Lions Red Zone Report: Successful Trips Suggest Optimism for Petzing

The Detroit Lions found themselves in a three-score deficit early in Thursday's game against the Buffalo Bills.

Led by Josh Allen and playing in front of a raucous crowd celebrating the opening of their new stadium, the Bills scored touchdowns on each of their first three drives. Meanwhile, the Lions had a three-and-out, followed by a drive that was derailed by a pair of sacks.

As a result, the Lions were forced to play catch-up for the remainder of the game, and while the defense couldn't get enough stops, the offense did show some life over the final three quarters of the game.

Here is a breakdown of each of the team's ensuing trips to the red zone, and why it could show optimistic signs for new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

First red zone trip

After moving down the field thanks to some strong runs from Jahmyr Gibbs and catches from Sione Vaki and Sam LaPorta, the Lions earned a fresh set of downs from the Buffalo 17-yard line. Detroit started the red zone trip with a run from Gibbs, which gained six yards.

The run was an outside zone, with Amon-Ra St. Brown going in "zipper" motion, where he started motioning left before returning to the right to serve as a leader blocker prior to the snap. Gibbs was able to stretch the run out for a modest gain to set up a second-and-short.

On the next snap, Sam LaPorta goes in motion early. He doesn't have a defender follow him across the formation, indicating that it's zone coverage. Detroit then sends Gibbs out to the slot from the backfield, snapping the ball as he gets to his position.

It's essentially a two-man concept targeting the corner and safety with Gibbs and Jameson Williams. Williams runs a deep out, which pulls the corner. The defender walked up on Gibbs has the flats as his responsibility, and Gibbs releases outside before knifing inside.

It's a clever concept, and Jared Goff times the throw perfectly to drill Gibbs up the seam before the single safety can get over and make a play on the ball.

Second red zone trip

The second trip into the red zone was not particularly noteworthy. It was an end of half situation where the Lions were trying to get points before the break, and was made possible by a tripping penalty against the Bills.

Detroit opted for a field goal with time running out from Buffalo's 13-yard line, and Jake Bates drilled the kick.

Third red zone trip

Facing the urgency of a 27-10 halftime deficit, Goff rallied the offense to get within striking range on the team's first drive of the third quarter. A completion to Gibbs got the team inside the 15-yard line, then he hit St. Brown on an out-breaking route to get the offense down to the 2-yard line.

On first-and-goal, the Lions lined up with two receivers to the left and two tight ends attached to the line of scrimmage on the right. The concept is a man-coverage beating route, with the slot receiver Jameson Williams quickly breaking out in an effort to create space for St. Brown on the right.

Again, the veteran Goff has the sense to time the ball nicely in the gap to St. Brown, as there's not much space to throw the ball right away. However, he places it well and St. Brown comes down with the score.

Fourth red zone trip

The Bills made things more difficult after Detroit cut the lead to 10, as they went on a 15-play touchdown drive that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock. With their backs against the wall to start the fourth, Goff and company went right to work.

Goff hit St. Brown for 34 yards to put Detroit in Buffalo territory, then the two connected again for an 11-yard gain to reach the red zone. After hitting Sam LaPorta for seven yards, the Lions faced a second-and-3 from Buffalo's 12.

However, the offense began to stall out. A run by Gibbs was stuffed, and the Goff's pass intended for Isaac TeSlaa on third down was incomplete. A penalty on Larry Borom prior to the fourth-down snap made things even tougher.

However, Detroit's offense was bailed out by a defensive holding penalty on Davis Igbonosun after Goff's pass for Williams fell incomplete on fourth-down. Goff would scramble for four yards, then another defensive penalty gave the Lions the ball on the 1-yard line.

The ensuing play was a clever play-action concept. Once again, pre-snap motion has an impact on this snap, and the Lions have four tight ends on the field with two on each side of the formation. Goff sends Brock Wright across the formation, which takes the eyes of the linebackers prior to the play.

Goff fakes a handoff to Gibbs, which further takes attention from Buffalo's defense. Wright never stops and runs into the flats, while Jackson Meeks, LaPorta and Tyler Conklin all run mesh routes.

Meeks goes from the left to the right side on a shallow drag, while LaPorta does the same going the other way. Conklin, meanwhile, runs a deeper drag to the back of the end zone to create space.

Ultimately, LaPorta is the benefactor as all the motion going to the right pulls the defense, leaving him all alone running on the left side.

Final thoughts

Excluding the field goal out of necessity on the final possession of the half, the Lions went three-for-three on touchdowns in the red zone. Petzing showed some flair with some of the calls, as the team had some solid concepts to counter the looks they got from the Bills.

Through two games, the Lions have scored touchdowns on seven of their nine possessions where they've reached the red zone. That's an encouraging sign for the team led by a new coordinator, as red zone struggles had hampered the Lions at times last year.

As they look for answers on defense after a rough showing Thursday, there are some optimistic takeaways for the group on the offensive side of the ball.

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