Amon-ra St. Brown – Page 2

Lions Dan Campbell remains optimistic about offense after coming up short against Eagles

After a rough outing in the 16-9 loss at the Eagles, Lions coach Dan Campbell still believes in his offense and, in particular, the offensive line.

“I believe in these guys, I do. I just think the more they play together and they mesh and we do things we do well,’’ Campbell said on Monday.

The Lions averaged just 3.5 yards per carry in the run game. “That’s not enough for us, that’s everybody that’s all inclusive,’’ Campbell said.

The Lions were 3-of-13 on third downs and 0-of 5 on fourth downs – not exactly a winning formula. Although due to the weather conditions, a field goal was not viable on three of those. And on one of them they ran a fake punt and Grant Stuard failed to advance.

“It was really a combination of missed throws, we had some pressures, tipped balls, a couple of drops and there was a couple of bad calls by me,’’ said Campbell who made the offensive playcalls for the second straight game. “There’s some calls I want back, bad.’’

The Lions dropped to 6-4 and third place in the NFC North, but there are seven games left and neither the Packers, Bears or Vikings are a lock to win the division.

Against the Eagles’ defense, Jared Goff was 14-of-37 for 255 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He targeted Amon-Ra St. Brown a dozen times but he only caught two of them.

Campbell remains positive about his team. He takes his share of the blame but has faith his guys will be ready to get back to work to face the N.Y. Giants on Sunday, the first of three home games in 12 days.

“I just go back to I believe in these guys, I think they’re good enough, they know how to play together, we’ve just got to be a little more consistent in areas,’’ Campbell said. “It takes everybody. We’re so close. We can be so potent. Jamo is taking off, Gibbs is taking off. I’m not worried about the connection with Saint and Goff, that thing’s coming, it’s always there, it was just one of those days yesterday,’’ Campbell said. “We all elevate a little bit, including myself we’re going to be just fine.”

Campbell said they still haven’t quite played their best game in all three phases.

“Once we get there I think there’ll be no looking back,’’ Campbell said.

UP NEXT: N.Y. Giants (2-9) at the Lions (6-4), 1 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field.

Five reasons for the Lions loss to the Eagles; don’t blame the defense

Campbell said they will learn from it and get better

Coach Dan Campbell loves complementary football and when he sees it from his Lions, they have a good chance of winning. He did not see it on Sunday night in the 16-9 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles.

While Detroit’s defense played their tails off and executed a good game plan, the Eagles’ defense nearly shut down the Lions offense all night long.

The Lions turned the ball over five times on downs. Five times. Detroit was 3-of-13 on third downs.

“Look, we know the type of team we just faced, a good team. We had our chances but we didn’t get it done,’’ Campbell said. “They made the most of the opportunity, we didn’t. But we’re right there. We understand what it is. We understand we make one or two more plays in certain areas then you’ve got the legit shot to win the game at the end. As bad as it semes, as bad as it is, we’re so freaking close.’’

The Lions drop to 6-4 and third place in the NFC North while the Eagles are now 8-2 and hold down first in the NFC East.

“They made the plays at the critical moments there at the end to win it. That’s what they’e done. I was proud of the way the guys played,’’ Campbell said. “I thought they played their tails off, played hard, I thought we tried to finish plays, I thought we were disciplined for the most part.’’

He credited the defense for playing really, really well and said the offense could never get in a rhythm, taking some of the blame for his play-calling.

“I believe this is the best thing for us. You don’t want to say that, it doesn’t feel good,’’ Campbell said. “We’re going to learn from this, we’re going to get better, we’re going to adjust and we’ll be hitting our stride when other teams start hitting their adversity toward the back end of the season.’’

Five things to think about after the loss:

ONE: None of the blame can be placed on the Lions defense. They were put in horrible field positions and held on. Early the Eagles were on Detroit’s 11-yard line following an interception after a deflection and the defense held them to a field goal. It was like that the whole game. No blame here. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard drew up a good plan and they executed it.

TWO: The Eagles defense was too much for the Lions offense to handle. The offensive line could not protect Jared Goff. Plus the Eagles defensive line deflected five of Goff’s passes — three by Jordan Davis. The quarterback had no time to get the ball to his intended receivers. The offense just could not find any kind of rhythm.

THREE: Goff was 13-of-37 for 255 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception – just a wretched night. It was not all on him. Some, yes, but not all. He had someone in his face all night. So much pressure that he hurried the passes. Amon St. Brown was targeted 12 times and caught just two for 42 yards. That’s startling when you think about it.

