Ex-Gator still seeking win with Lions
WASHINGTON — Detroit Lions quarterback Jeff Driskel walked into the interview room at FedEx Field Sunday a battered man, bloodied about the arms by cuts inflicted by six Washington Redskins sacks.
Driskel, the former Hagerty and University of Florida quarterback, fell short in his third attempt to come out with a victory as the Lions’ starter, and the pain of his third straight loss showed on his face. Throwing three interceptions didn’t help as the Lions (3-7-1) lost another close one 16-13 to the lowly Redskins (2-10).
“You gotta put your team in position to win and all day the defense did a great job in giving us the ball back … holding them to field goals,” Driskel said. “We had a chance to go down there and win the game and, you know, you just gotta take care of the ball. That’s what it comes down to. … Throwing through your reads, throwing it to the other guy …
“Taking care of the football, that’s first and foremost the quarterback’s job and I didn’t do that.”
Driskel, who transferred from Florida to Louisiana Tech for his senior year of college, became the Lions starting quarterback after Matthew Stafford suffered fractured bones in his back that are likely to sideline him for as many as three more weeks, if not more. The Lions have lost here close games with Driskel at the helm.
Now Driskel is dealing with his own injury challenges, showing up on Monday’s practice report with a hamstring injury and it’s unclear whether he will be ready to play again Thursday.
The Lions have lost the past three games by a combined 18 points against Chicago, Dallas and Washington. That, however, is little solace for Driskel.
Two of his interceptions were certainly uncharacteristic of Driskel, who threw one ball right at former Florida teammate Quinton Dunbar and then had his final ill-advised throw of the game easily picked off by Fabian Moreau.
“We didn’t make enough plays and I’m sure everybody out there can say that. As for myself, I didn’t make enough plays and turned the ball over,” Driskel said.
“It’s frustrating and you’ve gotta go in that locker room and take accountability and that’s what I’ll do. “
Driskel did say he thinks the team is right on the cusp of turning things around and they’ll be right back at it during their traditional Thanksgiving Day game Thursday against the Chicago Bears, another team that has under-performed. They will face off at Ford Field in Detroit.
“I think we have the guys in that locker room that go to work each and every week, and we work hard throughout the week,” Driskel said. “We take accountability for our mistakes and we move forward.”
The fourth-year pro also knows it’s on his shoulders to right the ship. He’s had some positive moments in his three starts, including the comeback he almost pulled off against the Dallas Cowboys. The Lions ultimately came up short, falling 35-27.
Driskel has thrown for 685 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s 62-of-105 passing during his three starts this year. His QB rating dropped to 75.3 after a 50.9 Sunday.
“It just comes down to making plays at the end of the game and that’s been a common thing over these past few weeks. We just gotta find a way to make them happen,” Driskel said. “We have the confidence that we’re going to go make them, but we just didn’t do it. It is frustrating when you’re in position to go win football games and you just come up short.”