That was not exactly what everyone was hoping for from the Detroit Lions this week, who were hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive. Instead, they were manhandled from start to finish losing to the Carolina Panthers, 37-23.
There was a lot of hope for the Lions walking into this week riding high from winning six of their last seven and coming off a tough victory over the New York Jets, but this week looked the Lions who started 1-6 in the season. The Panthers had a lot riding on this game, hoping to close the gap in their division, so you knew they would come out swinging, and that is exactly what they did, and the Lions did not look like they were ready for the punch to the gut.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much good to come out of this game, and it will be a reflection period for everyone on the team. We will try to highlight a couple of players, but all in all it was not a showing the Lions were hoping for to stay in the hunt.
Stud: Shane Zylstra
Even the loss will overlook the production; the Lions offense came from a player who has been relatively quiet this season. However, Zylstra had a career game catching all of the Lions three touchdowns against the Panthers. He only had 26 yards total, but Jared Goff was able to find a connection with Zylstra today in the red zone. The Lions have continued to receive production from their tight ends since they traded T.J. Hockenson, and today it was Zylstra’s turn.
Dud: Run Defense
Right from the get-go, the Panthers wanted to establish their run game, which is exactly what happened with the first play going for 30 yards from Chubba Hubbard. The Panthers managed to gash the Lions defense for 320 yards on the ground, with Hubbard (125 yards) and D’Onta Forman (165 yards) having career days on the ground. The Panthers also had franchise-high 364 yards in the first half, 240 of those coming on the ground. The defensive line was getting pushed around, linebackers were hitting the wrong gaps, and the secondary was missing tackles. With that combination, this is exactly what you get.
Stud: Amon-Ra St. Brown
St. Brown has consistently been the focal point for the Lions offense, especially when they need a big play. Even though he was kept out of the endzone today, he caught seven balls for 76 yards, only behind DJ Chark this week. It wasn’t what he did today that landed him as a stud this week; it’s the accomplishments through his two seasons of work so far. He broke the 90-catch threshold and eclipsed the 1,000 mark for his career, breaking Calvin Johnson’s record as the youngest Lions receiver to hit that mark. Good for a player who was taken in the fourth round.
Dud: Ifeatu Melifonwu
With DeShon Elliott out for this contest, the Lions relied on Melifonwu to shore the secondary, and it was a night he wishes he could have back. He might have led the Lions in tackles, but it was mostly due to the fact the rushers broke through the front seven when he was reached. He ended up on the wrong end on some of the coverage and missed tackles more than you would like. It seemed he was looking in the wrong direction most of the time, making him late to the play or in the wrong spot to start. It was the first start of his career, but you were hoping for better from him.
Dud: Jeff Okudah
Okudah has been one of the more consistent performers for the Lions defense, either playing solid coverage or superb run defense, but this week he took a hard stumble. It was out of character from what we have been accustomed to seeing from Okudah, but he was missing tackles and giving up big plays all night. On many occasions, the run could’ve been halted, but he either tried for an arm tackle or took the wrong angle, and the play went for a big gain. For most of the night, he held D.J. Moore in check but gave up a 47-yard catch that set up a Panther touchdown. Hopefully, he will be able to rebound next week.
Dud: Jamaal Williams
The tables have turned for Williams as of late. He was an unstoppable touchdown machine leading the league in touchdowns at one point, but now he has been an ineffective piece of the offense. Typically, you could count on him to gain the necessary yards, but he is getting stuffed right from the get-go. Today he only managed 1.6 yards per carry, with his longest carry going for four yards. It is not a surprise that he has taken a back seat with D’Andre Swift’s health regaining, but when he is on the field, it is hard to ignore Williams’s struggle as of late.
