Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn was not happy with the performance of his unit in the 34-11 loss to the visiting Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6. Nor should he be.
Lynn was asked during his weekly media session what positives he took away from the loss to the Bengals. Lynn did not mince words.
“Not a damn thing. Not a damn thing,” Lynn said emphatically. “Every game up until then, I could’ve come in and could’ve told you some positives, but after the Cincinnati game, it’s just the way I felt. I think our squad feels that way offensively. We’re looking forward to going out and blessed to have another opportunity to go out on Sunday and do it again.”
The film study from the game backs up Lynn’s bluntly harsh assessment of his unit. Outside of some solid run blocking, notably from left tackle Penei Sewell and left guard Jonah Jackson, the Lions offense was a disaster in Week 7.
Quarterback Jared Goff was inconsistent in his drop depth and held the ball too long, often ignoring open targets down the field. Some of those targets — notably rookie WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and newcomer Geronimo Allison — were not when and where they needed to be, either. There were pre-snap penalties and missed blocks from wide receivers that spoiled any chance of running successfully.
The blame falls on the players for failing to execute, but that’s also on Lynn for not properly stressing the attention to detail to his players.
Lynn remains frustrated by the inability to play a complete game.
“We have yet to focus for four quarters,” Lynn said. “And you talk about this intense focus that it takes to be successful in this league, and I do believe we are a gritty group, but last week we did take a step backwards and I think guys are eager to play this week against a good football team and just see where we stand.”
