Lions' Week 8 Offensive Grades: Darrell Bevell Lacks Creativity
The Lions are who we thought they were: Mediocre.
Their 41-21 loss to the Indianapolis Colts Sunday is the latest example of the fact they're the "Same Old Lions."
Numerous areas of the team were hugely lackluster, including the play of franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Here are my grades for him and the rest of the offense after their Week 8 defeat at the hands of the Colts.
Quarterback
Two turnovers and two critical errors made by Matthew Stafford in Sunday's contest against the Colts.
Darius Leonard's strip-sack of Detroit's franchise passer late in the third quarter led to a touchdown drive for Indianapolis.
And on the Lions' subsequent offensive possession, Stafford threw a pick-six that made it a 35-14 game and ultimately put it out of reach.
Those were two extremely costly turnovers from Stafford that significantly hurt his team's chances of pulling out a win on Sunday.
In a game where Detroit's defense wasn't nearly as stout as it had been the previous two weeks, Stafford needed to be a lot better, and in fact, needed to carry the team.
He failed to do so, and it's the reason for his subpar Week 8 grade below.
Grade: D
Running backs
The backs collectively were abysmal on Sunday.
They combined for just 29 yards on 13 carries, equating to just 2.2 yards per carry.
Adrian Peterson and D'Andre Swift accounted for 11 of those 13 rushes, and produced a measly eight yards.
The ground game literally failed the Lions in this Week 8 contest.
Grade: F
Wide receivers/tight ends
The receivers surely weren't to blame for the Lions' loss Sunday, but they also didn't help out the cause enough, either.
Kenny Golladay, who failed to record a single catch against the Colts on four targets, left the contest early with a hip injury.
And once he did, Detroit's offense went downhill.
Marvin Hall had himself a day with four receptions for 113 yards, and Marvin Jones Jr. did record two touchdown catches.
Marvin Hall recording a catch.
Kirthmon F. Dozier, Imagn Content Services, LLC
However, the communication between Stafford and his receivers looked off for the majority of the game, and a lot of the significant damage the receivers did came in garbage time in the fourth quarter.
The pass-catchers get the best grade on the offensive side of the ball in Week 8, but it's still not a grade they'd likely be happy with.
Grade: C
Offensive line
The Lions did absolutely nothing running the football, and Stafford was sacked a season-high five times.
It was easily the worst performance of the season for the offensive line.
And to add insult to injury, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who was subpar yet again Sunday and got beat on one of the five sacks permitted by Detroit, exited the contest prematurely with a foot ailment.
Simply said, he's been a complete and utter disappointment during his first season in Motown.
And the Lions' O-line collectively was an utter disappointment in Week 8 against the Colts.
Grade: F
More from SI All Lions:
Matthew Stafford or Lions' Defense: Who Deserves More Blame?
Colts Carve Up Lions Defense in 41-21 Victory
Danny Shelton Penalty Explained
3 Trade Needs for the Detroit Lions
Critical Errors Cost Lions against Colts
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