We're halfway through the season, and the Lions have yet to put a W on the board.
The 2021 NFL Season: Why are the Lions Losing?
The Lions started this season with rebuilding on the agenda: Matthew Stafford was granted his request to explore trade options after 3 losing seasons. In return, the Lions received Jared Goff, plus three draft picks.
Goff hasn't found any form of groove yet this season and fans have noticed. Coach Dan Campbell has gone on the record stating Goff needs to "step up".
It's speculated that Goff needs a perfect situation around him in order to perform. Unfortunately, the Lions are far from that...
There are struggles across all the fundamentals this season. Offensively, the team haven't been able to put up more than 20 points in a game. The issues with Goff are real, but he also hasn't got support: the offense needs an overhaul. Defensively, the Lions hold the NFL-worst record of giving up touchdowns in the red zone.
This formula is leading to losses and some of them have been record-breaking, like this finish to the Ravens on a Justin Tucker 66 yard field goal:
Could Losing Everything Be Worth it?
Having the losing-est record in the NFL yields at least thing: the top draft pick next season. Since the Lions appear to have firmly re-assumed their place as non-contenders, some fans have placed themselves in the camp of "protect the pick". It's grasping at straws for a participation prize at best but, at least this way, they're playing for something this season.
The long game for the Lions doesn't look entirely bleak, to be fair. A lot of the games this season have been closer than expected. Matchups against both Minnesota and Baltimore were tight. Also, Campbell is, if nothing else, a man up for turning this situation around. He's acutely aware of the the mindset he's coaching, telling them: "If this does not continue to sting and burn and taste like you-know-what, then you got a problem. You cannot allow yourself to go numb. You can’t. Because I’m not. All it does is piss me off even more, you know? And it just motivates me to want to get out of this mess."
The Feat of A Winless Season
Since the 16 game schedule of the NFL was brought into play in 1978, only two teams have crashed on the depths of rock bottom. Most recently were the Cleveland Browns who went winless in 2017. But Detroit find themselves in reminiscent territory, their 2008 no-win season was the first in the new format.
Technically, if the Lions do achieve a 0-17 record, they would be the first to do so.
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