Oct. 15--While the Chicago Bears have a newfound swagger after winning their past two games, the Detroit Lions continue to stagger. At 0-5, the Lions are the league's only team without a win. And they'll try to regroup this weekend at Ford Field, hosting a Bears team that has been invigorated after comeback wins over the Raiders and Chiefs. So what do you need to know about the Lions? With the aid of Dave Birkett, the Lions beat writer for the Detroit Free Press, here's your snapshot scouting report.
Last week: The Lions committed six turnovers and couldn't get out of their own way during a 42-17 home loss. The Lions have been outscored 66-29 in two games at Ford Field.
The quarterback: Take inventory on Matthew Stafford's nine turnovers through the season's first five games and you'll find a variety of mistakes with no obvious common denominator. Stafford's interceptions -- eight in all -- have come as a result of a. being hit as he throws; b. failing to identify roving defenders; c. being too casual on screen passes; d) making back-shoulder reads when they're not there. And well, the list goes on.
After throwing three interceptions on his first eight possessions against the Cardinals, Stafford was benched Sunday. At home. Head coach Jim Caldwell insisted it was simply like pulling a starting pitcher during a shaky outing and that Stafford is the undisputed starter going forward. But certainly, Stafford's performance and the subsequent punishment could have a significant mental impact. Stafford's 74.8 rating ranks 32nd among quarterbacks with at least 75 pass attempts this season. And he certainly hasn't been helped by a banged-up and reshuffling offensive line that has struggled to protect the quarterback or catalyze a helpful running attack.
Stafford's been turnover prone through most of his career. Yet there was a hope in 2014, when he made smarter decisions and threw only 12 interceptions in 363 pass attempts, that he had matured beyond such mistakes. This season has been proof that there's a long way to go.
So far this season: The Lions brush past any suggestions that their blowout home loss to the Cardinals was in any way impacted by their galling road defeat six nights earlier, a 13-10 stumble in Seattle that spawned controversy when Calvin Johnson's fumble at the Seahawks 1 was batted out of the back of the end zone by linebacker K.J. Wright. By rule, the Lions should have retained possession and had first-and-goal from the 1 with 1:45 to play. Instead, they were left to digest a frustrating loss. That Caldwell seemed oblivious to the rule technicality and never put up a vehement protest with officials during the late-game confusion hasn't sat well with Lions fans, who worry that their coach didn't do enough to aid his team in a moment of crisis.
It was also the type of defining failure that can rattle a team's faith in its leader.
The Bears' biggest opening to prey on a wounded opponent may come in attacking the Lions' shaky offense, which leads the NFL with 15 turnovers. The Lions are particularly vulnerable up front. Right guard Larry Warford missed a bulk of the preseason with a high ankle sprain and has sat out three full games this season. Left guard Laken Tomlinson is still a rookie. Right tackle LaAdrian Waddle continues to struggle as he works back from ACL surgery this winter. Left tackle Riley Reiff is probably better suited as a right tackle or guard but remains on the blind side by necessity.
Caldwell had hoped he could establish a running game this season where the Lions wouldn't have to throw the ball 600 times for the season. As of now? After attempting 70 passes on the Cardinals, the Lions are on pace to throw the ball 746 times.
The storylines: The Lions are now 0-5, the NFL's last remaining winless team. So naturally, they are being linked to the 2008 Lions who went 0-16. Caldwell, you'll recall, also started the 2011 season at 0-13 with the Colts, losing his job at the end of that 2-14 season.
But here's the scariest part: in Detroit, there's a sense that this season could be even more discouraging than 2008. At least back then, the Lions knew they were below average and undermanned. Now? They were an 11-win playoff team last season and have plenty of talent with guys like Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate and Eric Ebron.
So the lack of current optimism is disconcerting. And it's not out of the realm of possibility that a continued skid pushes the Lions toward a total blow-up of the infrastructure where they fire a head coach and a general manager in tandem and decide to start over at quarterback. Yep, these are scenarios that seem feasible in Detroit right now.
The defense: After five seasons of turning Ndamukong Suh loose as a ferocious defensive tackle, the Lions watched Suh storm off into free agency last spring where the four-time Pro Bowl selection found a new home with the Miami Dolphins. Fellow defensive tackle Nick Fairley also bolted, becoming a Ram. And it's been clear through five games this season that the Lions have not been the same imposing and aggressive defensive unit.
Suh's presence is impossible to replicate. And a March trade for Haloti Ngata -- the Lions gave up four- and fifth-round picks for Ngata and a seventh-rounder -- hasn't paid the dividends the Lions were hoping. Ngata missed Sunday's loss with a calf injury and has been otherwise ordinary.
Linebacker DeAndre Levy, meanwhile, missed the season's first four games with a hip problem, returned for 17 snaps against the Cardinals on Sunday and aggravated the injury. Levy is now headed for season-ending surgery on the hip, removing another experienced and instinctive playmaker from the D.
Without Suh and Levy, the Lions seem to have lost their identity.
If there has been one major bright spot on D -- for the whole team for that matter -- it's been the continued emergence of third-year pass rusher Ziggy Ansah. Ansah was the team's top pick in 2013 (No. 5 overall) and has been a force up front. His five sacks are tied for the NFL lead with Carlos Dunlap of the Cincinnati Bengals. In Seattle, Ansah delivered arguably his most impressive sack of the season, a fourth-quarter burst in which he blazed into the backfield untouched on a zone read look and drilled Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson 9 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Ansah both forced and recovered a fumble, showcasing his impressive combination of speed, power and agility.
dwiederer@tribpub.com
