altercation with the Chiefs, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the NFL not only fines him but suspends him, too.
Screen passes need to be revisited
After allowing the Chiefs to mindlessly move down the field on the opening drive of the second half, the Lions were in a must-score situation. Detroit got back-to-back first downs and were suddenly on the Chiefs’ side of the field.
After a run for a gain of 2 by running back Jahmyr Gibbs, it was second-and-8, and Lions offensive coordinator John Morton called a horrible screen pass that turned into a loss of three. Needing 5-7 yards to get them into field goal range, and 11 for a first down, Morton decided running… another screen pass was the smartest idea?
The play turned into a 1-yard gain and the Lions were forced to punt. This season, I’ve noticed when the team is losing or in a must-have kind of drive, screens are something Morton leans on and they haven’t had much success with them. Screens can work, but in a situation like the one above, it was a waste of two plays.
Opening defensive drive blues
After stopping the Bengals on their opening drive last week, the Lions’ defense was back up to their old tricks this week. Granted, the defense is down their top two cornerbacks, and the Chiefs have one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The Chiefs easily scored to make it a 6-3 score, and the momentum Detroit had was suddenly pulled away.
The opening drives for the offense seem fluid, strong, and effective. The defense, on the other hand, looks lost, sluggish, and not ready to play. There’s no excuse for the defense to start slow, even with the injuries.
Jared Goff should be in the discussion for MVP
Before the game started, there was lots of chatter about Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield being the frontrunner for the MVP. Mayfield is having a solid year and is overcoming the obstacles of being down multiple players on his offense. I can respect that adversity. What about Jared Goff, though? Sure, the offense isn’t banged up like Tampa Bay, but Goff is still playing lights out.
Heading into the game, Goff had the second most passing touchdowns in the league, and he finished going 23-for-29 for 203 yards with two touchdowns and a carry for 7 yards. Goff made excellent throws all night, which was a big reason why the Lions were in the game for as long as they could. His best throw of the night had to be the touchdown pass to tight end Sam LaPorta to cut the lead down to three in the fourth quarter.
The season is only a third of the way through (sadly), and this is admittedly far too early to talk about MVP, but if we want to talk about it, Goff must be a contender. Goff took the lead in passing touchdowns after the game with 14 now. Plenty of season left to have in-depth conversations about the MVP race, but when the time comes, Goff should be discussed.
Aidan Hutchinson is elevating his game
Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has been a major factor for this defense, and he’s gotten even better. You’ve heard this for weeks, but now I’ve noticed a trend that shows it. Usually, Hutchinson would go for the sack on the quarterback as expected. This year, Hutchinson isn’t happy with just a sack anymore; he wants the ball. Hutchinson has forced a fumble in four straight games.
Hutchinson sacking the quarterback and trying to create a turnover on the play is smart and is working for him so far. He could’ve had more if some weren’t taken away due to penalties, but I love that he’s targeting the football on his sacks.
Thankful for Dan Skipper
When the Lions were without starting left tackle Taylor Decker, second-year tackle Giovanni Manu got the nod to start against the Bengals last week. He was a mixed bag in his first-ever start but he was injured this week and was put on IR. With that, Dan Skipper was pushed into the role he’s been in before as the backup, and it was an improvement overall.
Goff only got sacked once, and it was from right guard Tate Ratledge falling to stop Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, a hard objective to complete. Skipper, on the other hand, kept Goff clean from his side and seemed to be an instant level up from what we saw the week before. If the team is without Decker another week, I think they will be just fine with Skipper taking that job. He is far from perfect, but I’m glad the Lions still have him and don’t have to rely on a practice squad call-up to fill in while Decker is on the mend.
See More:
