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While this year was always going to be a lost season, the Detroit Lions have certainly made the most of it at certain moments, and their high-scoring loss at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks certainly fits that bill.
Facing a 31-7 hole heading into halftime, the Lions fought to make the final result semi-respectable in the second half, putting up 22 points on their way to a 51-29 loss on the road.
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Lions Week 17 Takeaways
3. The future QB is not on this team
When the Matthew Stafford – Jared Goff trade was finalized, the Lions were focused on the draft picks, and not receiving Goff, as the biggest part of their return. Even with producing better than a 2:1 TD:INT ratio, Goff just does not profile as this team’s QB of the future, and Sunday’s performance by backup Tim Boyle helped back that up.
The former Green Bay backup has seen extensive action with Goff missing time this year, and his performance against the Seahawks was the best of the year so far – 22/37 for 262 yards, 2 TDs, and 3 INTs is a mixed bag, but he was continuously able to help keep this team’s head above water on offense.
Boyle and Goff have combined to produce respectable stats this year at QB for Detroit, but they will need to use this draft or free agency to upgrade this position as best as they can.
2. Regardless of record, Dan Campbell is the right fit to lead this team
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Struggling teams often times have found it difficult to fight for their coaching staffs, due to the below-average product they produce on a weekly basis. But with Dan Campbell seemingly behind every single member of this Lions’ team, the team looks to have his back in the same fashion.
On many occasions this season, Campbell has been pushed as a boisterous coach through his off-the-cuff comments, but this team has been in his corner ever since his first day. The first-time head coach has helped this team improve in ways not seen on the field every week, an aspect not always seen in rebuilding squads.
1. Two building blocks for the offense have slid into their roles of the future
One of the lone bright spots in Detroit’s season so far has been the development of two young players on the offensive side of the ball – RB D’Andre Swift and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Swift returned against Seattle, only turned 6 touches into 39 yards, so his impact on this game was limited, but still good to see him back on the field. For St. Brown, he absolutely torched the secondary for the Seahawks, turning 8 receptions into 111 yards and 1 TD.
Swift’s second season was marred by a shoulder injury, but he remained efficient and expanded his game even more into the passing game. Commanding the lion’s share of touches from this team’s RB group paints a very intriguing picture moving forward for the former Georgia Bulldog product, something that this team should be very happy about.
St. Brown has been a pleasant surprise, as the USC rookie has ascended into the WR1 role for this team as a fourth-round selection. While the front office will likely look to target some WR talent in either free agency or the upcoming draft, St. Brown has solidified himself as a future cog in the offense for the Lions, acting as a solid field-splitter who can run essentially the entire route tree, efficiently.
