Detroit Lions film review: Why was the defense wholly ineffective against the Rams?
Allen Park — If you were paying attention, you understood what was what going into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams might not have led the NFL in scoring coming into the contest with the Detroit Lions, but it was the league’s best offense. With MVP favorite Matthew Stafford throwing to the league’s best receiving tandem, paired with football’s most-efficient ground game, it was always going to be a daunting challenge for the Lions’ defense.
If Detroit was going to declare they belonged on the short list of serious Super Bowl contenders, it was going to start with proving they could keep the Los Angeles offense in check.
Instead, Detroit failed to a spectacular degree. The performance was on par with an equally disheartening dismantling at the hands of the Buffalo Bills nearly a year to the day.
The Rams’ 41 points and 519 yards were the most the Lions had allowed since that loss to the Bills. It also marked the most yards per play, rushing yards and yards per carry allowed by the Lions this season.
The 30 first downs amassed by the Rams were the second most allowed by the Lions in the Dan Campbell era. The Rams’ rushing success rate? The worst of the coach’s five-season tenure.
With each defensive snap, Detroit’s hopes of re-announcing themselves as contenders only served to rubber-stamp their pretender status.
Why, when the Lions needed the defense to deliver its best outing, did it produce its worst? Let’s examine the tape to determine why the unit wasn’t up to the challenge.