The Detroit Lions offense filled up the stat sheet on Sunday, but Ben Johnson’s unit failed to find success at converting opportunity and yardage production into points. The Lions lost to the Buccaneers, 20-16, despite gaining more than double the yards that Tampa Bay posted against Detroit’s own defense.
The Lions woes were especially pronounced in the fourth quarter. Drive after drive crashed and burned in the red zone, where the Lions scored one touchdown in seven trips in the game. They couldn’t even get field goals in the fourth quarter despite the football equivalent of being born on third base with the 3-4-5 sluggers taking the plate.
This post on X (formely Twitter) by Bucs insider Greg Auman says it all:
Fourth quarter of Bucs-Lions was a siege.
Detroit ran 28 offensive plays in the quarter, 23 in Bucs territory, and didn’t score a point.
Young guys all over the field for Tampa Bay — Christian Izien had six tackles in fourth quarter, Tykee Smith five, SirVocea Dennis three.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 16, 2024
From a Buccaneers perspective, it is indeed a great sign for their young defense stepping up and making plays. But from the Lions side of the coin, it’s an apt summation of how poorly the offense functioned when it really mattered.