Tag: MMQB

The Darrell Bevell era in Detroit got off to a solid start, as he led the Lions to a 34-30 victory over the Chicago Bears. His leadership has proven to be very anti-Matt Patricia and the team responded in a notable fashion.

The national experts are

Let’s take a closer look at what the national analysts thought of the Lions’ victory and what the experts are saying this week.

Touchdown Wire: 21 (Previous: 29)

“Interim head coach Darren Bevell got a chance to make his debut as the head man for the Detroit Lions. It was quite the memorable first outing… The win keeps the Lions’ slim playoff hopes alive, but they’ll probably need to win out and get a bit of luck over the final few weeks to sneak into the dance.” — Mark Schofield

USA Today: TBD (Previous 28)

Nate Davis did not publish a power ranking this week.

NFL: 26 (Previous: 29)

“Who knows what the future holds for Matthew Stafford and the Lions? For now, Detroit fans should enjoy their star quarterback, who passed for over 400 yards in leading the Lions to a 34-30 comeback victory over the Bears on Sunday. After the win, Stafford handed the game ball to interim coach Darrell Bevell, victorious in his first outing as Matt Patricia’s replacement. “My emotions right now, I can’t even think straight,” Bevell said. “I’m just trying to wrap my head around this whole thing, what just happened.” A feel-good moment for the Lions in a period in team history that hasn’t had enough of them.” — Dan Hanzus

ESPN: 25 (Previous: 27)

“Person with most at stake: Interim head coach Darrell Bevell. The true answer here is everyone: With a potential regime change coming, the coaches are performing for new jobs or to retain theirs, and the players are doing the same. But Bevell might have the most to gain or lose here. Bevell has been waiting for years for his chance to become a head coach, and if he can manage Detroit well down the stretch, that could help his candidacy with the Lions (at this point unlikely) or elsewhere, either this offseason or in the future.” — Michael Rothstein

CBS Sports: 27 (Previous 27)

“So the coaching change gave them a little juice after all. That was a nice comeback against the Bears.” — Pete Prisco

Sports Illustrated: 27 (Previous: 25)

“Darrell Bevell won his debut and is riding the wave of good fortune that comes with not being Matt Patricia in the Lions’ locker room. Good for him. It will be interesting to see if they can knock off another team or two before the full regime change at season’s end.” — Note: MMQB uses a rotating staff to make selections, so they will sometimes vary drastically from week to week.

Sporting News: 21 (Previous: 25)

“The Lions played a lot more inspired offensive football with Darrell Bevell and got a few defensive breaks to avenge a shocking Week 1 loss to the Bears.” — Vinnie Iyer

Another disappointing loss for the Detroit Lions (4-7) and this one finally led to the firings of coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn as well as the promotion of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to interim coach.

The analysts don’t appear to believe the change will have much impact on this season and the Lions slide in the national rankings continues.

Let’s take a closer look at what the national analysts thought of the Lions’ victory and what the experts are saying this week.

Touchdown Wire: 29 (Previous: 28)

“Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will take over as the interim head coach, but the team now faces decisions at both general manager and for a permanent head coach. Names will be floated around in the near future, but for now here are some of our suggestions for both HC and GM.” — Mark Schofield

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USA Today: 28 (Previous 26)

“New principal owner Sheila Ford Hamp asserted herself by cleaning out the front office. Now, can she find a brain trust to take Detroit to its first Super Bowl?” — Nate Davis

NFL: 29 (Previous: 29)

“The Lions are blowing it up … again. On Saturday, the team announced it had fired head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn, seismic moves made 48 hours after the Lions were blown out by the Texans on Thanksgiving. Though Quinn had his share of personnel victories in his five years on the job, Patricia was more or less a total miss. The former Patriots defensive coordinator struggled to connect with players and oversaw a Lions team that regressed from the back-to-back 9-7 finishes that preceded the dismissal of Jim Caldwell. Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell takes over as interim coach, while owner Sheila Ford Hamp and president Rod Wood will spearhead the search for a new head coach and GM. If the incoming regime plans to start over, it could mean the end of Matthew Stafford in Detroit.” — Dan Hanzus

ESPN: 27 (Previous: 24)

“Most important game remaining: Week 13 at Chicago. This is the most important game only because it’s Darrell Bevell’s debut as a head coach and it might begin to answer the question of whether it was the talent on the roster or the coaching of Matt Patricia that caused many of Detroit’s problems this season. So it’s intriguing from that aspect to see how the players respond to a regime change. Otherwise, the most important game for Detroit is the last one because it can really push forward on its plan for the future once it concludes.” — Michael Rothstein

