The Detroit Lions are on a run right now. They’ve won five in a row and they’ve scored 30 plus points in four of those games. They’ve score 40 plus points in three of them.
We know this offense is playing out of it’s mind right now and Jared Goff is putting up MVP numbers, but there’s more to the story. There’s one thing the Lions are doing right now that they weren’t able to do at the start of the season and it’s making all the difference in the world. The big thing is getting points off turnovers.
The Lions have been getting turnovers all year long. They’ve been getting interceptions, forcing fumbles and getting turnovers on downs at a much higher rate than they were last year.
The Lions have forced 14 traditional turnovers (downs not included) so far this year. Last season they forced 24 all year. There’s a solid chance they surpass 24 easily this year. On top of the traditional turnovers, the Lions have forced a turnover on downs six times.
At the start of the season, the Lions struggled to get points off their extra possessions. The Lions had just two scores on nine turnovers in their first three games. That’s one touchdown against the Rams and one against the Cardinals.
In the last four games they have blown that number away. They’ve had six touchdowns and two field goals on 15 turnovers. That is a giant change and it allows the Lions get on the board and then create distance. With the exception of the Vikings game, they’ve done just that. Coincidentally the Vikings game was the one with the fewest turnovers forced. Lions only had one in that game. They did score a touchdown off it though.
If the Lions can continue to have a hot offense and force turnovers and then use those extra possessions to create separation and run up the score, then they’re going to be extremely hard for any team to stop.