Author: Paula Pasche

The Detroit Lions showed a little fight in the second half, but once again it was too little, too late.

After falling behind 20-0 at the half, the Lions could not scratch their way back and lost 44-20 to the Ravens on Sunday in Baltimore.

The Lions drop to 6-6 with four games remaining including next Sunday at Tampa Bay. Their playoff hopes are not dead, but they are on life support.

“We’re not playing well enough and I have to do a better job of coaching as well,’’ coach Jim Caldwell said afterward.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions)

The good news, at least for the next few weeks, is that Matthew Stafford’s right hand is not broken. Caldwell said he had X-rays and it’s a “nasty bruise.” Stafford had his hand stepped on late in the game and went into the locker room for X-rays right away.

Five reasons the Lions lost:

1. Another game, another slow start. The Lions have been fallen behind 43-0 in first quarter of last four games. They talk about focus, concentrating on details and it all sounds good but once again they didn’t translate to the field. Matthew Stafford fumbled on a snap on third-and-8 in first quarter. Lions recovered but were forced to punt. That’s on focus.

2. At one stretch in the second half, Stafford completed 20 straight passes, a franchise record. The 20th pass was to linebacker/fullback Nick Bellore for a touchdown. Stafford left the game late in the fourth quarter with an ice bag on his right hand. He wasn’t the whole problem, but part of it. He was 24 of 29 for 292 yards, one touchdown, one interception, one fumble loss and a 105.2 quarterback rating.

3. Stafford was also sacked three times. It’s not a coincidence that the offensive line was a M-A-S-H unit. Center Travis Swanson was out so Graham Glasgow started at center. Corey Robinson then filled in at left guard. Right tackle Rick Wagner (ankle) was injured and couldn’t return so Brian Mihalik stepped in and at one point T.J. Lang was out, but he was able to return with a foot injury. Stafford was pressure all day long by a very solid Ravens front line.

4. The defense was unprepared at times. On a 23-yard pass to  Chris Moore late in the third quarter, the Lions had only nine defensemen on the field. That’s just one example. They gave up too many big plays against the Ravens’ offense which, coming into the game, was averaging 281.1 yards per game which ranks second-to-last in the NFL.  They finished Sunday with 371 total yards (269 passing).  Before Sunday the Ravens ranked dead last in the NFL with 164.3 passing yards per game. Beat that up more than 100 yards. Quarterback Joe Flacco had plenty of time most of the day, he was never sacked. Detroit’s linebackers couldn’t stop the run. That is not news either.

5. The run game was ineffective once again with 78 yards rushing. At least offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter didn’t just stick to his old ways, he added a few twists. He activated rookie Tion Green who had 11 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown in his first game. Also he brought in linebacker Nick Bellore as a fullback. Stafford threw a touchdown pass to him on second-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Ameer Abdullah (neck) was out injured and Dwayne Washington was inactive. And, of course, the banged-up offensive line wasn’t much help either.

BONUS:  Matt Prater missed a 42-yard field goal — the first time this season he’s missed a field goal of less than 50 yards. He also missed on an extra point. Both were wide left. Those four points could have been crucial, although looking at the final score they weren’t exactly. It’s so uncharacteristic of Prater. Again, he was not the only issue but it takes a team to win and he didn’t do his part.

The Lions run game which has under-performed most of the season will be without Ameer Abdullah today at the Ravens. Abdullah, who has a neck injury, practiced on a limited basis on Friday after sitting out on Wednesday and Thursday. His absence is not a surprise. He was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report.

Also, looks like a shakeup in the run game personnel. Dwayne Washington was not on the injury list, he practiced all week and yet is inactive.

Rookie Tion Green is active for the first game this season.

Look for Theo Riddick to get more carries with Zach Zenner and Green helping out too.

Guard T.J. Lang (foot) will play. He had limited practice on Friday after missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday. He had been listed as questionable.

Center Travis Swanson and cornerback/returner Jamal Agnew were declared out on Friday’s injury report. Both have knee injuries and did not practice all week. Graham Glasgow is expected to take over at center while Corey Robinson could fill his role at left guard.

Defensive end Dwight Freeney will play in his first game for the Lions after he was acquired before the Thanksgiving game. He’s not expected to start, but should contribute. He’s in football shape because he played four games for the Seahawks including on Monday night, Nov. 20.

Other Lions’ inactives: Wide receiver Bradley Marquez, guard G Emmett Cleary and safety Rolan Milligan.

ALLEN PARK — When the Lions last played at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium in 2009, it was a miserable day — cold and pouring rain. It was a homecoming of sorts for then-Lions coach Jim Schwartz. It ended with a 48-3 loss.

A few things have changed since that miserable day including the Lions GM, coach and most of the roster. Daunte Culpepper (two interceptions) was the starting quarterback while rookie Matthew Stafford was on injured reserve.

Sunday’s game is crucial in the Lions’ chances for a wildcard playoff berth. At 6-5, Detroit has won three of its last four and owns a  4-1 record on the road.

Five things to watch on Sunday:

1. The last three games they’ve been behind in the first quarter 10-0, 10-0 and 13-0. They’ve won two of those but on Thanksgiving they could not come back against the Vikings. It’s a concern but there is no magic solution. “We’ve turned the ball over a little bit too much early in the game from multiple factors. We do that better, we’re going to be better offensively and definitely better as a team not putting our defense in tough spots. So, that’s the major point of emphasis for us, it’s protecting the ball early,’’ offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said Thursday.

2. It’s a broken record but it’s important. The run game ranks 30th in the NFL averaging 78.3 yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry. Ameer Abdullah (neck) did not practice on Wednesday and Thursday but was back at work on Friday. It’s uncertain if he’ll play on Sunday. If Abdullah is out that would give Theo Riddick more carries and Zach Zenner will have more chances. “We’ve seen improvement from him, he’s really working hard at it,’’ Cooter said of Riddick. “And it is our job to evaluate all those guys and sort of figure out who should get what amount of plays in the game, and carries, and all that stuff, sort of how each guy’s game looks like.’’

3. Now that he’s been back for three games, look for Kenny Golladay to possibly get more balls thrown his way. The rookie is a big-play wide receiver who can stretch the field. “A lot of different stats you can throw around in the league, but creating explosive plays is one of those sort of major offensive successful — leads to successful, leads to wins,’’ Cooter said. “Kenny plays a part in that thing, he does a nice job creating those big plays. Whether it’s just sort of a go-route down the field where he goes up and makes the play, sometimes it’s sort of crossing route type things where he’s crossing the field. He’s a talented young player, he’s getting better at a lot of different things. He’s learning a lot this year, we’re going to keep him moving forward and I believe he’s going to keep helping our team win games.”

4. The Ravens run game must be stopped. This has been a big issue the past three weeks when the Lions defense has allowed a combined 559 yards. That’s an average of a whopping 186 yards per game. Alex Collins (4.9 yards per carry) and Terrance West (3.5 ppc) lead the way for the Ravens’ run game. “(Collins) is always trying to make the extra yards. Got really good vision. But I think really when you look at it up front, they do a good job in terms of they have big people in the interior line. They block you. The tight ends are good blockers,’’ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said.

5. Matthew Stafford had an off game on Thanksgiving. He rolled his ankle late in the game and it did impact his play. He’s fully healthy and has practiced at full speed all week. The quarterback play is not the concern of this offense, but he needs to be better than against the Vikings. If the Lions could ever establish a run game, Stafford’s game would automatically improve.

PREDICTION: Lions 27, Ravens 17