CBS Sports: 27 (Previous 24)

“They fired general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia after an embarrassing Thanksgiving Day loss. It was only a matter of time.” — Pete Prisco

Sports Illustrated: 25 (Previous: 25)

“The Matt Patricia era is over, and it feels like a small percentage of my lasting memories from his run took place on the field. Detroit now has some work to do to rebound from an underwhelming stretch of football.” — MMQB Staff

Sporting News: 25 (Previous: 21)

“The Lions’ latest loss was the last straw for Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn. Let’s their players finish strong to save some respectability after two bad losses to bad teams.” — Vinnie Iyer

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The Detroit Lions (4-6) are coming off an embarrassing 20-0 shutout loss to the Carolina Panthers, and as expected, their status in the Week 12 national power rankings is plummetting.

There was one prevailing theme amongst the rankings this week and it’s sure to line up with what Lions fans are thinking: Coach Matt Patricia is in trouble.

Let’s take a closer look at what the national analysts thought of the Lions’ victory and what the experts are saying this week.

Touchdown Wire: 28 (Previous: 22)

“Given that the Lions play Thursday in the early slot against the Houston Texans, Patricia might survive the week. But it would be a shocker if he is back for the start of December. This is the kind of loss that inspires change.” — Mark Schofield

USA Today: 26 (Previous 19)

“Sure, they didn’t score Sunday. But at least they didn’t look bad in the red zone … but only because they never even got that far.” — Nate Davis

NFL: 29 (Previous: 20)

“The clock is ticking louder than ever now on Matt Patricia. The Lions had a chance to get themselves back into the playoff race on Sunday against the Panthers but instead pulled a no-show, shut out 20-0 in a game that reaffirms all the doubts surrounding this team and its coaching staff. The Panthers entered the game without star running back Christian McCaffrey or starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. But former XFL glory boy P.J. Walker moved the ball far better against the Lions than Matthew Stafford and an undermanned Detroit attack did against a Carolina defense that entered Sunday ranked 29th in football. The Lions can find their way back to the periphery of the postseason picture with a win over the Texans on Thanksgiving Day, but there’s zero reason for buy-in here. Lions fans surely agree.” — Dan Hanzus

ESPN: 24 (Previous: 22)

“What they’re thankful for: The offensive line. Detroit’s offensive line — particularly the left side — has been phenomenal (save for Sunday against Carolina). Left tackle Taylor Decker is playing at a Pro Bowl level. Center Frank Ragnow also is at a Pro Bowl level. Rookie left guard Jonah Jackson looks like a stable blocker for years to come and should end up on a bunch of all-rookie teams. While right guard has been an issue, Tyrell Crosby has stepped in at right tackle and played well. But in another down Lions season, the offensive line has sparked a run game and protected Matthew Stafford pretty well.” — Michael Rothstein

CBS Sports: 24 (Previous 20)

“The end is coming for Matt Patricia. Injuries have hurt, but that was a terrible showing in losing to a backup quarterback against the Panthers.” — Pete Prisco

Sports Illustrated: 25 (Previous: 19)

“With all due respect to the Panthers and P.J. Walker: For the Lions, working under a playoff mandate, to have their fate sealed by an opponent on a six-game losing streak and starting an XFL quarterback is a level of humiliation that I pray you never experience.” — MMQB Staff

Sporting News: 21 (Previous: 19)

“What was that? The Lions didn’t have Kenny Golladay or D’Andre Swift, but they might as well have had nobody in that ugly 20-0 loss at the lowly Panthers vs. a backup QB. It’s over for Matt Patricia.” — Vinnie Iyer

The Detroit Lions’ (4-5) managed to secure another last-second victory, this time over the Washington Football Team. It took clutch performances from veterans Matthew Stafford and Marvin Jones to set up a 59-yard game-winning field goal from Matt Prater, who is now 22 of 22 when the game is on the line under 2-minutes in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Last-second heroics are fun to experience, but it appears it’s the Lions 4-5 record that seemed to influence the movement in this week’s national power rankings.

Let’s take a closer look at what the national analysts thought of the Lions’ victory and what the experts are saying this week.

Touchdown Wire: 22 (Previous: 28)

“Somehow, the Lions were able to pull out the win on a Matt Prater field goal on the final play, aided by a roughing the passer penalty committed by Chase Young to give the Lions life on their final drive.

