Rookie QB’S strong debut not enough to keep Lions alive in NFC playoff hunt
Being forced to start a thirdstring quarterback isn’t an excuse the Detroit Lions can lean on after suffering yet another loss.
In truth, rookie David Blough gave the Lions more than they could have hoped for in Thursday’s U.S. Thanksgiving Day game.
In the end, Lions head coach Matt Patricia admitted something is missing, after the Chicago Bears rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Detroit 24-20 before 65,412 spectators at Ford Field.
“We have to find a way to win and we have to find a way to kind of break through that thing that’s stopping us right now and smash that, so we can get this thing going,” Patricia said. “You want to talk about a tough team, a team that fights, a team that will try to do everything they can to win — that’s what we’ve got right now. Obviously, the goal is to win, and that’s what we have to get done, and we will.”
Detroit has led in all 12 games this season. Thursday’s setback was the team’s fifth straight loss and eighth in the last nine games as they fell to 3-8-1 on the season.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” said Lions defensive end Trey Flowers, who recorded Detroit’s lone sack on the day. “Obviously, you put a lot of energy, time into a week to come up short. We just have to try to find a way to ... finish out games.”
Early in Thursday’s game, the Lions had some answers, responding quickly after the Bears scored on their first possession.
After skipping his first pass 10 yards short of the intended receiver, Blough aired out a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay on his next attempt. It was the longest touchdown pass by a Detroit quarterback since 2013.
“I’m a pretty confident guy,” said Blough, who the Lions acquired from Cleveland at the end of exhibition play for a flip of seventh-round picks. “I know I can make all the throws. I know my coaches and teammates believe I can make all the throws.”
Blough engineered a 78-yard drive in 10 plays to put the Lions up 14-7 after the first quarter, capped by an eight-yard scoring pass to Marvin Jones. Jr. That gave him 136 yards passing and two scores in the quarter, something only Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Baltimore’s
Lamar Jackson and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers have been able to accomplish this season.
“He was very confident,” Golladay said of Blough. “He even told Matty P (Patricia), ‘I’m ready to rip it.’ He definitely stepped up to the challenge. I’m proud of him.”
But after trading field goals to take a seven-point lead at the half, the game slowly slipped away from the Lions in the second half.
Chicago tied the game in the third quarter as quarterback Mitch Trubisky shook off a Darius Slay interception to engineer an 80-yard drive and tie the game at 17-17.
Blough drove the Lions to the Chicago five-yard line, but J.D. Mckissic was unable to convert a third-and-one play and the Lions had to settle for a short field goal.
The Bears then reeled off a 90-yard drive that ended with Trubisky throwing his third touchdown of the game.
“It’s really hard to say, especially right after the game,” Lions safety Tracy Walker said of the team’s struggles. “I feel like we’re just leaving a lot of plays out there.”
With the loss, the Lions have been officially eliminated from the playoffs and the club will finish under .500 for a second straight season under Patricia, who replaced Jim Caldwell after back-to-back 9-7 seasons cost him his job.
“I mean, again, for me, we’re just pushing forward every single step of the way,” Patricia said when asked about his future. “So go back to work next week and try to do a good job at building on this week and try to go win. Everything we can. We’ve got a big one coming up, Minnesota, obviously it’s a big game.”