The Good, Bad, and Ugly From Detroit Lions Loss to Rams

What went wrong against the Los Angeles Rams?

Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson (21) tackles Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions actually held a halftime lead against the Los Angeles Rams.

In the first 30 minutes of the game, Detroit forced a turnover, scored points off of the Aidan Hutchinson interception and were able to move the football well offensively.

Jared Goff was seemingly in rhythm with both Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Unfortunately, second-year kicker Jake Bates missed his first field-goal attempt, but rebounded later in the game.

What occurred in the second-half was a complete letdown on all fronts. Defensively, it was a total collapse, as Kelvin Sheppard's defense had no answers for star wideouts Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

Even worse, the run defense completely fell apart, as both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum thrived against Detroit's depleted defense.

Detroit's offense was seemingly unplugged completely from the power socket in the third-quarter.

More: Detroit Lions Grades Against Los Angeles Rams

“Really, I think the story yesterday was we had three series in the third quarter defensively and offensively. That’s really what bit us," said Dan Campbell. "Basically three touchdowns in 12 plays on defense and then we have nine plays for six yards total in that kind of third quarter stretch. So, that was tough. There was a number of errors that we had. Some technique, fundamental things that we’ve got to get cleaned up that you can’t get away with.

"With a team like that, that really got us. You do anything on any one of those series, offense or defense, and it’d change the dynamic of that game. So, that was not good. That’s what bit us," Campbell added. "And so, we clean it up, we move on."

Heading into the game, clearly the Lions' coaching staff was hoping to limit the Rams' rushing attack and were expecting Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to assist the offense manage the clock to ensure time of possession was in Detroit's favor.

“We said going into that game, really on both sides of the ball, it was ground supremacy. We did not own the ground and that makes it extremely difficult defensively to defend those guys if you cannot even corral or limit their run game," said Campbell. "So, it started there. They did a number of things in the runs, with the turbo motions, the inserts for the tight ends, they force your corners to be support on the inside.

"Just a couple of tricky things and then that happens, now your outside backer has to be the one who sets that. Just all these little things that we’ve got to be much crisper on. We’re going to get it from Pittsburgh, that’s what they do. So, they got us a little bit and then just using our help in some areas on the backend."

The latest 'Lone Wolves' podcast examines why the Lions struggled significantly to secure a victory against the Rams, given the stakes and very significant impact the game would have on the team's playoff aspirations.

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