FOUR: Jahmyr Gibbs had a good night, but he could not do it alone. Gibbs ran 12 times for 39 yards and caught five passes for 107 yards. Jameson Williams had 4 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown He was targeted 7 times. Sam LaPorta, who was placed on injured reserve, was missed big-time.

FIVE: This is the kind of game that the Lions have to win if they want to get to the next level. They had to find a way and they could not. It’s not the end of the road but it’s an issue. The Eagles, defending Super Bowl champs, have figured this out.

UP NEXT: N.Y. Giants (2-9) at Lions (6-4), 1 p.m. Sunday at Ford Field.

Five reasons the Lions lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs

Unlike 2023, the Lions could not find a way to win in Kansas City on Sunday night. Playing with a depleted secondary, Detroit lost to the Chiefs, 30-17.
The Lions 4-game win streak was snapped, dropping them to 4-2. The Chiefs, who were coming off a loss to the Jaguars, entered the game with a 2-3 record. So while it wasn’t a must-win situation for Kansas City, it was close to it.

“We just didn’t make the plays we needed to make, we were able to do some things good in phases at times but not enough for a team like that with the pedigree they have, the way they play back at their house,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “We couldn’t complement each other and we weren’t able to really make it a game, we really weren’t.’’

While the Lions did not turn the ball over, their unforced errors on offense were costly. Credit the Chiefs defense for finding a way to stop Detroit’s offense which was ranked tops in the NFL. The offense and defense didn’t play up to the team’s standards.

“I’m disappointed. It’s been a long time since you’re watching somebody kneel it three times in front of you and it’s not even close, you’re down two scores,’’ Campbell said. “We got worked pretty good so yeah, it’s disappointing it’s really disappointing.’’

He said they’ll get back to work and clean up the mistakes. They have no choice. The Tampa Bay Bucs (5-1) are next on the schedule for a Monday night game at Ford Field on Oct. 20.

“It’s not going to get any easier, things get harder and harder as you go. And they’re more meaningful every game we go,’’ Campbell said. “I go back to this, maybe we needed this, maybe we needed to get kicked around a little bit because that’s what happened.’’

Five main reasons the Lions lost:

ONE: The defense could not stop Patrick Mahomes. It’s a tough assignment with a beat-up secondary, but the Lions were just not good enough. Detroit is missing most of its top cornerbacks and safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are not 100 percent. Still, no excuses. LB Alex Anzalone led the defense with a dozen tackles and a quarterback hit. Jack Campbell had 8 tackles, a sack and a quarterback hit.

TWO: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown dropped a fourth-down catch in the second quarter which eventually led to a Chiefs touchdown right before halftime. Usually, he’s got great mitts so it was uncharacteristic and could not have come at a worse time. St. Brown had nine receptions for 45 yards. Jameson Williams (6 for 66 yards) and Sam LaPorta (4 for 46 yards) each scored a receiving touchdown

THREE: Aidan Hutchinson sacked Mahomes one time, but was whistled for roughing the passer early in the fourth quarter – which gave the Chiefs 15 yards that led to the second Mahomes-to-Hollywood Brown touchdown. It was not close, it was definitely roughing the passer. Hutchinson also finished with a quarterback hit, a forced fumble and 2 tackles. Mahomes was also sacked by Jack Campbell and Al-Quadin Muhammad.

FOUR: Goff had solid numbers and ran more than 9 minutes off the clock on the opening touchdown drive, but Campbell said before the game they would need 30 points to win and obviously they didn’t get close. Goff completed 8 straight passes late in the third, ending with an amazing one-handed touchdown catch by Sam LaPorta. Goff finished 23-29, 203 yards, 2 TDs and was sacked once.

FIVE: The Lions run game worked early, but once they were down by 10 they had to go away from it more. Jahmyr Gibbs had 17 carries for 65 yards with David Montgomery with 4 carries for 24 yards.

EXTRA: Brian Branch initiated a scuffle immediately after the game. Campbell addressed it at the start of his post-game press conference: “I love Brian Branch, but what he did was inexcusable and it’s not going to be accepted here. It’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about. I apologize to Coach Reid and the Chiefs. That’s not OK.’’

UP NEXT: Tampa Bay Bucs (5-1) at Lions (4-2) at 7 p.m. on Monday Night Football on Oct. 20.