Same Old Lions Have No Answers in Shutout Loss to Patriots
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The Lions are literally limping into the bye week, after a disappointing 29-0 Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots.
Not terribly unexpected, Bill Belichick proved to be the far superior game-planner. The Lions' offense, which averaged 35 points per game heading into Gillette Stadium, only found life late in stat-padding time.
Here are five takeaways from the Lions' loss to the Patriots, which dropped their record to 1-4.
Shakeup in the secondary
Prior to the game against the Patriots, the Lions' coaching staff indicated that based on its defensive performance against the Seahawks, changes would likely be made, most notably to the personnel on the field.
After cornerback Amani Oruwariye was placed on the inactive list this week, it was highly likely that a shakeup would occur in the secondary.
Detroit decided to start safeties Kerby Joseph and Saivion Smith, along with AJ Parker, in the slot cornerback position.
Jeff Okudah and Will Harris were the starting cornerbacks this week.
Unfortunately, Smith, who was making his first start of the season, was injured on the opening drive of the game, and had to leave the game in an ambulance.
Brian Fluharty, USA TODAY Sports
Jared Goff has reverted back to bad habits
Unfortunately for the Lions in the first half, Goff had two more costly turnovers.
Prior to Sunday, he had tossed two pick-sixes, but had avoided a couple other interceptions.
Against the Patriots, his luck ran out. In the first half, an early interception ended a drive, as Jack Jones was able to pick off a pass at the Patriots' 3-yard line.
Even more costly, Goff lost a fumble that was eventually returned for a touchdown. Detroit decided to go for it on fourth-and-9, instead of attempting a long field goal of nearly 50 yards. Goff was chased out of the pocket, and eventually fumbled. Safety Kyle Dugger picked up the fumble forced by Matthew Judon, and scored a 41-yard touchdown that extended the Patriots' lead to 13-0.
Aidan Hutchinson does not have much impact
Unfortunately for the No. 2 overall pick, he again could not make the key play when called upon.
Barreling down Bailey Zappe with an opportunity to secure a sack in the first half, Hutchinson failed to make the play, as the rookie quarterback simply scooted by him.
In fact, the Fox telecast made it a point to highlight that it appeared Hutchinson was just playing. According to Fox Sports' Jonathan Vilma, it was as though Hutchinson was just there, without having any significant impact.
Vilma additionally pointed out that Hutchinson needs to now develop a "go-to" pass-rush move, in order to be successful moving forward.
Lions suffer even more injuries to secondary
At one point late in the third quarter, the Lions' secondary featured Bobby Price, Mike Hughes at outside cornerback, AJ Parker in the slot, and Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu playing safety.
By the fourth quarter, though, DeShon Elliott, Smith, Harris, Okudah and Melifonwu were all missing in action.
Dan Campbell was badly outcoached
It is quite clear that Belichick and the Patriots' defense discovered that the Lions came in with a prolific offense.
A masterful gameplan was put in place defensively, while the Patriots' offense executed with workman-like efficiency.
Judon was called upon to bring the pressure when needed, and the defense even scored a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Campbell still chose to be aggressive, despite no real evidence that it would ever actually produce a tangible result.
Detroit has not utilized Jack Fox in any optimal manner this season, and Sunday was no different.
With a new kicker in town, Michael Badgley, the team did not want to test his leg strength, opting to go for it repeatedly on fourth down instead.