“Given the next three weeks (games against Carolina, Houston and Chicago) the Lions might have a winning record at the end of that stretch. They’ll need to rattle off some wins, given the fact they end the year with games against Green Bay, Tennessee, Tampa Bay and Minnesota.” — Mark Schofield

USA Today: 19 (Previous 21)

“Nice to see rookie RB D’Andre Swift have a breakthrough game with 149 total yards … but why did it take this long to start him?” — Nate Davis

NFL: 20 (Previous: 27)

“Listen, we don’t know how the Lions are 4-5, either. It snuck up on all of us, so let’s all just try to remain calm and see where this thing goes. Matt Prater’s 59-yard field goal as time expired was the difference on Sunday in a 30-27 win over the Washington Football Team. It snapped a seven-game home losing streak for the Lions at Ford Field, a stretch that covered more than a calendar year. Did they blow a 21-point lead to one of pro football’s least inspiring offenses? Yes. Have the Lions under Matt Patricia demonstrated repeatedly that they are allergic to extended success? Sure. But Detroit won’t play another team that currently has a winning record until the middle of December. A path to relevance is there. Will they take it?” — Dan Hanzus

ESPN: 22 (Previous: 25)

“What would they take back: The fourth-quarter strategy against Chicago. The Lions were up 17 points in the season opener against the Bears before suffering a collapse, resulting in a 27-24 defeat after D’Andre Swift dropped a pass in the end zone on the Lions’ final drive. The combination of Detroit’s conservative offensive play in the fourth quarter, a decision to try a long field goal that backfired and the team’s insistence on heavy man coverage turned a win into a loss and immediately altered the tenor of the season.” — Michael Rothstein

CBS Sports: 20 (Previous 22)

“They are now 4-5 and still in the playoff race. Matt Patricia always seems to win a game just when it looks like his time is up.” — Pete Prisco

Sports Illustrated: 19 (Previous: 26)

“Detroit feels like it’s cruising toward an 8–8 mark and a conversation over the future of the franchise.” — MMQB Staff

Sporting News: 19 (Previous: 20)

“The Lions are doing just enough to help Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn have a chance to stick around beyond 2020, but it might be a frustrating end as they might end up just outside of the playoff chase. At least their offense looks complete with Matthew Stafford and D’Andre Swift now.” — Vinnie Iyer

After another sound defeat, this time to the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions (3-5) fall in the national rankings continues — and rightfully so. The Lions entered last weeks game with some analysts believing the Lions deserved to be rank in the teens, but those days are gone, as every ranking this week is in the twenties.

Let’s take a closer look at what the national analysts thought of the Lions’ victory and what the experts are saying this week.

Touchdown Wire: 28 (Previous: 25)

“Just a few weeks ago it seemed like the Lions were a dark horse team to get into the playoff mix, especially after they acquired Everson Griffen from the Dallas Cowboys. But now, now they are headed in the absolute wrong direction. With games against Washington, Carolina, and Houston on the docket, there are some get right chances, but they need to turn this around in a hurry.” — Mark Schofield

USA Today: 21 (Previous 18)

“They haven’t won a division title since 1993, the longest drought in the NFC … and it now seems sure to extend until at least 2021.” — Nate Davis

NFL: 27 (Previous: 27)

“The Lions are simply not making progress under Matt Patricia. Detroit’s defense surrendered 275 yards on the ground — including 206 to Dalvin Cook on just 22 carries — and Kirk Cousins used play-action to torch the Lions’ secondary for three touchdown passes without a turnover in a 34-20 Vikings win. Cook iced the game in the fourth quarter with a 70-yard scoring run — and if it seemed far too easy for the star rusher, that’s probably because Detroit only had 10 players on the field on the play. The Lions don’t have an NFC North win since 2018 and have followed a two-game winning streak with a pair of disappointing losses. Stuck in neutral in the Motor City.” — Dan Hanzus

ESPN: 25 (Previous: 24)

“Recalibrated expectation: Getting to .500. This feels like a best-case scenario for Detroit after a 3-5 start to the season where the Lions have often struggled against the run. With Matt Patricia firmly on the hot seat and his boss, Bob Quinn, potentially there as well, the Lions need to show massive improvement from the first half of the year, where Detroit has continued to make mistakes the way they did in Patricia’s first two seasons. Patricia still hasn’t won more than two games in a row as a head coach, so a complete turnaround feels like a difficult ask.” — Michael Rothstein

CBS Sports: 22 (Previous 18)

“So much for the idea they could push for playoff spot. Losing like they did against the Vikings is not a good thing for Matt Patricia’s future.” — Pete Prisco

Sports Illustrated: 26 (Previous: 26)

“The Lions are careening toward the end of the Matt Patricia era, and it doesn’t seem like many people will be upset to see that day come.” — MMQB Staff

Sporting News: 20 (Previous: 19)

“The Lions blew their chance to take second place behind the Packers with another mess of a defensive game against the Vikings. The writing is on the wall for Matt Patricia now.” — Vinnie Iyer

Entering Week 9, the national media’s opinion of the Detroit Lions mirrors the fans, with some believing they can string together a series of wins over the next month, while others think the season is basically over and that coach Matt Patricia’s days in Detroit are numbered.

