Are The Detroit Lions Building A Contender Or A Pretender At The Trade Deadline?
A game many classified as a “must-win” for the Detroit Lions, the Seattle Seahawks feasted in the Den. Only one week apart where fans were calling offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter a genius, they are now calling for his head. The Lions defense once again couldn’t seem to stop an offense that drove down the field consistently. But after analyzing the game tape, the Lions did not play as bad as a game that most people initially felt. Let’s analyze a play in their comeback attempt to show you what I’m talking about.
Down by two scores and after a Matt Stafford fumble, the Lions need a stop on this drive to keep them in the game. The Seahawks run a single back formation with three wide receivers and one tight end. To counter, head coach Matt Patricia calls man coverage while rushing five linemen with two linebackers to play spies, one for quarterback Russell Wilson and one for running back Chris Carson (Figure 1.1).
Figure 1.1: Seattle Seahawks run a single back formation. Matt Patricia counters with man coverage, rushing six, and two spies, one for Russell Wilson and one for Chris Carson. pic.twitter.com/BDXhqxy6TB
— Saurav Kolli (@kolli_lions) November 2, 2018
As soon as the ball is snapped, the tight end drops back to protect the pocket and it soon becomes clear that the Seahawks offense wants to pass. Three of the Lions cornerbacks drop into coverage, with a single safety playing deep to help. The Lions cornerbacks maintain good coverage off the line of scrimmage (Figure 1.2).
Figure 1.2: Three of the Lions cornerbacks drop into coverage, with a single safety playing deep to help. The Lions cornerbacks maintain good coverage throughout the play, especially off the line of scrimmage. pic.twitter.com/RKBLVDw71Y
— Saurav Kolli (@kolli_lions) November 2, 2018
With the extra lineman that rushed the quarterback, the Lions are also able to generate pressure on Wilson, which causes Wilson to scramble in the pocket (1.3).
Figure 1.3: the Detroit Lions are also able to generate pressure on Russell Wilson, which causes Wilson to scramble in the pocket. pic.twitter.com/uQg7tBGB2a
— Saurav Kolli (@kolli_lions) November 2, 2018
Both Lions linebackers are successful in their spy coverage as both Carson and Wilson were accounted for. In addition, all three wide receivers were successfully covered which gave nowhere for Wilson to throw the ball. The pressure got to Wilson and resulted in an extremely crucial sack that kept the Lions chances of a comeback alive (1.4).
Figure 1.4: The resulting coverage and pressure forces a sack to keep the Lions comeback chances alive. pic.twitter.com/WzDusydMNz
— Saurav Kolli (@kolli_lions) November 2, 2018
This sack caused the Lions to get the ball back and the chance to score two quick touchdowns. Unfortunately, this was too little too late as the Lions offense sputtered and wasn’t able to come up with the scores. However, this play shows that the Lions have a very good base to build on. There were similar plays all game where the Lions simply weren’t able to finish the play. They weren’t able to get that finish a PBU or finish another sack, but the Seahawks played an extremely good game. They might not be a championship team this year, but GM Bob Quinn and coach Patricia are laying all the right groundwork to build this team into a contender.
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to follow Saurav Kolli on Twitter @SauravKolli, and leave me your thoughts on the Detroit Lions subreddit.
