Lions' inability to create big plays on offense costly in loss to Chiefs
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions struggled in Kansas City on Sunday night.
The Chiefs had an effective game plan set up to stop Detroit and the personnel advantage needed to execute it.
The Lions lost 30-17 to the perennial AFC powerhouse.
“I'm disappointed,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game. "It's been a long time since we've watched someone kneel (the ball) three times at the end of a game that isn't even close. We were down two scores and we got worked pretty good.
“So yeah, it is really disappointing.”
Campbell said he expected his team to need at least 30 points to have a chance to win — a prediction that turned out to be accurate.
“I felt like this was the kind of game where we needed at least that many and we couldn't,” he said. “Defensively, we had some opportunities that we have to capitalize on — we didn't get any takeaways — but, really, the offense needed to show up there.”
Jared Goff threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and the Lions rushed for 98 yards, but they weren't able to break the big plays the offense usually produces. They didn't have a rushing touchdown for just the second time this season — the other being the Week 1 loss in Green Bay — and the Chiefs took away Detroit's catch-and-run ability.
Goff averaged 8.8 yards per completion, his second-lowest total of the season behind the 7.3 yards against the Packers.
“I don't want to take anything away from how well their defense played,” Goff said. "They were well prepared and did a lot of things that gave us issues. But our mentality was to score on every drive, and when we had long drives, we needed to finish them with touchdowns.
“We didn't do that and they did.”
One drive that ended in a field goal was Detroit's first, although the Lions were originally ruled to have scored a touchdown off one of their many trick plays.
Goff walked up behind center, then went into motion and caught a touchdown pass from running back David Montgomery. However, the officials ruled he hadn't set for 1 second before splitting out wide, making it a penalty for illegal motion.
“I was under the impression that I wasn't declared as a quarterback until I put my hands under center,” Goff said. “But there's a new version of the rule that I had never heard of, and I guess some of our coaches had never heard of, so we'll have to do some research.
“But that wasn't the reason we lost the game.”
What’s working
After struggling to get speedy Jameson Williams into the passing game all season, he caught six passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. They weren't able to get the ball to him deep — his catches came an average of just 4 yards downfield, but he put up 44 yards after the catch.
What needs help
Jahmyr Gibbs was held in check by the Kansas City defense, finishing with 18 touches — 17 rushes and one reception — for just 65 total yards.
Stock up
Aidan Hutchinson finished with one sack and a forced fumble — the fourth straight week he has had at least one of each. That matches the longest streak since 1999, also achieved by Cedric Jones (1999), Simeon Rice (2002), Robert Mathis (2005) and Khalil Mack (2018).
Stock down
Safety Brian Branch was suspended for one game without pay by the NFL on Monday for unsportsmanlike conduct following a loss at Kansas City. Branch punched Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Sunday night, setting off a postgame melee.
“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable and it is not going to be accepted here,” Campbell said. “It's not what we do, and I apologize to Coach (Andy) Reid and the Chiefs.”
Injuries
Safety Kerby Joseph missed 11 of Detroit's 64 defensive snaps after aggravating a knee injury. He returned to the game, but it remains unclear how the injury will affect him in upcoming games.
Key number
4 — With Branch suspended, Joseph dealing with his knee and cornerbacks D.J. Reed (hamstring) and Terrion Arnold (shoulder) out with injuries, the Lions will be facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night without any of their starting defensive backs at full health.
Next steps
The Lions will have to find a way to put pressure on Baker Mayfield if they want to avoid him picking apart the banged-up secondary the way Patrick Mahomes did on Sunday night.
Broncos Rescue J.T. Gray from Ravens’ Practice Squad - 3-Time All-Pro Reunites with Sean Payton to Patch Special Teams Disaster
The Denver Broncos have signed former New Orleans Saints All-Pro special teams ace J.T. Gray, according to Nick Underhill. Gray was signed off the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad after the Saints had released him in September.
Gray was discovered by the Saints as a college free agent in 2018 when the team was still helmed by Sean Payton. A safety by trade, Gray quickly distinguished himself on special teams.
Gray was a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 2021, Payton's last season as the Saints' head coach. Gray has also been a second-team All-Pro twice, once in 2019 and again last season.
When the Saints released him last month, he was on his third contract with the club, having signed a three-year, $9.6 million extension in 2023. With the salary-cap trouble New Orleans has created for itself, the third-phase stalwart became expendable.
The Ravens signed Gray to their practice squad two days later. Gray did not dress for a game as a Raven, but as soon as the Saints released him, there was speculation that he'd
Why Gray Was Targeted
At 29 years old, Gray still has a lot of football left in the tank. Meanwhile, the Broncos' special teams coverage units badly need help.
The Broncos rank dead-last in the league in covering kickoffs, averaging 29.3 yards per return. When it comes to covering punts, the Broncos aren't quite as bad, but entered Week 6 ranked 21st.
Suffice it to say, new special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi hasn't had the galvanizing and uplifting effect on Denver's third phase that the fans had hoped. There have been steady special teams gaffes throughout the season.
The Broncos have been in some tough field-position games, including last Sunday in London vs. the New York Jets. Tight contests such as these can be decided by leaky coverage units on special teams, so kudos to the Broncos for recognizing the need to tighten things up by bringing in Gray.
Payton and Rizzi both know Gray and are ostensibly confident in what he can bring to the table. Don't expect to see Gray on defense any time soon, but help is on the way to Denver's beleaguered special teams units.
The Broncos have one of the NFL's best returners in the two-time All-Pro Marvin Mims Jr. Now, Denver will boast one of the NFL's best gunners in Gray.
Teams make salary-cap decisions all the time. But it's kind of crazy to think that Gray was just collecting dust on Baltimore's practice squad. You wonder why it took the Broncos so long to scoop him up.
With the NFL trade deadline coming up in early November, the Broncos' pursuit of Gray is a reminder that GM George Paton and Payton could have some moves in mind.
