Tag: red zone offense

Quick takeaways from the Lions last-second road win over the Chargers

Takeaways on the Lions offensive line dominance, Goff outdueling Herbert, red zone issues, stars of the game and much more

What a Sunday afternoon for the Detroit Lions! Dan Campbell’s Lions traveled to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and treated the boisterous Detroit fans in attendance, not to mention everyone watching around the country, to a thrilling 41-38 win over the Chargers.

If you like offense, this was a great game. The Lions gained 533 yards, picked up 23 first downs and scored seven times, including Riley Patterson’s game-winning field goal on the game’s final play. Aficionados of defense didn’t have nearly so much to like, but that’s what sometimes happens with two gifted QBs behind talented offensive lines go to battle.

Here’s some of what stood out from the initial watching of Sunday’s big Lions win over the Chargers.

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Lions red zone defense faces a big challenge against the Chargers

The Detroit Lions red zone defense faces a big challenge against the Chargers, who are elite at scoring TDs inside the 20

When the Detroit Lions get back on the field on Sunday in SoFi Stadium, they’re going to need to shake off any bye-week rust quickly. The Los Angeles Chargers are a dangerous team, perhaps more than their 4-4 record would indicate.

One area where the Chargers thrive is in the red zone. Quarterback Justin Herbert is one of the elite performers inside the opposing 20. With big targets like WR Keenan Allen and TEs Gerald Everett and Donald Parham, Herbert has excellent short-area and jump-ball weapons. The quarterback has three rushing TDs on his own, plus versatile Austin Ekeler as an option. He avoids mistakes very well, too.

The Chargers convert red zone possessions into touchdowns at a nice rate of 69 percent, the second-best in the league. By way of comparison, the Lions rank 24th at a tick over 48 percent.

Detroit’s red zone defense has struggled all season. They rank 26th in the league, allowing touchdowns on over 65 percent of opposing incursions into the red zone. Getting a red zone takeaway won’t be easy, either; the Chargers have the NFL’s best turnover ratio and their six giveaways are the second-lowest figure through Week 9.

Can Derek Carr really improve the Saints’ red zone offense?

Only 8 teams had worse red zone efficiency than Derek Carr and the Raiders last season. And the Saints weren’t one of them.

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Sometimes the timing of things just seems like more than a coincidence. For instance, I saw this tweet the other day and it drew a bit of a side eye.

Wait, Derek Carr will *improve* a team’s red zone efficiency? Color me skeptical.

For those unfamiliar, Carr has always had issues in the red zone. It’s one of those things he’s known for round these parts, like fumbling while diving for the pylon.

But OK, so if this guy thinks Carr is the answer to the Saints’ red zone woes, the Saints must be worse off than the Raiders in that area.

Not so much.

Here’s where that more-than-coincidental seeming timing comes into play. Just 21 hours later, this was posted, giving us all the red zone percentages of all 32 NFL teams.

As you can see, the Saints were actually better in the red zone last season (41%) without Derek Carr than the Raiders were (40%) with Carr.

Mind you, that was with the trio of Andy Dalton, Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill lining up behind center in New Orleans.

Equally interesting is the position of Josh McDaniels’s old team in these rankings.

By far the worst team in the NFL in red zone efficiency was the Patriots at 31%. Clearly the Patriots are not better off without McDaniels running the offense. I mean, if you’re thinking it was the offensive scheme in Las Vegas that was holding Carr back.

But who knows? Maybe the Saints can catch lightning in a bottle and Dennis Allen can get the kind of red zone abilities no other Raiders coach — including himself — could consistently get from Carr.

Lions highly-ranked red zone run game should continue to thrive

Only the Ravens and 49ers have been more successful at running the ball in the red zone than the Lions since 2020

The Detroit Lions haven’t done a lot of things successfully in the last few seasons, but there are a few areas where Detroit excelled. One of them that likely catches many fans by surprise is running the ball in the red zone.

Over the last two seasons, the Lions have been quite effective at cashing in runs inside the opposing 20-yard line into six points. The Lions rate of 4.4 carries per touchdown scored in the last two seasons is the third-best in the league. Only Baltimore and San Francisco score TDs more efficiently in the red zone on the ground, and the Lions’ sample size is higher than both.

