NFL Beast

The Best Damn NFL News Site Ever!


What Just Happened? Lions vs Rams

4 min read
   

#NFLBeast #NFL #NFLTwitter #NFLUpdate #NFLNews #NFLBlogs

#Detroit #Lions #DetroitLions #NFC #PrideOfDetroit

By: Mike Payton

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

A collection of thoughts on the Lions Week 7 loss

You can’t even be mad about the Detroit Lions’ 28-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. They continue to work hard and they proved without a doubt on Sunday that they’re the best 0-7 team in NFL history.

As always, I have thoughts on this game. These are those thoughts.

Throw it all. Throw everything

I’ve been covering this team for almost a decade at this point. I’ve never had more fun doing that job than I did in the first five or six minutes of this game. The Lions played it smart. They knew this Rams team was going to be difficult to stop. They were right by the way. Does anyone know the Rams punter’s name? Me either. Anyhow, the Lions took that knowledge and tried everything they could. Fake punts and onside kicks. They did everything they could to keep the ball away from Matthew Stafford and it worked for a while. Sadly, in the end, all the trick plays weren’t enough and the Lions lost. But, you have to love that this team will do anything they can to try to win a game.

DeAndre Swift is the Lions MVP

Swift showed up huge for the Lions on Sunday. He had 144 all-purpose yards and this beautiful 63-yard catch for a touchdown.

There’s still more that Swift can add to his game, but at this point, I think it’s fair to say that he is proving every week that the offense is better when he gets the ball. That’s exactly what you want to see from a second-round pick. Especially after all other second-round running backs (Mikel Leshoure, Ameer Abdullah, and Kerryon Johnson) have failed so hard.

Rams’ coach Sean McVay could see that too. In his post-game presser, he said Swift and Williams were the two most underrated running backs in the league.

Jared Goff keeps turning the ball over

I won’t blame him too much for the second turnover. It was tipped ball and tipped-ball interceptions happen every five seconds in this league. If you’re watching a football game at the moment, I’m sure one just happened right now. I will give him some flack for the back-breaking one he threw to Rams’ corner Jalen Ramsey in the fourth quarter.

He had Aaron Donald in his face and that certainly would disrupt anyone. But, he locked in on Hockenson and everyone in the stadium knew he was going to throw it in that direction. At this point, Goff has turned the ball over 10 times in seven games and it’s hurting the Lions a lot. Outside of that, Goff had an ok game. At least in terms of not being what held the Lions back and taking more risks than usual.

The fourth down thing

I know that revisionist history will tell you that the no-huddle fourth-down play is bad in the end, but I can’t blame the Lions for trying it with Swift in that 4th-and-1. They probably would have had better results if they went with Jamaal Williams, but I still can’t hate on the attempt because it’s not what cost the Lions the game at the end of the day. Get used to this kind of stuff, the Lions are more than likely going to make this a regular move during the Campbell era.

The Lions defense is pretty good

I have no problem coming out and saying it. This defense is alright and they’re only going to get better. I had the Rams dropping 63 on this team in my predictions this week. I was dead wrong. The Lions held the Rams to 28 and they made them work for every single one of those points. This group is good now, imagine how could they can be in the future. Some of the best production is coming from the super young guys like undrafted rookies AJ Parker and Jerry Jacobs as well as drafted rookies Derrick Barnes, AlimMcNeill, and Levi Onwuzrike. If these guys continue to grow at this rate, it won’t be long before we’re taking out the word good and inserting the word great.

The best 0-7 team that ever lived

I know Lions fans want wins. It’d be nice to see one for sure. But, you have to love this team and the fight they give.

I know we talk about it every week, but it’s true. This team fights its ass off every week. Aside from the Bengals loss, the Lions have been in every game this season. They’re not playing bums either. They’re playing the teams you expect to see in the playoffs in January. The Rams, for example, are a Super Bowl favorite on a lot of football people’s lists this year. The Lions gave them all they could handle.

This team is going to continue to fight every week and a win will eventually come.

As a fan, you have to be excited for the future here. This team is clearly not your daddy’s Lions. They’re not going to give up, they’re rebuilding the right way and despite seven losses, they’re yielding positive results every week in the development territory. Just keep hanging in there.

Originally posted on Pride Of Detroit