Heading into Saturday’s game, the hope was at the Detroit Lions would continue their winning ways by defeating the Carolina Panthers. With a win, the Lions would have moved to 8-7 on the season, and further increased their 2022 NFL playoff odds. Unfortunately, the Lions were completely steamrolled by the Panthers, and the media, both at the local and national levels, has not been too kind in the aftermath.
What did one analyst say about the Detroit Lions’ defense?
On Monday, John Breech of CBS Sports put out an article, and he said the Detroit Lions’ defense “probably got a lump of coal” for their performance against the Panthers.
Lions grade: D. Everyone on the Lions defense probably got a lump of coal in their stocking after their performance in this game. The Lions got absolutely run over by a Panthers rushing attack that totaled 320 yards, which marks the most the Lions have given up in a game since 1998. With the defense struggling, the Lions needed a big game from Jared Goff and the offense to stay in this, but the offense sputtered for the better part of three quarters before getting a few garbage-time scores. The Lions (7-8) were one of the hottest teams in the NFL heading into Week 16, but they seemed to fold under the pressure of actually being in a playoff race.
As noted by Breech, the Lions’ defense gave up a whopping 320 rushing yards against the Panthers, which is crazy considering how well the Lions had been stopping the run as of late.
The Lions will get a chance to right the ship in Week 17 when they host Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears, who also can run the ball well.