The top and bottom five in red zone TD efficiency on the ground since 2020, from NFL Inside Edge:

Detroit should have little issue staying near the top of the list in the coming season. A strong offensive line definitely helps, as does D’Andre Swift’s keen nose for the end zone (13 rushing TDs in two years, 10 in the red zone). It is worth noting the Lions overall red zone offensive efficiency was largely terrible in 2021, ranking 31st by scoring touchdowns just 47 percent of the time. Perhaps they should have run the ball more inside the 20…

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Lions minicamp notebook: First impressions from opening day

Here’s what I saw and learned on Tuesday at Lions minicamp

The Detroit Lions were one of 12 NFL teams to kick off mandatory minicamp this week. Coach Dan Campbell led the Lions onto the practice fields in Allen Park on a cloudy, breezy afternoon.

This was my first visit to the team facility since November, which means it was my first chance to take in the 2022 Lions roster in person. With the action limited by the CBA, today was as much about first impressions on players and trying to keep all the personnel and jersey number changes straight.

Here’s what I saw and learned on Tuesday at Lions minicamp.

Red zone woes continue for Lions on both sides of the ball

The Lions rank 31st in the red zone on both offense and defense

Looking for an area where the Detroit Lions can improve in their ability to win close games? Try the red zone — on both sides of the ball.

The Lions are 1-6-1 in games decided by one score, and their red zone ineptitude is a major reason why too many of those games have gone in the loss column.

Take the Week 16 loss to Atlanta. Detroit’s offense failed to score a single touchdown in four trips inside the Falcons’ 20-yard line. Atlanta’s offense had just two red zone opportunities but scored touchdowns on both. The Lions lost 20-16. Touchdowns beat field goals.

The Falcons game was a microcosm of the Lions red zone woes all year. Detroit ranks 31st in both red zone offense and defense for the season.

The Lions are spared the offensive cellar by the inept Giants, who have scored just one total touchdown in their last three games. New York sits at 49.6 percent in converting red zone possessions into touchdowns. The Lions are next at 47.5 in a league where the average is 60 percent.

Only the Raiders defense allows a higher percentage (79.5) of touchdowns than Detroit (70.2), and the Lions escape the cellar there because the Raiders defense has allowed TDs on 12 of their last 13 opposing red zone possessions. Aaron Glenn’s defense does deserve some credit for improving, too. During a four-week stretch (Weeks 12-15) the Lions defensive red zone touchdown percentage was 50 percent (9-for-18).

It’s not a coincidence the Lions won two of those games. The one dreadful Detroit game in that stretch — the 38-10 loss to the Broncos — was also the worst red zone game; Denver scored five touchdowns on five red zone possessions while the Lions went one-for-three.

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3 Cowboys keys to a victory against the Chiefs

The Dallas Cowboys will need to establish the run, pressure Patrick Mahomes, and cash in on their red zone opportunities against the Chiefs. | From @StarConscience

Road games are tough to win in the NFL, especially against good teams. The Kansas City Chiefs have won three in a row and will host the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11. The Cowboys have performed well on the road in 2021, going 3-1 so far. However, going up against Patrick Mahomes presents a unique challenge for the Cowboys’ defense.

Dallas will need to be sharp and focused seeing as Arrowhead Stadium is one of the toughest environments in the NFL for any team to steal a win. If they are to get their eighth victory of the season, the Cowboys need to do these three things well.

Browns offense has a red zone problem

Taking a look at each aspect and player of the Browns red zone offense. A lot of shared struggles in the most important area on the field:

The Cleveland Browns have had a number of issues throughout the 2021 NFL season. Very little has gone smoothly for the team on a week-to-week basis outside of their rushing attack. Even that was slowed down in Week 8 by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The defense has been suspect at all levels at different times outside of Myles Garrett. Injuries have played an obvious role in some of the issues but, even when mostly healthy, the defense hasn’t come together well. With the majority of the expected starters new to the team this year, hopefully, time will allow that to change.

It was the offense that was expected to lead the team while the defense got it together. The continuity of Baker Mayfield and Kevin Stefanski’s system was the foundation for much of the hope going into the season. With all starters returning, the team expected to build off the quality play in the second half of 2020.

So far, the offense has faltered.

It is far too easy to place the blame on one thing. Odell Beckham Jr. will no longer be with the team but he was far from the only issue. Mayfield’s shoulder may get stronger but he will need surgery and still needs to be better at things unrelated to the injury. Stefanski’s play-calling and decision-making have left a lot to be desired especially on fourth downs.

As noted with the defense, injuries have also played a role for the offense. Jack Conklin and Kareem Hunt will likely miss a few more games keeping the offense from hitting their stride.

One of the biggest issues for the team has been inside the red zone. Whether the team gets healthy or not, that problem has to change. The problem isn’t limited to Mayfield and the passing attack as the success of the run game doesn’t match its overall success.

