Detroit Lions Shutdown by the Patriots

The Detroit Lions could not pick up their first road win in Massachusetts Sunday. They were shutout by the New England Patriots 0 to 29.

Here are my takeaways:

Offense Shut Down

The past few weeks, the defense has been the issue as the offense has flourished. Today, that was not the case. The Lions offensive line didn’t stand a chance against the Patriots defense. Jared Goff had a rough game. In the first half alone, he threw a detrimental interception in the red zone, and then fumbled as the result of a sack that was returned for a touchdown. He is going to feel this game tomorrow, as the offensive line did him no favors today.

The Lions, known for going for it on fourth down, were zero for six today on fourth down conversions. They had seven turnovers throughout this game. 20 of New England’s 29 points were results of those turnovers. After five trips into the Patriots territory, they came out with zero points.

The Lions Defense continues to struggle

The first game after the Lions made changes to their defense looked decent early on, until it wasn’t. Amani Oruwariye surprisingly appeared on the inactive list despite practicing all week with the team. The defense was able to hold the Patriots early on to a few field goals. The only touchdown in the first half came from Goff’s fumble.

Detroit’s rush defense was extremely ineffective. They allowed Patriots running back, Rhamondre Stevenson, 6.4 yards-per-carry and 161 rushing yards on 25 carries. Stevenson had yet to eclipse 100+ yards until today.

The Lions defense was up against Matt Patricia’s offense and third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe. The last time the Lions were shutout was back in 2020 with Matt Patricia as the head coach.

One highlight from the defense: DeShon Elliott recorded his first interception in a Lions uniform.

DeShon Elliot picks off Bailey Zappe due to Nelson Agholor's incompetency pic.twitter.com/X3VOxVlvKI
— Main Team (@MainTeamSports2) October 9, 2022

Injuries Galore

The Lions lost five defensive backs in this game alone. Saivion Smith, Will Harris, Jeff Okudah, DeShon Elliott and Ifeatu Melifonwu were all injured in this game.

The most serious of them all was Saivion Smith. He was taken off the field by an ambulance early in the first quarter. He was taken to a local hospital to evaluate a neck injury. Per the FOX broadcast during the game, Smith does have movement in his extremities.

Luckily, the Lions are going into a bye week next week. Hopefully this will give their injured players time to rest before they get back into the season.