Matt Patricia – Page 16

Five things to watch as Detroit Lions face Washington Redskins

ALLEN PARK — It’s one of those games, the Detroit Lions should absolutely win. But this is the NFL and nothing is a certainty, especially when it involves the Lions’ struggling defense.

The Lions (3-6-1) face the lowly Redskins (1-9) at Washington, D.C., on Sunday.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford (back) has been ruled out, giving Jeff Driskel his third straight start.

In preparation, Lions coach Matt Patricia said he looks more at the film than the record of the opponent.

“The tape tells us a lot, that’s really what we have to focus on. Especially with a team like this, that we don’t really know very well from a stand point of we don’t play them a lot,’’ Patricia said. “We have to really dive into their personnel and figure out who they are, how they play, how it affects what they do. They have some experienced veterans that are on that team and that they’ve added to that team, and they have some young players that are really good, up and coming players. We really need to learn those guys as we go through the course of the week.”

Five things to watch:

1. Driskel has found some success in his first two starts and is getting more comfortable with each passing play. The offense was not the reason Detroit lost 35-27 to the Dallas Cowboys. Driskel is no Stafford, but he is proving to be a fine fill-in.

2. Detroit’s defense will face rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins who has had a rough start, throwing for a pair of touchdowns and five interceptions. Putting pressure on the rookie will be key, get him out of his comfort zone. This has not exactly been the strength of the defense in the first 10 games. They need to step it up. Haskins is still quite raw. “I think the game becomes faster for a player and they don’t have to think as much, it comes a little bit easier. That’s probably the thing that we’re emphasizing and we’re working through right now,’’ interim coach Bill Callahan said on a conference call this week.

3. Adrian Peterson, who is 34, is the Redskins leading rusher averaging 4.2 yards per carry. “I had the opportunity to experience playing against him years back when he was a young guy. I’m watching the film, and I don’t see it being a whole heck of a lot different,’’ Lions defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni said. “He’s powerful, he breaks tackles, he’s physical. He’s got great size, we all know that. So, I just think that you’ve got to be in good position to tackle him. Everybody’s got to understand that they’re in the point of attack because the ball could end up hitting any gap on any given play. He’s got great vision, he’s got great feet. He’s powerful. There’s not much different for me when I watch the film.”

4. The Redskins offense has been outscored 253-125 overall and 75-34 in the fourth quarter. The Lions have generally faded in the second half on both sides of the ball and have been outscored 92-64 in the fourth. Could be a snoozer if neither team jumps out and tries to take advantage of the other’s weakness.

5. Lions running back Bo Scarbrough, who made his NFL debut on Sunday, could get the start again. Scarbrough, who is low-key, had 14 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys. “I thought he came in and really did a nice job of bringing a physical presence for us. He was really hitting the hole hard, he was running downhill, breaking tackles at the first level, breaking tackles at the second level,’’ offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. “I mean that’s kind of what we were looking for in the run game. I thought he kind of gave us a little bit of a spark, and you could see the tenacity that he brought to it and kind of the style that we would like to play.”

PREDICTION: Lions 24, Redskins 23 (This is a tough one. Lions should win, but not much confidence after loss to the Cowboys.)

Lions’ awful defense not all Patricia’s fault, but it’s up to him to fix it

This defense worse than the 0-16 team in 2008

ALLEN PARK — The Lions’ defense is bad, it’s ranked 30th in the NFL giving up 412.8 yards per game. In Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, the defense gave up 509 total yards. No other team amassed more yards on Sunday.

It might not be the Lions’ worst defense ever, but if not it comes close.

In 2008, you remember the season the Lions went 0-16, Detroit’s defense allowed 404.4 yards per game. It was the worst in the NFL but still allowed less yards than this season’s bunch.

So what now?

The Lions (3-6-1) play at the woeful Washington Redskins (1-9) on Sunday. The Redskins ended their streak of 16 straight quarters without a touchdown when they scored a pair late in a 34-17 loss to the Jets on Sunday. The Lions are 2.5-point favorites.

With a championship, playoffs and likely a winning season out of the realm of possibility, coach Matt Patricia on Monday said: “We’re playing for this game, that’s what we do and that’s really honestly that’s how the week is for us. It’s one-game seasons, that’s what they are, that’s how the NFL works.’’

While Lions’ penalties were an issue Sunday (11, costing 89 yards) and are most every game day, the defense is the reason the Lions lost to Dallas, 35-27.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said he had time to go through his progressions two or three times. It was crazy. It seemed like he had all day because he did. No wonder he passed for 444 yards — the most against the Lions this season. Often his receivers were wide open. Four of them had single catches of 21 yards or more (21, 23, 41,49). That’s a little crazy too.

So Patricia was asked if there will be changes on defensive play-calling immediately after the game. He danced around a straight answer.

He was asked again on Monday and remained vague. It’s uncertain if he or coordinator Paul Pasqualoni are making the calls during the game.