(All data, unless otherwise noted, from Pro Football Reference.)

Lions red zone woes must improve for Detroit to win games

Improving the lousy performances in both red zones will help Dan Campbell’s Lions get some victories

The Detroit Lions have been close to winning several games through the first seven weeks of the 2021 NFL season, but they’ve failed to notch that initial win. One of the big reasons why is Detroit’s lack of success at converting red zone offensive possessions into touchdowns.

Through Week 7, the Lions rank 30th in converting red zone possessions into touchdowns. Just 47.6 of Detroit’s offensive incursions into the enemy red zone have resulted in touchdowns, better than only the Colts (46.2%) and Giants (45%). The 0-for-5 performance in SoFi Stadium against the Rams certainly doesn’t help the ranking.

Even more telling is the fact the Lions attained five red zone drives but never got a 1st-and-goal against the Rams. In a game decided by nine points, failing to score a single touchdown on five different possessions in the red zone is a crushing blow.

This is where the lack of a true big-play receiver factors in. It’s also where lacking a long target who can make catches over defenders or away from his body is also a problem. T.J. Hockenson is the only real red zone threat in the receiving game. Alas, the Rams knew that and picked off Jared Goff trying to force him the ball in Detroit’s fateful last red zone possession in Week 7.

Of course, the Lions own red zone defense is even worse. Detroit ranks dead last, 32nd of 32 teams, in preventing opposing offenses from scoring touchdowns in the red zone. The Lions concede TDs on over 84 percent of defensive red zone possessions. Only the Raiders and Packers join the Lions in surrendering over 75 percent.

Green Bay (6-1) and Las Vegas (5-2) prove that being bad in one red zone isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker. And being great on offense isn’t any guarantee of success; the top three red zone offenses belong to New Orleans (3-2), San Francisco (2-4) and Seattle (2-4). If the Lions can start progressing out of the bottom three in each red zone, it will do wonders for Dan Campbell’s “close but no cigar” Lions.

The Eagles, Detroit’s foe in Ford Field in Week 8, are a good team to start the climb. The Philadelphia offense has been good in the red zone (70.8% TDs – 6th), but their defense ranks 28th at allowing touchdowns on 78.5 of opposing chances.

Cashing In: Cowboys turning red-zone opportunities into touchdowns in 2021

After turning just one out of their four red zone opportunities into touchdowns in Week 1, the Cowboys have found their groove in a part of the field where the difficulty is supposed to turn up. | From @StarConscience

NFL teams get their points wherever they can however once a team enters the red zone, it is extremely important to score touchdowns at a much higher rate than settling for field goals.

The Dallas Cowboys suffered a tough, 31-29 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 which could have been a win had they not gone one-for-four in the red zone. Dallas had three red-zone trips just in the second quarter alone but only produced nine points, and not taking advantage of those kinds of opportunities will get a team beat more often than not in the NFL. However, during the Cowboys’ three-game winning streak, they have been excellent scoring touchdowns inside the 20.

In Week 2 the Cowboys ventured out west to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. Although both teams are loaded with offensive talent, it was a low-scoring affair that featured three total turnovers. Dallas had limited opportunities in the red zone with just three. However, their two-headed monster at running back of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard cashed in two red-zone touchdowns out of their three chances.

A week later, the Cowboys hosted the rival Philadelphia Eagles in Arlington. The game itself was over almost as soon as it started. Dallas used Elliott and Pollard combined 155 yards rushing and Dak Prescott’s precision passing to march up and down the field all game long. In five red zone trips, the Cowboys scored four touchdowns and routed the Eagles, 41-21.

The Week 4 game against the Carolina Panthers was looked at as a major test for the Cowboys’ offense going up against the NFL’s top-ranked defense. They passed with flying colors by putting up 433 yards of offense. It was fueled 245 rushing yards between Elliott, Pollard, and Prescott. In the red zone, the Cowboys were a perfect three out of three and built a commanding 36-14 lead before holding on 36-28.

That’s means that over their last 12 quarters of action the Cowboys’ offense has scored nine touchdowns in 11 trips (81.8%) inside the 20. For the season, they have scored touchdowns on 10 out of 15 red zone drives. Anytime a team can get seven points on two out of every three red zone visits you will score a lot of points, and the Cowboys are currently averaging 31.5 points per game.

The Cowboys wrap up their early-season three-game homestand with the New York Giants who are coming off of an overtime win against the New Orleans Saints. So far in 2021, the Giants defense has allowed 10 touchdowns in 14 red zone chances (71.4%) so this will be another opportunity for the Cowboys to keep being efficient where it matters.

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