Four Downs: Shoddy defense shares the blame for Lions’ loss to Packers

First down

It’s easy to appreciate coach Dan Campbell’s candor, but that doesn’t mean we’re required to agree with what he says. In his postgame comments, it was striking how he pinned the loss solely on the team’s offense.

“I put this on our offense,” Campbell said after asked about his defensive’s struggles on third down in the second half. “Offensively we have to be able to outscore a team like this.”

Knowing what we know about Detroit’s offense, particularly the lack of receiving options for quarterback Jared Goff, it feels like expecting the group to keep pace with the Packers, or the 49ers a week earlier, was an unrealistic expectation.

More: Niyo: Lions make a ‘mess’ of their upset bid in Lambeau

Now, the Lions showed in the first half they can be efficient and put up points. And Campbell has every right to be irked about the unit’s inability to score a single point in the second half. The turnovers were particularly damning. Whether it was the botched snap, the interception or the failure to execute when given the opportunity to go for it on fourth down, those are plays you can’t afford against an opponent so capable of capitalizing on the errors.

But why let the defense off the hook? In the first half, the Packers bullied the Lions on the ground, putting together a pair of long touchdown drives. And in the second half, despite repeatedly getting Aaron Rodgers and company in difficult third-down situations, the Lions allowed them to convert time after time.

Does the offense need to be better? Absolutely. They’re probably not as good as they looked in the first half, but they certainly can’t stumble all over themselves like they did the final two quarters with an offensive line performing so well. At the very least, It’s reasonable to expect the group to score at least 20 points per week, and more when heading to the locker room with 17 already on the board.

But the defense is equally in need of improvement. You can’t get get beat on third-and-12, third-and-7, third-and-14 and third-and-goal in the second half and expect to beat the Packers on the road.

Second down

After studying a considerable amount of Goff’s film during the offseason, and watching him closely each and every training camp practice, it was easy to feel confident about my assessment of his strengths and weaknesses.

With that in mind, I can say without hesitation his first-half performance was the best half of football I’ve seen the Lions quarterback play.

Yes, it helps that his offensive line was providing excellent protection, and the ground game was getting traction, but when Goff dropped back to throw, he progressed through his reads and consistently delivered accurate throws to open options.

It was eye-opening watching him attack more downfield with confidence and accuracy. That’s not to say the film showed he was incapable, but he has rarely showed this level of consistency.

It’s obviously a small sample size, and somewhat overwritten by a sloppy second half, but it was enough to somewhat alter my short-term expectations for Goff and the Lions offense. He’s clearly good enough to help this team win some games this year, and his efficiency with a less-than-ideal supporting cast makes it all the more impressive.

But the long-term view largely remains unaffected. We’re going to see a lot more than a good half of football before anyone could reasonably state he should remain the choice to lead the offense into the future.

Third down

In what is starting to feel like an unfortunate annual tradition, the Lions’ secondary is battling through significant injuries early in the season. In 2020, it was Desmond Trufant and Justin Coleman knocked out for much of the first half, while this year the Lions lost Jeff Okudah in Week 1, followed up by rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu’s concerning leg injury Monday night that Campbell said was serious and will sideline him for a while.

The Lions already entered the season extremely young at the position, and after Melifonwu went down, they found themselves relying on Bobby Price, an undrafted rookie from a year ago who converted from safety midway through training camp. Jerry Jacobs, an undrafted rookie, also got a handful of snaps.

Predictably, Rodgers tested both, but his deep shots against Price overshot their targets, potentially because of the steady rain that was impacting the game in the second half. On both, the receiver definitely had a step, and if Price’s preseason struggles with the position change are any indication, the Lions could be in trouble.

There are other options, of course, but none are particularly appealing. The team claimed Corey Ballentine off waivers last week. He’s also young, 25, with two years of experience. At the very least, he has more than 400 defensive snaps under his belt. And Nickell Robey-Coleman remains on the practice squad, although he’s struggled quite a bit during his career when asked to play outside.

Beyond a trade, which would likely require the Lions to foolishly part with a draft pick, this will probably be the reality the next several weeks. Defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant already had arguably the toughest job on the staff, but it’s nearing impossible.

Maybe it’s finally time to pick up the phone and call Quinton Dunbar. The veteran who was with the Lions earlier this offseason couldn’t be worse.

Fourth down

Let’s close out by dipping back to the defense. Taking the morning-after pulse of the fan base, there’s swelling frustration with starting linebackers Alex Anzalone and Jamie Collins. And rightfully slow, um, I mean so.

Anzalone’s play has been wildly inconsistent through two weeks and Collins, long known for his freakish athleticism, looked a step late all night against Green Bay. It’s raising the valid question of when will the team turns to rookie Derrick Barnes. They’ve certainly embraced utilizing young players across the rest of the roster, and few were as impressive as Barnes during the preseason, so there’s little reason to resist working him into the mix.

But the linebacking issues speak to the larger problem with Detroit’s defense: A total lack of playmakers. Who, if anyone, merits focused attention from an opposing offensive coordinator? Romeo Okwara might be the closest thing, but with a single double-digit sack season on his resume, and surprisingly subpar run defense, it’s not enough.

In those rare moments we allow ourselves to peek ahead to the 2022 offseason, our focus has been more on quarterback and wide receiver, but the Lions must find their game-changing defensive player, whether that’s an edge rusher, defensive tackle, linebacker or safety.

They need a guy they can build around, who wrecks game plans, and single-handily prevents an opponent from dominating you on third down in a close game like Green Bay did on Monday.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers