Out of step In an ugly road loss to the Ravens, the Detroit Lions ran into a buzz saw.
On Monday Night Football, the Lions will face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8.
BALTIMORE – The Detroit Lions appeared disjointed and disengaged in their 38-6 road loss to Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
On Sunday (Oct. 22), Jackson performed like a magician, doing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted early and frequently, making the Lions defense seem dumb.
The Ravens were so sure of themselves that they won the coin toss, took the ball, and went on a seven-play, 75-yard opening drive that ended with a fourth-down seven-yard rushing score.
Jackson appeared to be having an easy game as he led the Ravens to four straight touchdown drives in the first half to build a 28-0 lead into halftime.
“Those guys played well, and they kicked our expletive,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “Lamar hammered us with his arm while throwing the ball exceptionally well.” He ran when he needed to, and we weren’t prepared for it.”
Jackson completed 21 of 27 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried the ball nine times for 36 yards and one running touchdown, embarrassing the Lions’ feared defense.
“Our energy level was good,” Campbell added. “It’s insane. When you get out of a game like that, you look at the score. Again, our energy was high, but our detail and discipline had been excellent for the previous four or five weeks, but not today. We were subjected to self-inflicted (Penalties). It was a variety of factors, but we won as a team and lost as a team.”
Offense
The Lions offense stayed in Detroit because it was stagnant in the. Coming into the game, Detroit was on a four-game winning streak in which they had won games by 14 points or more, and they had scored 20 points a game in their previous 15 consecutive games, but they were not in the Ravens weight class on either side of the ball, particularly at quarterback.
Mr. Jared Goff
Quarterback In the first half, Jared Goff completed 11-18 throws for 99 yards as he struggled to find his footing until the game was out of reach. Goff completed 33-53 passes for 284 yards and one interception on the day.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, his No. 1 target, had a good day, catching 13 receptions for 103 yards, but all eyes were on the return of rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who was the top dog in the backfield.
Mr. Jahmyr Gibbs
With the emergence of running back David Montgomery, who has been on fire recently, Gibbs’ rookie season has gotten off to a poor start.
But Gibbs couldn’t play because of injuries, and Montgomery was setting franchise records in his debut season with the team. Now that Montgomery was out healing from rib injuries, it was Gibbs’ opportunity to show why he was taken in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
His first game as a full-time starter occurred in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons. He carried the ball 17 times for 80 yards and had one reception for two yards.
He ran the ball 11 times for 68 yards against the Ravens in week seven, while also catching nine passes for 58 yards on ten targets.
Gibbs displayed explosiveness, quickness, and vision on his first 21-yard touchdown run of his young career.
“I was pleased with Gibbs,” stated Campbell. “It was good to see him back out there, and I thought he took a step forward, and I thought he was one of the guys who did something really positive in the game.” I assumed he had good eyesight. He set up some pretty good runs, and I was thinking, ‘OK, he’s feeling a little better.’ I just think the more he plays, the better he’ll get, so that’s a step in the right path.”
The Lions (5-2) will aim to improve in week eight when they play the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football at Ford Field.
