In what may be the ugliest game of football ever played by the Detroit Lions, there were too many mistakes and bad plays to count.
Tampa Bay routed the Lions in this 47-7 blowout of a matchup. The offense was never able to find momentum and the defense couldn’t stop the Buccaneers if they tried.
The list of players who had rough performances in this game is seemingly endless and it feels like there wasn’t any silver lining to this embarrassing loss. Nevertheless, some players shined in this otherwise forgettable game.
Stud: Everson Griffen
The veteran pass rusher was one of the only bright spots on defense in this blowout loss to Tampa Bay. Near the end of the first quarter, Griffen landed a sack on Brady that forced a second-and-long.
Dud: Discipline
Twice in the first half, the Lions committed penalties that drastically altered the course of the game.
Though Griffen had a good game overall, his offsides penalty on Tampa Bay’s first offensive drive was the play that got the ball rolling for Tom Brady and his offense.
Jahlani Tavai was able to sack Brady and force a fourth down, but Griffen’s penalty negated the sack and Brady threw a touchdown right after.
On Detroit’s first drive on offense, left tackle Taylor Decker committed another costly penalty. The former first-round pick was called for a false start on a fourth-down attempt that forced the Lions to punt as a result.
Stud: Jamal Agnew
As the only Lions player to find the endzone and prevent this game from being a shutout, Agnew has proved that he is a stud as Detroit’s punt returner. The former All-Pro return man took a punt to the house in the third quarter and put Detroit’s first points on the board.
This is Jamal Agnew’s 4th punt return for a TD in his 4 years in the league pic.twitter.com/oy4xZbJL9w
— Erik Schlitt (@erikschlitt) December 26, 2020
Dud: Jonah Jackson
The offensive line struggled as a whole, but Jackson had one very glaringly bad snap. Former Lions sixth-round pick Jeremiah Ledbetter easily overpowered Jackson for a sack on Chase Daniel.
Stud: Romeo Okwara
Okwara recorded his ninth sack of the year, a career-high, and recorded another forced fumble — his third on the season.
Dud: Jahlani Tavai
Tavai got the start at linebacker with Jamie Collins out with an injury. The second-year linebacker out of Hawaii struggled throughout the game and missed several tackles as both Brady and Blaine Gabbert easily dissected the defense.
Stud: Jack Fox
Fox continued his Pro Bowl season by averaging 47.8-yards over eight punts, with five of them landing inside the 20-yard line.
Dud: The Detroit Lions
This poor showing has done more damage than anyone could have expected. With the Lions now on their second primetime loss of the season, everyone who watches football is aware of just how bad this team is this season.
For a team that is in need of a new general manager, a new coaching staff, and has plenty of players set to be free agents, it’s hard to see many people who would want to be part of this organization after this loss.