Let’s take a closer look at what the national analysts thought of the Lions’ victory and what the experts are saying this week.

Touchdown Wire: 25 (Previous: 22)

“Thankfully for the Lions, they now enter the more favorable part of their slate of games. Their next four games are winnable, as they face Minnesota, Washington, Carolina and Houston. But any hope Lions fans had last week took a huge blow seeing this one get away from them.” — Mark Schofield

USA Today: 18 (Previous 18)

“They’ve scored first in all seven of their games this season … but haven’t scored enough in four of them.” — Nate Davis

NFL: 27 (Previous: 21)

“The Lions are now 0-3 at home after a 41-21 loss to the Colts that wiped away any goodwill accrued from back-to-back wins. They had a chance to put themselves into excellent playoff position entering the season’s second half, but instead melted down with two turnovers that produced 15 Colts points at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth. Detroit also lost star wideout Kenny Golladay, who’ll likely miss time after sustaining a hip injury. The Lions face three losing teams over the next three weeks — if they clean up their play, they could still find themselves in the thick of the playoff race come December. But can you trust this team? That’s what I thought.” — Dan Hanzus

ESPN: 24 (Previous: 22)

“Reason for optimism: P Jack Fox. The offense is inconsistent. The defense can’t do much against any team with a winning record. The coaching has been suspect — and has moved away from things that work, like a group of offensive linemen that appeared to coalesce prior to Sunday’s demolition by Indianapolis. But hey, have you seen the punting? Fox leads the NFL with 53.2 yards per punt, best in the league by 2.8 yards. His 47.6-yard net punting average also leads the NFL. And Detroit’s special-teams coverage, led by coordinator Brayden Coombs, has been good. So not all is troublesome in Detroit.” — Michael Rothstein

CBS Sports: 18 (Previous 16)

“Their little surge came back to reality in a hurry with a terrible showing at home against the Colts. The heat is back on Matt Patricia.” — Pete Prisco

Sports Illustrated: 26 (Previous: 20)

“The fact that a win against the Colts would have pushed the Lions over .500 for the first time in the Matt Patricia era is damning. So, too were the results: The Lions yielding 41 points to the Colts in their seventh straight loss at home. Lions ownership billed this as a judgment year for Patricia and GM Bob Quinn, and games like this certainly make reaching that judgment easier.” — Jenny Vrentas

Sporting News: 19 (Previous: 18)

“The Lions couldn’t run the ball on the Colts and also lost wide receiver Kenny Golladay to a new injury. Matthew Stafford managed as well as he could but Matt Patricia’s defense got ripped too much for the QB to make a difference. Consider the coach back on a hotter seat.” — Vinnie Iyer

Don’t look now, but the Detroit Lions have won three of their last four games and pulled to .500 on the season entering Week 8.

They needed some help to get an opportunity at the end of the game, but when Matthew Stafford gets the ball, down six, with a 1:04 left on the clock, Lions fans know good things can happen. Indeed, Stafford produced another clutch performance leading the Lions to a 23-22 victory over the Falcons.

Let’s take a closer look at what the national analysts thought of the Lions’ victory and what the experts are saying this week.

Touchdown Wire: 22 (Previous: 26)

“The Lions are a tough team to figure out, but if you look at the trendlines right now, things are moving in the right direction. After some tough losses to start the season the Lions have won three of their last four and face some winnable games coming up, including matchups with Washington, Minnesota and Carolina. Perhaps it is time to move Matt Patricia off the hot seat for a few weeks.” — Mark Schofield

USA Today: 18 (Previous 17)

“Rookie RB D’Andre Swift has four TDs over past three games. Just imagine if Detroit kept him on field more than 50% of the snaps just once.” — Nate Davis

NFL: 21 (Previous: 22)

“What a relief it must have been for the Lions to be on the winning end of a dramatic finish for once. Todd Gurley’s inability to stop his momentum gave the Lions life, and Matthew Stafford potentially saved Detroit’s season with a 75-yard touchdown drive that spanned 64 seconds. That the Lions did it without the aid of a timeout made their comeback all the more unlikely. Stafford’s winning touchdown pass was completed to T.J. Hockenson, who now has three scores in his last three games and is starting to tap into the promise that made him a first-round pick a year ago. The Lions get the Colts at home before the schedule lightens up. This is their chance to make a move.” — Dan Hanzus

