Allen Park — The Detroit Lions failed to score a single point against the New England Patriots on Sunday, but it wasn’t because they couldn’t move the ball. No, it was the inability to move the ball in critical situations, coming up short on six fourth-down tries and setting an NFL record for single-game futility in that department.
While there are plenty of topics worth exploring from this beatdown, nothing defined the game more than Detroit’s ineptitude on fourth down. Therefore, we’re going back to take a closer look at all six of those snaps to identify the breakdowns.
First quarter, 11:18, fourth-and-1, Detroit 45
The Lions attempted to set an aggressive tone early, lining up with a sixth offensive lineman (Dan Skipper’s only offensive snap of the game) and two backs in the backfield, with Jamaal Williams as the lead in the offset-I and Craig Reynolds deep.
The Lions initially lined up heavy to the right side, with both Skipper and tight end Brock Wright off right tackle before motioning the latter to the left side pre-snap. The Patriots countered with six in the box, in addition to a pair of overhang defenders outside each of the tackles.
Wright’s motion drew a defender left, but the Patriots also shifted two defenders right, keeping their defensive formation weighted to that side. Quarterback Jared Goff took the handoff and initially extended to his left, spinning around 270 degrees and faking the handoff to Reynolds while actually giving it to Williams on the fullback dive. Goff’s selling of the handoff is quite good, and a defender follows Reynolds into the flat. But there are a pair of breakdowns inside that prevented Williams from converting.
First, right guard Logan Stenberg, after initially working a combo block with center Frank Ragnow, is late peeling back to pick up linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, who crashes down and fills the lane. Additionally, right tackle Penei Sewell is beat over his outside shoulder by Christian Barmore’s swim move. Those two defenders are able to converge and drop Williams for no gain, forcing the first of six turnovers on downs.
Second quarter, 3:40, Fourth-and-9, New England 32
This play marked the beginning of the end. Or maybe that was the previous snap, when Reynolds lost 7 yards on a bobbled third down handoff. Regardless, it set up fourth-and-long and Detroit opted to go for it instead of attempting a 50-yard field goal. That decision proved disastrous.
The Lions went with three receivers to the left and tight end T.J. Hockenson off right tackle. The Patriots opted to play man coverage with a single high safety and good pre-snap spacing, allowing them to easily navigate any intentional traffic Detroit’s bunch formation could create.
The route combinations on the design were curious, with both Hockenson and Tom Kennedy running shallow crosses well short of the sticks, and Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond running longer-developing, deeper square-in patterns. The Patriots did an excellent job taking it all away early in the snap, allowing the pass-rush to get home.
Goff drifted a little deep after taking the shotgun snap, but neither offensive tackle held up with Matthew Judon bending the edge on Sewell and Deatrich Wise Jr. crossing the face of Taylor Decker from the opposite side.
Goff saw Wise first and was able to spin away from that pressure, but Judon had already come free on the backside and was able to pop the ball free from the fleeing quarterback. The fumble was scooped on the run by safety Kyle Dugger, who returned it 59 yards for a touchdown.
Third quarter, 6:41, fourth-and-2, New England 41
Again just outside of field goal range, and now down 16, the Lions opted to go for it again, trying to catch the Patriots off guard by rushing out of the huddle for a quick snap.
The play was designed to clear out the coverage in the right flat for Amon-Ra St. Brown, coming out of the backfield, but cornerback Jalen Mills appeared to identify the play pre-snap, frantically communicating with teammates.
And while Mills appeared to have the angle, it was rookie Jack Jones who made the play, dropping his assignment out of his backpedal just as Goff released the ball. In many ways, it mirrored a read Jones made earlier in the game when he undercut a throw for Hockenson to snag an interception.
One additional note from the play is Goff’s throw was low and behind the intended target. That forced St. Brown to reach down for the ball, killing his forward momentum and any chance to he to power through the tackle attempt to pick up the extra yard needed for the first.
Fourth quarter, 13:17, fourth-and-goal, New England 5
In one of the most difficult spots of the field to operate, with the backline allowing the defense to condense the field, the Lions looked to St. Brown on a shallow crossing route from the left slot.
The Patriots made a concerted effort to take that route away, having linebacker Josh Uche aid in the coverage by jamming St. Brown at the line. It worked well, with the two-handed shove causing the receiver to stumble, disrupting the timing and angle of the route, leading to a pass breakup short of the goal line.
Fourth quarter, 9:25, fourth-and-1, New England 31
Emblematic of nothing going right for the Lions in the game, the offense attempted to convert a fourth-and-short with a typically effective gap power run, only to see Ragnow and guard Evan Brown get tangled up on the snap, leading to the center losing his footing and going to the ground. That allowed linebacker Raekwon McMillan to shoot his gap unblocked to drop running back Justin Jackson for a loss.
To make matters worse, St. Brown was rolled up on during the tackle. Given he’s been nursing a high ankle sprain, the result of the play could have been far more devastating than a failed conversion.
Fourth quarter, 3:10, fourth-and-4, New England 18
We close things with another outstanding job in coverage by the Patriots.
Detroit sent out just three receiving options, all from the right side of the formation, leaving seven in pass protection. New England’s secondary effortlessly communicated responsibilities ahead of the quick snap, picking up all three in man coverage, with three additional defenders in the back end smartly providing double coverage on each option.
With nothing remotely open and his pocket collapsing, Goff heaved a jump ball off his back foot to Josh Reynolds, but the pass was easily broken up by defensive back Jonathan Jones in the back of the end zone.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers