Lions most to blame for Thanksgiving Day loss to Packers

Things were frustrating at Ford Field as the Detroit Lions fell to 7-5 after losing to the Green Bay Packers. They are now 7-5, and in serious danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. With a critical game against the Packers, the Lions failed to get the job done and endured a season sweep at the hands of the Packers on Thanksgiving Day.

Detroit still has -118 odds to make the playoffs, according to FanDuel. But the loss to the Packers severely damaged their chances of winning the NFC North. Their best chances now likely reside in the NFC Wild Card. With another game against the Chicago Bears still on the docket, there is still hope. Yet, that does not negate the fact that this was a devastating defeat, and the Lions have hurt their chances.

The Lions stumbled early, falling behind the Packers and having to play from behind. Unfortunately, their defense could not make enough stops to allow the offense to recover from the bad start. But who was to blame?

Aidan Hutchinson could not get to Jordan Love

It’s not entirely fair to blame Aidan Hutchinson for this. However, he is the Lions’ best pass rusher, managed just three tackles, and did not get to Jordan Love once. He did not even hit him. Love had plenty of time to throw and finished with 234 passing yards and four touchdowns.

For the season, Hutchinson amassed six tackles and zero sacks against the Packers over two games. The Packers were 3 for 3 on fourth-down conversions, including a 4th and 3 play that resulted in a touchdown. When the Lions needed their best pass rusher, he was unable to get to Love, leaving them in a major hole the offense could not recover from.

Losing Amon-Ra St. Brown hurt the Lions, but the team had to pass the football so much because the running game was nonexistent. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed 20 times for 68 yards while averaging 3.4 yards per carry. Additionally, he was unable to get into the endzone. When the Lions’ running game stumbled, they didn’t get Gibbs going in the passing game, either, as he had just three catches for 18 yards.

Gibbs was unable to get loose against this Packers’ defense. Amazingly, they have contained him twice this season, as he rushed 10 times for just 31 yards in the season-opening loss against the Packers. Gibbs is the best playmaker outside of St. Brown. Likewise, with Sam LaPorta likely out for the season, the Lions need Gibbs more than ever.

On the very first play for the Detroit offense, Gibbs got two yards. While he had seven yards on his first play on the next drive, he was not able to maintain any of that consistency. Gibbs needs to turn his game up to give Detroit a chance down the stretch. Of course, he can only work with the plays he has.

Dan Campbell’s playcalling dooms Detroit again

It’s not the first time Dan Campbell has made plays that have cost the Lions the game. It happened against the Philadelphia Eagles a couple of weeks ago, and it happened again this week.

The first instance occurred in the third quarter when the Lions trailed 17-14. On 3rd and 2, the Lions chose to run the football with Gibbs. This resulted in a one-yard loss. Then, on 4th and 3, Campbell opted to run Gibbs up the middle. The Packers’ defense stuffed him, resulting in a turnover on downs. Instead of running up the middle, Campbell could have come up with a better play utilizing Gibbs’ out of the slot for a pass play. With his speed and playmaking ability, that might have been a better move than a simple run against a crowded defense.

The next instance of bad playcalling came again with Gibbs. It was the fourth quarter, and the Lions had a 3rd-and-3 early in the fourth quarter, trailing 31-21. Then, Campbell had Gibbs run up the middle. Of course, the Packers stuffed him. Campbell then called for a pass from Goff to Jameson Williams, which was incomplete when the receiver dropped the pass. Had the Lions opted for a field goal, they could have bridged the gap. They later kicked a field goal in the quarter, but could not stop the Packers from icing the game.

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