This was Patricia’s reply on Monday: “I think for us as a staff, and how we’re doing things on defense, I think we need to continually improve it. I definitely feel that that has been my message to those guys throughout the entire season, so that we can help the players more. I try to do as much as I can and will continually try to do that, but I think the coaches are working really hard to try to get it right from that aspect of it. We obviously have to do more, and we will. Sometimes I look at it and think I have to teach it differently too. I always try to evaluate, ‘OK, what can I say differently here? How can I explain it different? How can I term it different that we’ll at least maybe understand it and maybe be able to play a little bit better from that aspect of it?’’’

When pressed on an answer about play calling he said his role on game days changes game by game.

“So, some games it’s been more, some games it’s been less, and that’s been consistent throughout the season. That’s true,’’ Patricia said.

Whether it’s Patricia or Pasqualoni making the calls, improvement must be made.

This mess of a defense is not all on coaching, but that is definitely a part of it. Patricia went 6-10 last season and now is 3-6-1. Is the team still listening to him? “I think there’s nothing that would give me an indication that they’re not,’’ Patricia said.

Not so long ago — actually in 2014 under coach Jim Caldwell in his first season — the Lions finished the season with the second-best defense in the NFL, allowing 300.9 yards per game. It was Ndamukong Suh’s last season in Detroit.

It’s been downhill since.

Last season, the defense ranked 10th (335 yards per game) after it made a turnaround during the season (after the acquisition of Damon “Snacks” Harrison) and toughened up.

This season’s new low is not all because of Patricia’s defensive philosophy, but it’s up to him to right a sinking ship.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions)

Detroit Lions’ defense fails again, this time in loss to Dallas Cowboys

DETROIT — Detroit’s defense is not getting the job done.

It happened again on Sunday when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Lions 35-27 at Ford Field. If you’ve lost count, the Lions have lost six of the last seven and are now 3-6-1.

On offense the Lions had a backup quarterback (Jeff Driskel) starting his second game for this team and a running back (Bo Scarbrough) who never had a carry in the NFL. Still they managed to score 27 points which should be enough to win an NFL game.

Do not blame this on Driskel or the offense.

This is all on the Lions’ sad-sack defense, especially against the pass.

In the last five games the defense has allowed quarterbacks to throw 16 touchdown passes and has not made an interception.

“We just need to make more plays. We just left too many plays out there. It’s another game – I feel like a broken record at this point, but another game I feel like the offense played well enough for us to win, but we have to figure it out collectively as a defense,’’ linebacker Devon Kennard said. “We have to play better, and we can play better.”

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes for 444 yards (just shy of his all-time high of 463). He had all the time in the world in the pocket and often his receivers were wide open, without a defender within a few yards. Dallas finished with 509 yards of offense.

“We had pressure. I think we missed like three (sacks). We were getting what we needed to go, we just have to make the plays, like I said. We had a couple guys that probably had some sacks but missed it. We had a couple guys that had chances to make PBUs and we didn’t make it, and I am one of them,’’ cornerback Darius Slay said. “So, it’s all accountable for all of us, so we all just have to put it together.”

Coach Matt Patricia, known as a defensive guru when he was hired from the Patriots, has talked about finding consistency since Week 1. He is still searching for it.

“It’s something we’re trying to figure out,’’ Patricia said in his post-game presser.

Echoing his coach, Kennard said they need to be consistent in everything they do.

“I feel like last week we came out and played one of our better games defensively overall, and we needed to build on that and not take a step back. Defensively, I think we took a step back today,’’ Kennard said.

Yes, there have been injuries but that is no excuse. Every team is dealing with that at this time of the season.

Nothing that they saw from Dallas should have been a surprise. The Cowboys had the NFL’s best offense (437.3 yards per game) when they arrived at Ford Field.

“We didn’t play well enough to win. Give the Cowboys credit. They made a lot more plays than we did,” Patricia said. “Certainly, I’d say, in all three phases they’re plays out there that we need to do a better job of, so continually trying to improve this and get it better.”

No offense but this is basically what’s been said every week just change the name of the opponent.

Prescott is a solid quarterback with plenty of talent surrounding him.

On a somewhat positive note, running back Ezekiel Elliott was held to 45 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. In only one game has he been held to less yards (35) this season.

Two Cowboys’ receivers — Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb — finished with more than 100 receiving yards. Gallup’s 148 yards were the most he’s had since Week 1. Cobb’s 115 receiving yards were a season-high.

Driskel might be young but he’s not crazy. He wasn’t going to get into a debate on whether the offense is carrying the defense and if there is any resentment in the locker room.

“I mean the beautiful thing about football is it’s a team sport, it’s a total team sport. Our first touchdown of the day they gave us a short field. I don’t know where we got the ball exactly, but they did a nice job of getting the ball off of them,’’ Driskel said referring to the recovered fumble at the Cowboys’ 28-yard line in the first quarter.

“We did a nice job of scoring a touchdown. We got the ball later – I think it was still in the first quarter – around midfield after a huge return, so, it’s a total team game,’’ Driskel said. “I think everyone just has to look themselves in the mirror and see what each individual could have done better to give us a better chance to win.”

No one would disagree.

This team can do better with the talent on the roster, but it is the defense that is holding the Lions back. Of that, there is no question.