Detroit Lions grades: This loss's on Matthew Stafford, who gets an F
Given their shortcomings on offense and the strength of the Bears defense, the Detroit Lions were right to take a conservative approach on offense
Detroit Lions grades: This loss's on Matthew Stafford, who gets an F Given their shortcomings on offense and the strength of the Bears defense, the Detroit Lions were right to take a conservative approach on offense Check out this story on Freep.com: https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2018/11/22/detroit-lions-chicago-bears-grades/2085971002/
Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press Published 5:52 p.m. ET Nov. 22, 2018
Chicago Bears 23, Detroit Lions 16: Photos from Thanksgiving at Ford Field
Lions running back LeGarrette Blount scores a touchdown during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Lions celebrates running back LeGarrette Blount's touchdown against Chicago Bears during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Bears safety Eddie Jackson celebrates an interception from Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford as he runs towards the end zone during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) makes a pass against Bears during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Lions running back LeGarrette Blount tries to jump over Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Fans cheer for the Lions during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Lions cheerleaders dance in the end zone during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay tries to hold on to the ball as he's covered by Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller, right, and linebacker Danny Trevathan during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller intercepts the ball from Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford in the end zone during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
A Lions fan reacts to Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller's interception during the fourth quarter of the Lions' 23-16 loss Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah sacks Bears quarterback Chase Daniel from behind during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay runs against Bears linebacker RoQuan Smith during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Lions head coach Matt Patricia talks to an official during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Lions defensive back Tracy Walker celebrates a tackle against Bears during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford makes a pass during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
A Lions fan cheers during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Kenny Golladay is tackled by Kyle Fuller during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Lions running back LeGarrette Blount is tackled by Bears defenders during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Lions receiver Kenny Golladay is tackled by Bears defenders during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Lions defenders tackle Bears running back Jordan Howard during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia on the sidelines during second half action against the Chicago Bears during first half actionThursday, November 22, 2018 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Lions running back LeGarrette Blount is tackled by Bears safety Eddie Jackson during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Lions tight end Michael Roberts is defended by Bears safety Eddie Jackson during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Matthew Stafford reacts after throwing an interception against the Bears during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Lions running back Theo Riddick runs by Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan during the first half on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Lions head coach Matt Patricia on the sidelines during the first half on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Lions defensive lineman Damon Harrison sacks Bears quarterback Chase Daniels during the first half on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Lions defensive back Darius Slay defends against Bears receiver Joshua Bellamy during the first half on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Lions receiver Bruce Ellington is tackled by Bears cornerback Deon Bush during the first half on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Lions tight end Michael Roberts tackled by Bears linebacker Roquan Smith during the first half on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field. Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford makes a pass during the second half of the Lions' 23-16 loss to the Bears on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, at Ford Field.(Photo: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett grades the Detroit Lions after the 23-16 loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday:
Matthew Stafford's passing numbers were limited by a conservative game plan and lack of offensive personnel (no Kerryon Johnson or Marvin Jones), but he needs to be better in the fourth quarter. Stafford made two crucial mistakes that cost the Lions the game. He didn't get the ball out quick enough on the interception that Eddie Jackson returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and he and tight end Michael Roberts weren't on the same wavelength on his pick in the end zone. Stafford did some good things, including buying time on a rollout pass to Bruce Ellington for a first down, but his 13 turnovers this season are far too many.
Lions reactions: Stafford INTs like pumpkin pie
LeGarrette Blount silenced some of his doubters on Thursday, running for 88 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns. Blount got off to a slow start, gaining just 4 yards on his first three carries, but he wore the Bears down with volume and broke tackles on both touchdown runs. Theo Riddick (seven catches, 48 yards) had some struggles in pass protection. He missed a block on Roquan Smith's sack late in the first half and appeared to miss another blitz pickup in the third quarter when Stafford had to let a pass fly early. Fullback Nick Bellore made the heads-up play of the game when he caught a deflected pass on fourth-and-1 to keep the Lions' first touchdown drive alive.
