Cold Weather & 4th-Down Failures Doom Lions in SNF Disaster
From a results standpoint, Sunday was one of the worst regular-season days for the Detroit Lions in recent memory. Both the Green Bay Packers (6-3-1) and Chicago Bears (7-3) barely escaped with a win, and the Lions (6-4) put up an embarrassing dud in their 16-9 loss against the gold standard of the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles (8-2).
The loss was a group effort from just about everyone outside of the defensive side of the ball. The two primary culprits were quarterback Jared Goff and the failed third and fourth-down attempts.
Like a defender in his face, Goff could not shake the indoor vs. outdoor narratives after turning in one of the worst games of his career in the cold and windy Lincoln Financial Field. Goff's tipped interception on the first drive became a harbinger of things to come as he completed a career-low 37.8% of his passes after entering Sunday Night Football leading all QBs in the stat on the season. Goff ended the game on a shocking 2-18 stretch.
Goff's frustrating performance led to numerous missed opportunities on third and fourth down. The Lions went 3-13 on third downs and 0-5 on fourth down. This was the second-worst fourth-down performance of the Dan Campbell era, with the worst being the historically bad 0-6 in 2022 in a 29-0 loss to the New England Patriots.
The Lions did not attempt a single field goal until late in the fourth quarter, after beginning their drive in Eagles' territory following the Lions' defense stopping two tush push attempts. Kicker Jake Bates would make the 54-yard attempt, which will certainly lead to questions about why Bates wasn't given more chances to kick.
What makes such a performance frustrating is that the Eagles' offense wasn't much better. Jalen Hurts, who now moves to 11-0 against the NFC North as a starter, completed 14 of his 28 passes for 135 yards. The Eagles went 4-15 on third downs and 0-1 on fourth down. The difference in the game really came down to the Eagles knowing when to kick and trusting their special teams to get the job done.
One more scheduled cold weather game to go at the worst possible time
There's bad news for anyone hoping this would be the Lions' last game outdoors this season. First off, the Lions are now very unlikely to have homefield advantage in the playoffs -- if they even make it. They have one more scheduled game in cold weather, and it's not for the faint of heart.
For Week 18, the Lions head to Chicago to face off against former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the now-NFC North-leading Chicago Bears. The day and time will be determined at a later date, and could reasonably be flexed to a night game. Either way, it will be a January game in the Windy City. A game that could decide the NFC North or a spot in the playoffs in general.
Sunday had none of the good vibes of Week 9, when Campbell took over play-calling duties in a dominant win over the Washington Commanders. The "Legion of Whom" did the best they could to keep the Lions in it, but Goff and the offense struggled to take advantage. This was a very winnable game that the Lions lost. Now, the Lions are on the outside looking in in the playoff picture, and outside is the last place any Lion wants to be right now.
Browns HC Stefanski did not help him much by how he has handled Sanders throughout the season
For those who have been calling for the Browns to swallow hard and admit that the insistence on playing rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel might well have been a mistake, and that it was time to turn the keys over to Shedeur Sanders, Sunday was not a great day, of course. Sanders looked something like a deer in headlights when he came into the game in the second half, throwing for 47 yards on 4-for-16 passing with an interception and two sacks.
The argument that the Browns could do no worse than Gabriel by at least giving Sanders a chance was shot through. Sanders was worse, without a doubt. He had a quarterback rating of 13.5 in the Browns’ 23-16 loss to Baltimore.
But all is not lost for those backing Sanders. This is a player, after all, who has not been on an NFL field before, and was inserted at halftime. He’s also a player who has not played meaningful football in 11 months. And worse, his head coach did not help him much by how he has handled Sanders throughout the season.
Browns’ Kevin Stefanski Did Not Have Shedeur Sanders Working With 1st Team
That’s because, as the Browns have moved forward this season, once former quarterback Joe Flacco was traded, Kevin Stefanski has treated Gabriel like the unquestioned QB1, and has had him running all of his reps with the first-team offense. That means that, prior to his stepping on the field on Sunday, he had not even worked out with the players he was surrounded by.
Stefanski’s feet were held to the fire on that issue on Sunday after the game, and it was something he did not want to talk about much. But Stefanski said the Browns try to do more with quarterbacks than just first-team works.
“I would tell you, we do so much work with the quarterback position and the entire team, not just those reps on the practice field,” Stefanski said. “And those are, as we all know, those are tough reps for when you have a young starter as well. But there’s so much that we do to supplement that type of thing."
Browns’ Kevin Stefanski: ‘Those Are Very Valuable Reps’
Credit Browns reporters, though, for not letting the topic go, even if Stefanski tried to brush it off. He was asked again, once the team made Sanders the QB2, should he not have at least gotten some run with the first team, knowing there would be a chance he would have to play.
Had Bailey Zappe been QB2, it might make sense–Zappe is an experienced backup. Sanders is not. Stefanski, though, essentially said he preferred focusing on Gabriel’s development than bringing along Sanders.
“I would tell you, you’re always trying to get your starter ready to play and certainly, when your starter is a rookie, those are very valuable reps,” Stefanski said. “When your starter, when your backup is a rookie also, you do everything in your power to get our quarterbacks as many reps as possible. Post practice, after practice, extra meeting time. So that’s just part of how it goes.
“But the bottom line is we trust both of our players. We trust all of our players because of the work that they put in.”
Shedeur Sanders Did Not Benefit From Preparation
Again, the same Browns reporter–Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com–kept pushing Stefanski on the question. If Sanders was the backup quarterback, why not have him work at least some small percentage of reps with the starters?
Cabot asked: “Is it fair to say that you think Shedeur would have a much better chance of being successful if you guys’ game planned for him and played to his strengths and he’s got those reps and things?”
Stefanski, on the defensive, said, “I think that’s true, probably of every backup. Mary Kay and I think it’s – listen, that was a part of, earlier in the season with Joe (Flacco) as your starter and Dillon as your backup, there’s things that you’re going to lean into with a different player.
“So that’s no different for all of your players. You want to make sure that your players, particularly that position, have plays that they’re comfortable with.”