ESPN: 22 (Previous: 23)

“Who needs to step up: RB Adrian Peterson. While the Lions are seeing better play from rookie D’Andre Swift, they need to get more from Peterson. The future Hall of Famer’s numbers might not look too bad, but his production is trending down. He has gone from 6.64 yards per carry in Week 1 to 2.64 yards per carry in Week 7. If Detroit is going to give Peterson 10 or 11 carries a contest instead of, say, going to Kerryon Johnson or using Swift more, Peterson needs to be doing more with those opportunities. It’s not all his fault: The playcalling hasn’t always been advantageous to him, often resulting in runs in fairly predictable situations. Some playcall diversification from offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell might help.” — Michael Rothstein

CBS Sports: 16 (Previous 23)

“At 3-3, they have righted their season. The defense has made strides the past two weeks, which is key to their turnaround. Now they face a good Indianapolis team that will tell a better story of where they are as a team.” — Pete Prisco

Sports Illustrated: 20 (Previous: 24)

“At 3–3, Detroit is on pace to be confounding for another 10 weeks. Matt Stafford seems to be turning the corner, and the Lions have a very weak portion of their schedule coming up with games against Minnesota and Washington looming in the not so distant future.” — Connor Orr

Sporting News: 18 (Previous: 22)

“The Lions are doing their best to play better for Matt Patricia. They’ve hit the right note in their offense with Matthew Stafford and D’Andre Swift — just in time for a comeback win back in Georgia. The defense is showing signs of responding, too, for two straight weeks.” — Vinnie Iyer

The Detroit Lions secured their second win of the 2020 season with a Week 6, 34-16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and they have seen the national stock rise a slight amount.

Let’s take a closer look at where the Lions stand in the national eye and what the experts are saying.

USA Today: 17 (Previous 23)

“After losing a league-record six consecutive games when they had a double-digit lead, they hung on to beat Jacksonville by 18. Keep a close eye on Detroit, which plays one team with a winning record (Colts) over next six weeks.” — Nate Davis

Touchdown Wire: 26 (Previous: 29)

“(The Lions) have won two of their last three games, with victories over Arizona and now the Jacksonville Jaguars… So, signs of improvement from Detroit. String a few more of these together, and they’ll be climbing higher up boards like this one.” — Mark Schofield

NFL: 22 (Previous: 25)

“The Lions finally put together a complete effort on Sunday and were rewarded with a rarity for Detroit: the blowout victory. On defense, it was the revival of the pass rush, which consistently got after Gardner Minshew and forced the mustachioed Jaguars passer into hurried throws and mistakes. On offense, we saw a breakout performance from D’Andre Swift, the rookie running back who went off for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Swift became the first Lions rookie with 100 rushing yards and two scores in a game since Barry Sanders in 1989. The performance should lead to a more prominent role for Swift, who has been splitting work with Adrian Peterson, a future Hall of Famer who has — to borrow a Parcells-ism — reached the “progress-stopper” stage of his career.” — Dan Hanzus

ESPN: 23 (Previous: 25)

“Most impactful injury: CB Desmond Trufant, This is largely because it has exposed some of the issues Detroit has in its secondary. The Lions might have played Jeff Okudah early anyway in place of Amani Oruwariye, but Trufant’s hamstring injuries have forced a starting group of Oruwariye and Okudah. Oruwariye has thrived, showing real growth in his second year. Okudah, the rookie, has struggled, but he can’t be replaced until Trufant returns. Being able to watch for a little while after getting used to the NFL speed did wonders for Darius Slay as a rookie. It could do the same for Okudah.” — Michael Rothstein

CBS Sports: 23 (Previous 23)

“They have won two consecutive games and dominated a bad Jaguars team. DeAndre Swift looks like the real deal at running back.” — Pete Prisco

Sports Illustrated: 24 (Previous: 23)

“It was nice to see D’Andre Swift have his first big game as a pro during a get-right win against the Jaguars. The Lions are good enough to escape the league’s bottom tier but I have a hard time believing they’re going to win enough games to keep the Matt Patricia era going into 2021.” — Mitch Goldich

Sporting News: 22 (Previous: 25)

“The Lions needed a win badly coming out of the bye for Matt Patricia and their defense, passing game and dynamic rookie D’Andre Swift all were key in taking care of a lesser Jaguars team. Don’t sleep on them getting back in the NFC wild-card race with a favorable schedule ahead.” — Vinnie Iyer