Drew Petzing Failed the Lions When They Needed Him Most

It’s official: the Lions have dropped to 2–2 and are now tied for last place with the Green Bay Packers. We all know the defense has struggled and has been the biggest issue for the Lions this season. But as bad as the defense was, Detroit still had plenty of opportunities to win this game.

For the first time this season, Detroit scored points on its opening drive. The Lions marched down the field and moved the ball well, but they should have finished with a touchdown. After getting the ball down to Carolina’s 34-yard line, Brock Wright committed a false start penalty, which was just one of eight penalties committed by the Lions offense.

That set up a first-and-15. After a 3-yard run from Jahmyr Gibbs and back-to-back incompletions, the Lions had to settle for a field goal.

On Detroit’s second drive of the first quarter, the Lions started with another false start, this time by Juice Scruggs. Jared Goff would then find a wide-open Jameson Williams, which very well could have been a touchdown, but Williams alligator-armed the pass and failed to come down with it.

There have seemed to be some struggles with Williams when it comes to deep passes and very catchable balls. At times, it almost appears like he has the yips when it comes to making an easy catch, yet he can make an incredibly difficult catch with two defenders draped all over him.

That would lead to a three-play, 4-yard three-and-out.

Through four games, Detroit is averaging just 2.5 points per first quarter, which ranks 26th in the NFL. Drew Petzing has to be better at starting games. Especially with how bad this defense has been, the Lions cannot afford to constantly play from behind.

To start the second quarter, Detroit drove all the way down to the Carolina 25-yard line. The Lions ran Gibbs up the middle for a 3-yard gain, followed by back-to-back incompletions, once again forcing Detroit to settle for a field goal on a promising drive.

Finally, Detroit got its first touchdown of the game with 2:14 remaining in the second quarter. It was an 11-play, 68-yard drive that gave the Lions some much-needed momentum.

Detroit would then manage to get a field goal to end the half, tying the game at 16–16.

On Detroit’s first possession of the second half, the Lions put together a seven-play, 57-yard drive that included a 57-yard pass to Isaac TeSlaa, taking the ball all the way down to Carolina’s 12-yard line.

Once again, Petzing called a run up the middle that gained just 4 yards. Goff then threw back-to-back incompletions, forcing Detroit to settle for yet another field goal.

It felt like groundhogs day as the Lions had a promising drive and came away with just three points when they desperately needed a touchdown.

To start the fourth quarter, Detroit trailed by 10 points. The Lions put together a seven-play, 27-yard drive that reached the Carolina 39-yard line, but yet again, a false start penalty stalled the drive.

Detroit was forced to punt.

With nine minutes left in the game and the Lions trailing by 13 points, Detroit needed a touchdown. The Lions marched all the way down to Carolina’s 15-yard line, but Goff threw three straight incompletions.

Then came another disaster involving penalties.

A delay of game and a false start knocked Detroit all the way back to fourth-and-20.

With just seven minutes left in the game and the Lions down 13 points, Dan Campbell opted to go for it on the Carolina 25-yard line. Detroit called a very predictable hook-and-lateral play that gained just 13 yards, resulting in a turnover on downs.

After a quick three-and-out by the Panthers, Detroit got the ball back with a little over six minutes remaining. The Lions marched down the field and finally scored a touchdown, cutting the deficit to just six points.

Detroit would get the ball back down six with 2:06 remaining after a short 3-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. That was followed by a sack for a loss of 6 yards.

With 1:29 left on the clock, Detroit faced a fourth-and-13 and needed to convert to have any realistic shot at winning the game.

The play Petzing called was mind-boggling.

Only two pass catchers ran past the first-down marker, ultimately leading to a Jared Goff checkdown to TeSlaa, who gained 12 of the 13 yards needed.

It was a surprising decision by Goff to throw short of the sticks, essentially telling his receiver, “Go make a play.”

The defense was horrible. Don’t get me wrong.

But had this offense been a little sharper, Detroit absolutely could have come away with the win. The Lions had multiple opportunities to put touchdowns on the board and repeatedly settled for field goals. They also committed eight offensive penalties, had several costly false starts and struggled to execute in critical moments.

And this was against a Panthers defense that was already dealing with injuries to both of its starting cornerbacks.

Now, Drew Petzing gets an opportunity for revenge against his former team as the Detroit Lions travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals this Sunday.