Chirco: Lions’ flop spells doom for Raiders
These are just a few of the words to describe the Lions’ 38-6 loss to the Ravens on Sunday.
Lamar Jackson and company dominated the game from start to finish, dominating in every way imaginable.
Detroit was the far inferior team, and appeared to be the furthest thing from a five-win team in command of the NFC North division.
Jackson was virtually unrivalled, completing 21-of-27 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns. As a runner, he added 36 yards and another touchdown. He looked like the epitome of an MVP-caliber passer, with a near-perfect QBR of 94.9.
Jackson helped the Ravens gain 9.1 yards per play, plus outgain the Lions in total yardage, 503-337.
Meanwhile, Baltimore’s defense constantly exerted pressure against Jared Goff, sacking the veteran quarterback five times and limiting him to an anemic QBR of 14.8.
It was complete and utter domination from the AFC North-leading Ravens. Or as Lions head coach Dan Campbell put it ever so bluntly in the postgame, Baltimore “kicked (Detroit’s) ass.”
“Lamar defeated us. He hit us with his arm. He threw the ball exceptionally well. He ran when he needed to, and we weren’t prepared for it,” Campbell added. “Our energy was insanely high. When you look at the score after a game like that, you can tell that our energy was high. But our attention to detail and discipline, which had been excellent for the previous four or five weeks, was insufficient.”
As disappointing as the loss was, it was only one game in a long season. It’s also worth remembering that other teams have had a rough week in the middle of a season in which they made the playoffs.
Take, for example, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
which was defeated by the New Orleans Saints in Week 9 of the 2020 season by a score of 38-3. It happened to be the same season in which the Buccaneers, led by Tom Brady, won 11 games and took home the Lombardi Trophy.
There’s also the 1991 Lions which lost by 32 points – 35-3 – in a Week 8 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. Those same Lions proceeded to win the now defunct NFC Central division and a playoff game.
So, there is precedent for an NFL organization to experience a lopsided defeat amidst a strong season.
And, strange but true, Detroit’s deflating loss to the Ravens Sunday may have just been what the team needed.
Prior to the Week 7 setback, Detroit was riding high, having won five of its first six games. The impressive start to the 2023 season had fans and pundits alike talking about the Lions not only making the playoffs, but also making a deep run in the postseason (perhaps even all the way to the Super Bowl). Yes, people were talking about the once hapless Lions, a team without a playoff win since ’91, making their very first Super Bowl appearance.
Undoubtedly, the Super Bowl buzz surrounding Detroit will not be nearly as prevalent now. And, that’s a good thing, because it probably shouldn’t have been a realistic topic even prior to the beatdown the Lions just suffered against Baltimore.
