After winning four straight games following their Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions saw their streak come to an end in Week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs, losing on the road 30-17. It was a tight game for the majority of the evening, but eventually Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was too much for Detroit’s shorthanded secondary.
Let’s jump into some winners and losers from the Lions’ loss to the Chiefs.
It was going to be a tall task no matter who was on the field, but with the Lions down so many starters in the secondary, the margin of error shrunk even more. Similar to an offensive line gelling as they play together over time, a secondary relies on clear communication, both pre-snap and post, to properly execute coverages. Combine that variable with the speed that the Chiefs bring to the table at the receiver position, and that is probably why it appears like Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard went with less man-coverage, and more zone on Sunday night.
The result was Mahomes picking the Lions’ defense apart, peppering the edges with RPOs and consistently finding the soft spots in the coverage. There were more than a couple of occasions where members of the secondary were not on the same page in terms of what coverage they were in, or where they were supposed to be. Kansas City picked up 26 first-downs on the night while going 4-of-9 on third-down (excluding kneel-downs), and 2-of-3 on fourth-down.
Loser: The Lions’ offensive execution on money-downs
There were portions of the game where the Lions were executing well offensively. But in a game where they knew they would need the offense to carry them, it wasn’t enough, especially on third-down. The Lions finished the night 5-of-11 on third down, while also turning the ball over on downs two times.
You knew it wasn’t the Lions’ night when All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown dropped the first of Detroit’s fourth-down attempts. That instance, along with a few other moments where the Lions had opportunities to turn the tide, were situations where the Lions needed their big-time players to make big-time plays, and they did not get them.
Winner: The offensive line
Before the game script had to change due to the score, the Lions were running the ball effectively. The offensive line was resetting the line of scrimmage more often than not, and there were a few runs that went for first-downs that almost popped for a lot more.
And earlier in the game when the Lions were operating on more neutral-downs, the protection was keeping quarterback Jared Goff really clean as he found open receivers down field. It wasn’t perfect, but considering they were without starting left tackle Taylor Decker for a second consecutive week, you have to give credit to offensive line coach Hank Fraley for always getting his guys ready to play.
After a really successful rookie year, LaPorta took a step back statistically in year two. Now in year three, he is reminding people why he was considered to be one of the up-and-coming players at the tight end position after 2023. He scored for the second week in a row on a ridiculous one-handed, toe-tapping, snag along the back of the end zone.
He has continued to progress as a blocker in the running game, and has become one of Goff’s favorite targets, especially on third-downs when they need a big conversion. LaPorta finished with five catches for 55 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
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