Thanksgiving is a great holiday. You eat lots of food, are surrounded by loved ones, and the best part is, there is Detroit Lions football on TV. That last part is only enjoyable if the outcome is a good one, and it wasn’t this year. After defeating the Chicago Bears last season, ending a seven-year losing streak on Thanksgiving, the Lions aimed to start a winning streak on the holiday, only to lose to the Green Bay Packers 31-24.
Coming off an overtime victory where the offense was carried by running back Jahmyr Gibbs and the defense struggled, the Lions’ woes continued on the defensive side. The Packers moved down the field with ease, rarely punting and converting on key fourth-down plays. The Lions’ offense, meanwhile, was sluggish at first before finding a groove, but they couldn’t come up big when needed.
With the loss, the road to the division title is a lot harder, and the playoff chances are on thin ice. The Lions can’t make many more mistakes, but for now, let’s focus on the five takeaways I have from the loss to Green Bay.
Refball returns to Detroit
I am a big advocate for officials being held accountable for their mistakes, and boy, were there plenty of them on Thanksgiving. First, there were multiple blatant holds missed, which baffles me every week because, sure, holding happens on every play, but when it’s clear as day, you have to call it. The biggest talking point for the officials was the “timeout“ called by Packers head coach Matt LaFleur after seeing his offensive lineman false start on fourth-and-short inside the Lions’ 5-yard line.
As you can clearly see in the video above, LaFleur didn’t call a timeout until his player moved. It’s not something you can argue; it’s a straight-up fact. If the officials could do their job correctly, it would’ve moved Green Bay back 5 yards, and instead of a touchdown for Green Bay, they would have kicked a field goal instead, making it 6-0 instead of 10-0 Green Bay.
Another thing the officials got wrong was multiple catches by the Packers. On the first touchdown catch by Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks, he didn’t have full possession as the ball was moving around, and by the time he did, he had only one foot in. The second catch was on third-and-3 by Packers wide receiver Christian Watson on the next drive, who also caught the ball, had one foot in and one foot out, and it was ruled a catch. The Packers quickly got the play off, so it couldn’t be challenged, and instead of a punt, Green Bay scored.
The officials made a statement after the game, and it’s laughable, arguably the worst excuse I’ve ever seen.
Jameson Williams becomes top option for Goff
Enough about refball, time to focus on something positive in the game that didn’t have many positives. Early in the first quarter, starting wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown left the game and didn’t return with an ankle injury. That forced fellow receiver Jameson Williams to be thrown into the top receiver spot, and he stepped up for most of the game.
I say “most” because he did have two bad drops on key downs that could’ve extended drives for Detroit, but besides those drops, he was explosive and a playmaker. He finished with seven catches for 144 yards and a touchdown, proving he can be a top guy if the team needs him to be. With St. Brown possibly missing a game or two moving forward, Williams should expect to see more targets and attention, which is good for Detroit but also bad, as now teams can safely double Williams instead of focusing on St. Brown.
Frank Ragnow’s return couldn’t come any sooner
Wednesday afternoon, the Lions announced that center Frank Ragnow would come out of retirement and play again this season. While he didn’t play against Green Bay, and might not play against the Dallas Cowboys, he will be a huge upgrade for this offensive line.
On Thursday, Goff was sacked three times, and while he did get more time in the pocket, the offensive line struggled once again. To be fair, the Lions did have two backups this time in left guard Kayode Awosika and center Trystan Colon, so it was expected to be a difficult matchup. It doesn’t matter, though. When Ragnow returns this season, he will be a huge upgrade for the interior offensive line.
After Gibbs rushed for 219 yards against the Giants, he was held to 68 vs. the Packers, and the team failed time after time to try and move the ball through the teeth of the Packers’ defensive line. When the Lions tried to run play action, it was hit or miss as either the offensive line stood its ground or Goff was quickly throwing the ball to avoid a sack. Ragnow’s presence physically and mentally on the field will be a huge upgrade and the team hopes he can be ready as soon as possible.
Dan Campbell might need to give up playcalling
When Lions coach Dan Campbell took over play-calling, the Lions offense put up 44 points on the Washington Commanders, and the team looked great. Then they scored just nine points against the Philadelphia Eagles. They also needed overtime to defeat the Giants, granted the defense was struggling just as much as the offense was.
This week, while the defense wasn’t at its best, neither was the offense. It took the team a while to get going, and part of the problem, I believe, is with Campbell calling plays. Some of the decisions of when the team tried to do a trick play, jet sweep, or screen passes didn’t add up. What frustrated me the most was that on the first drive of the second half, down 17-14 with a chance to tie the game or take the lead, Campbell decided to run the ball up the middle with Gibbs four-straight times.
Last year, that would’ve made sense; the offensive line was built for those situations. This year, especially with two backups playing on the interior, why does he think that’s possible? It seems like he believes the offensive line is good enough to accomplish it when they aren’t. I don’t know what the answer is, but I’m starting to question if Campbell calling the plays is hurting the team more than helping.
The defense is a mess
There’s no way around it, but the Lions’ defense is a mess. Earlier in the year, Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard was getting attention for what he was doing and how strong the defense was playing. They were down multiple starters due to injuries from the previous year and even had injuries that occurred this season deplete their secondary, and the “legion of whom” helped carry the team to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions were getting sacks and a top-five team in that category.
Now, with those star players returning from injuries and bolstering the roster, the defense has somehow gotten worse. The only starter who is still missing time is safety Kerby Joseph, and every week it’s starting to become clear how impactful he is in the secondary. The Lions got back cornerback Terrion Arnold this week and last week got back D.J. Reed, and while they played fair on Thanksgiving, nickelback Amik Robertson has become a weak point. He allowed Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson to have a career game last week, and he allowed Christian Watson to have multiple catches, one for a 51-yard touchdown.
Then you have a defensive line with Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport returning from IR, Alim McNeill, rookie Tyliek Williams, and DJ Reader on the defensive line, and Packers quarterback Jordan Love never got sacked. Love had all day to throw the football, and the Packers’ offensive line isn’t filled with world beaters. The secondary can’t cover players for hours; the defensive line needs to get home and make a play.
Earlier this season, we saw Hutchinson be a dominant force; now he’s silent. McNeill was supposed to draw attention to the interior and help give Hutchinson more chances, but that doesn’t seem true now. Davenport was supposed to assist as well, but nope. Could some of these players be having that typical next-year dip when a player returns from a long-term injury? Perhaps, but it’s just disappointing because we know how good this defense can be but they aren’t executing when they need it most, and it could cost the team a playoff spot in the end.
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