Despite coming into today’s game at 7-3 and leading the NFC North, the Detroit Lions’ offense has not looked good over the past few weeks. Last week against the Arizona Cardinals, Matthew Stafford was held to only 183 yards and an interception, and the Lions’ offense looked lost and out of sync all day.
Things didn’t get any better for the Lions’ offense as they again struggled against a stiff New England Patriots’ defense on the road. While Stafford did have 264 yards through the air, he only completed 18 of his 46 attempts and threw an interception. The Lions’ offense again failed to find the end zone, settling for three field goals in the 34-9 loss.
The Patriots utilized their depth at cornerback and matched up extremely well on Stafford’s receivers all game long. Brandon Browner used his 6-foot-4 frame to shut down Calvin Johnson all game, holding him to only four catches for 58 yards. Golden Tate did start off hot, but failed to have an impact outside of the 2nd quarter. It also didn’t help Stafford that plenty of catchable balls were being dropped right and left by his receivers.
On the other side of the ball, the Patriots offense was able to move the ball with ease against Detroit’s top ranked defense, primarily through the air, with Tom Brady racking up 349 yards and two touchdowns. The Lions’ defense has been what has kept Detroit in games during their offensive slide, but this week they were unable to contain the red hot offense of the Patriots.
These two teams are heading in wildly different directions right now, with Brady and the Patriots surging at just the right time and the Lions struggling to get wins when they matter the most. Detroit is going to have to fix their offensive problems quickly moving forward if they want to avoid missing the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Peter Rogers is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @petahrahgas, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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