Grade: B-plus
More from Windsor: Lions submarined once again by Stafford
Wide receivers/tight ends
Ten different players caught passes for the Lions on Thursday, but Kenny Golladay was the only one who made any sort of play downfield. Golladay had five catches for 90 yards, but couldn't quite hold onto a laser of a pass in the end zone on the Lions' final drive. Roberts said he angled his route on Stafford's final pick to the sideline while Stafford was looking for him to go to the back pylon. Golladay, Roberts and the Lions' other tight ends played a big hand in Blount's rushing day, but the unit as a whole lacks explosiveness.
Grade: C-minus
More from Seidel: Lions doomed by a bunch of turkeys in loss to Bears
The Lions gave up just two sacks against a good Bears defense Thursday after allowing six in their first meeting earlier this month. The offensive line played better, the short route concepts helped, too. Graham Glasgow was out front leading with a good block Blount's 9-yard run in the third quarter. Taylor Decker had a false-start penalty but did a good job against Khalil Mack, save for one quarterback hit he allowed. Akiem Hicks still gave the Lions loads of trouble up front, and the Lions didn't trust their offensive line enough to go for a third-and-1 from the Bears' 2-yard line in the fourth quarter.
Grade: B-minus
Your turn: Grade Lions' Thanksgiving performance
The Lions got another strong day from their rush defense, holding the Bears to 38 yards on 15 carries, and they sacked Chase Daniel four times. Ziggy Ansah had one sack to stall Chicago's opening drive of the third quarter, and he had another good rush when he hit Daniel on a first-and-10 throw that was high to Jordan Howard. Damon Harrison had three quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks, splitting one with Romeo Okwara after Daniel ran into his own offensive lineman trying to escape the pocket. Both Harrison (roughing the passer) and Okwara (facemask) had bad penalties, though the flag on Okwara seemed questionable on replay.
Give the Lions' linebacking unit of Jarrad Davis, Christian Jones and Devon Kennard credit for Chicago's poor rushing day, too. Kennard had four tackles, including one for loss when he strung out Tarik Cohen on a stretch play. He also forced Daniel to miss an open Burton on a first-and-10 incompletion. Davis recovered a fumble then looked like a running back on his return. Jones showed good alertness on a throwback pass to Daniel and had a big hit on Howard in the first half, but also got beat for a touchdown on a pick play.
Boy, what a difference Darius Slay makes. After missing the first Lions-Bears game, Slay returned to shut down Allen Robinson (two catches, 37 yards) on Thursday, and his presence had a positive trickle-down effect on the secondary as Nevin Lawson was able to play Anthony Miller in the slot and kept him in check, too. Mike Ford, in his second NFL game, broke up a wheel route to Taylor Gabriel in the fourth quarter and made a couple nice tackles, including a quick diagnosis when he stopped Gabriel for a 3-yard loss on a bubble screen. Cohen did beat Lawson for a fourth-quarter touchdown, and he had Quandre Diggs beat on the same route earlier in the game when Daniel made a bad pass. Glover Quin had a sack on a blitz but also an unnecessary roughness penalty, while DeShawn Shead punched the ball loose from Trey Burton for a first-half turnover.
The Lions weren't quite as good in coverage as they were last week, but Sam Martin averaged 45.4 yards per punt and boomed one kick 59 yards. Tracy Walker had a big tackle on Taquan Mizzell on Chicago's only kick return and Matt Prater made his only field goal, but the Lions still aren't getting anything out of their return game. The Lions also failed on their two-point attempt in the third quarter.
This won't be the popular sentiment, but I thought the Lions took the appropriate approach with their game plan given the defense they were facing and the limitations they had on offense. Sure, Jim Bob Cooter should have dialed up a couple more shots downfield, but the Lions don't have the personnel to win up front against a good Bears defensive line and Golladay was their only true receiving threat with Jones out. Patricia gave his team a chance to win the game, one that Stafford squandered with two late interceptions. With the Bears starting a backup quarterback, I thought the Lions should have kicked on fourth-and-1, when Bellore saved them with a great catch. Up four late in the third quarter, Patricia was right to go for two – a five-point lead at that point is no different than four. The Lions also were smart to take a timeout just before halftime in fourth-and-1 near midfield with the Bears content to let the time run out. But rather than throw a Hail Mary on the play, it looked like they were playing for one of those pass-back-and-forth things as their receivers were going about three-quarters speed down the visiting sideline waiting for a Stafford pass.
Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!
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