LIONS PAY DEARLY FOR LACK OF FOCUS
turnovers, inconsistency on offence plague detroit in 28-14 loss to visiting seahawks
Teams with aspirations of making it to the NFL playoffs don’t make the mistake the Detroit Lions did on Sunday.
After posting three wins in the last four games, the Lions lacked focus against the Seattle Seahawks and paid dearly in a 28-14 loss before 65,237 at Ford Field.
“I mean, this week is all about us and consistency,” Lions rookie running back Kerryon Johnson said. “We weren’t consistent. We had drives at the end of the game, we still marched right down the field. We didn’t finish. We had drives at the beginning of the game, we didn’t finish. We just weren’t consistent in our performance from last week and it showed.” Both teams came into the match with 3-3 records and the Lions had shaken off an 0-2 start to get back in the conversation about NFC playoff teams. “We didn’t focus on nothing,” Lions defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois said. “We couldn’t stop the run and we let the Seattle offence control the game. We killed ourselves in penalties, we didn’t connect with their plays and we didn’t focus at all. We were just out there playing.” The Lions made it look easy with the club’s first drive, which went 91 yards in 13 plays with quarterback Matthew Stafford scrambling to find Marvin Jones for a 39-yard touchdown.
It was the lone bright spot for a Detroit team that would lose the turnover war and time of possession battle badly.
“Give them credit,” Lions head coach Matt Patricia said. “They came out (and) they outperformed us. Pete (Carroll, the Seahawks head coach) had his crew ready to go coming off the bye week and we just couldn’t stay with them at all.” Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter to put Seattle up 21-7 at the half and in full control.
Wilson hit Tyler Lockett with a 24-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. After Ameer Abdullah fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Wilson hit David Moore with the go-ahead touchdown from 15 yards out.
“Definitely can’t do that in that moment on that side of the field,” Abdullah said of the fumble. “You can’t let the ball go.”
That was followed by a 12-yard touchdown to tight end Ed Dickson just before the half to put Seattle up two scores.
“I thought we made a lot of mistakes,” LaSalle native and Lions tight end Luke Willson said. “I felt like, especially in the first half, we had some limited opportunities. I don’t see numbers, but it didn’t feel like we were out there much and didn’t get it done.”
Stafford also threw an interception at the Seattle one-yard line and fumbled the ball away near midfield.
“Just got to prove it every week and every team is a good team,” Stafford said. “Doesn’t matter who you’re playing, you got to go out there and prove it and play well. If you don’t play well, you won’t win. If you play well, you win and that’s just the way it goes.”
Chris Carson’s seven-yard touchdown run extended the lead to 21 for Seattle before Jones caught his second touchdown of the game from Stafford to complete the scoring.
“It stinks, especially losing a home game,” said Willson, who caught a season-high three passes for 21 yards. “Hats off to Seattle, but we have to do a better job.”
Like late in the game with Seattle pinned at its own threeyard line. Punter Michael Dickson was allowed to scamper nine yards for a first down to enable the Seahawks to kill the clock and seal the game.
“I mean, nine times out of 10, when we lose it’s going to be the same issues,” said Lions safety Glover Quin, whose team heads to Minnesota next week. “Turnovers, not stopping the run, not making plays, that’s kind of what happens when you lose.”
“We didn’t get it done. They played better than we did. That’s about it.”