Detroit’s offense stalled early against Buffalo, and by the time it came alive, the game was nearly over. So who is really to blame for the struggles?
After an ugly loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Detroit Lions will have to settle back in as they return home to face the New York Jets this Sunday. There were many problems across this entire team, and I could go on and on for days about the defense, but the offense in particular seemed to stall out early, similar to what happened last week.
That brings me to my question: Is Jared Goff, Drew Petzing, or the offensive line the problem?
Now, I know what you’re thinking. How could Goff be the problem? He just threw for 327 yards and had four touchdowns. But a lot of those yards came when Detroit was down by 21 points or late in the fourth quarter when the game was essentially out of reach.
Goff made some nice plays, but let’s take a deeper dive into who is more to blame for the Lions’ offensive struggles.
First Quarter
In the first quarter, the Lions had the ball twice, resulting in punts on both drives.
The first drive was a quick three-and-out where a screen pass to Sam LaPorta was called, followed by a run to Jahmyr Gibbs and then Jared Goff getting sacked.
One thing I have noticed is that Petzing loves to call run plays on second down. That can work with a running back like Gibbs, but it is not something you should rely on.
Detroit started this game down two starters on the offensive line, Blake Miller and Christian Mahogany, and both of their backups played very poorly.
On Detroit’s second drive, they had some momentum, with Gibbs gaining 25 yards on two carries. But after bad snaps from Juice Scruggs led to fumbles, Detroit would lose 15 yards, stalling the drive and forcing them to punt.
Second Quarter
The second quarter started much better, but it may have been too late for Detroit, as they were already down 21-0.
Detroit would march down the field on a 70-yard drive, where Goff would throw for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Right before halftime, the Lions were trailing 27-7 with the ball and three minutes left. Detroit would get the ball to the 48-yard line, but once again, it was the offensive line that cost the Lions a chance at potential points on the drive.
Juice Scruggs committed a false start. Then, on third-and-5, Goff was sacked once again, losing 13 yards and stalling the drive.
Despite the poor play by the offensive line in the first half, I do put some of the blame on Petzing for not realizing how to scheme around a bad offensive line. It seemed Detroit was at its best when they were trying to pass the ball more often.
On an eight-play, 65-yard drive to end the half, the Lions ended up with a field goal. If they had more time, that drive potentially could have resulted in a touchdown. Goff would have 50 passing yards on the drive.
Second Half
To start the second half, Detroit would get the ball and put together an 11-play, 74-yard drive for a touchdown, with Goff throwing for 52 yards and a touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Detroit would cut the lead to 10, giving the Lions a glimpse of hope. But once again, the Bills would walk right down the field and score a touchdown, pushing their lead back up to 17 points.
Detroit once again scored a touchdown, with Goff throwing for 55 yards and a touchdown to Sam LaPorta.
The Lions had the lead down to 10 points and once again had an opportunity to cut the lead to three or seven. On second-and-10, Petzing drew up a run up the middle for no gain, leaving the Lions with a third-and-10.
Why Detroit wasn’t passing the ball on these downs, I really don’t understand. They were trailing by double digits and were against the clock. They needed to score fast.
After not converting on third-and-10, Detroit was forced to punt.
Buffalo marched down the field and scored, pushing its lead back to 17 and putting the game just about out of reach for the Lions.
Detroit ended the game with a 76-yard touchdown drive that was essentially meaningless while down three scores.
Who Is to Blame?
Overall, I think most of the blame should go to the offensive line. The injuries to Miller and Mahogany forced Detroit to rely on backups, and the poor snaps, penalties and sacks made it extremely difficult for the offense to find any consistency.
Petzing had his ups and downs. There were moments where his play-calling worked, especially when Detroit was aggressively passing the ball, but there were also moments where the run-heavy approach seemed questionable given the situation.
As for Goff, there wasn’t really much he could do. He made some big plays and finished with 327 passing yards and four touchdowns, but by the time the offense really started moving the ball consistently, Detroit was already facing a massive deficit.
The offensive line deserves the most criticism, but Petzing also needs to find ways to adjust when the line isn’t playing well. If Detroit wants to turn things around against the Jets, the offense needs to find a way to start faster.
