With all of that being said, there is a very large problem here. We are talking about an offense that gained 623 yards and they only one by one point. The win is the story this week, cause of how they won, but a team that can move the ball that easily has got to find a way to score more. Sure 4 turnovers and 8 penalties play into that, and those are things that can be fixed. I would even go so far as to say the one pick that bounce off of Calvin Johnson;s hands is one of those fluky things that happen, and we can say that Reggie Bush is never going to be the nonchalant with the ball ever again and boom the turnover problem should be fixed. However, this is a team that still need to learn to close out games, stand on an opponents neck and that is the next step I expect them to take. They have learned how to win, how to handle a lesser opponent and how to come back and win. Now they need to grow into dominant.
Now we have the trade deadline, a bye week, and hopefully the return of Nate Burleson. The Lions should be in the market for a WR, but the NFL trade deadline is hardly the MLB frenzy. This team need the bye week to regroup, set goals, and focus in on winning the next game at Chicago. That is looking to be a very winnable game. For now let us reflect on week 8:
The Good:
- They won- They found a way to win. Matthew Stafford willed this team to a win. that is a huge step forward from a team that a few years ago expected to lose. The fans believe and so do the players. This was Stafford moment where he lead the team to victory. Now the coaches have to build on that.
- Three rushing TD's- The Lions scored three TD's in this game and three of them came on the ground. Now Scott Linehan can use his receivers to get the team into the red zone and opposing defenses will have to respect that ability of this offense to score on the round opening up other options. That is a huge positive to go along with the 143 yards gained on the ground. When the Lions rush for more than 100 yards they tend to win. Linehan needs to keep that in mind.
- Jeremy Ross- Finally the Lions made a in season switch at kick returner and it paid off. Jeremy Ross didn't get a lot of chances but he came up big with a 44 yard return. Michael Spurlock was inactive for this game and that is probably for the best.
The Bad:
- 4 turnovers- god teams, teams that go deep into the playoffs take care of the ball. Maybe this was a fluky game and maybe not either way the Lions cannot cough up the ball this much and expect to win.
- Finishing Drives- Johnson had 323 yards and only found the end zone once. That is up and down the field without scoring. This team has got to have a better nose for the end zone. Not just Megatron but the whole offense. They need to put points on the board.
- Too Calvin dependent- Granted if a guy can be open when tripled covered. If a guy is always open one can understand why they go to Megartron as often as they do. However that is not sustainable each and every week. Other weapons have to emerge and Kris Durham looked very good this week and made another spectacular catch down the sidelines. Other players have got to step up and we saw glimpse of that this week, and it needs to continue.
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