Why aren’t we talking about this? The Lions’ biggest hidden problem over 3 weeks keeps happening in the red zone
From goal-line holds to drive-extending defensive flags, Detroit’s most damaging penalties have repeatedly shown up where every yard matters most.
The Detroit Lions are 2-1 through three weeks, and on paper, that’s a solid start. But a troubling pattern has emerged that could hold this team back if it doesn’t get cleaned up soon. The Lions have a red zone penalty problem, and it’s showing up on both offense and defense. These aren’t ticky-tack calls in the middle of the field. These are drive-altering, point-swinging penalties in the most critical area of the game.
It started in Week 1 against the Saints
Go back to the opener against New Orleans. The Lions had a 1st-and-goal on the Saints’ 1-yard line. That should be a near-automatic touchdown. Instead, offensive lineman Ben Bartsch got called for holding, and Detroit had to back it up. The Lions wound up kicking a field goal on a drive that should have produced seven points. Score there, and the Lions aren’t going to overtime or dealing with any of that stress.
Week 2 against the Bills was even worse
The Buffalo game was always going to be a shootout, but the Lions made it harder on themselves with red zone penalties on both sides of the ball.
On offense, it was a 4th-and-3 on the Buffalo 12. The Lions were going to go for it. Manageable situation. Then a false start turned it into 4th-and-8, and Detroit had to settle for a field goal.
On defense, it was worse. Rock Ya-Sin got called for defensive holding on a 3rd-and-6 at Detroit’s 9-yard line. The Lions had an opportunity to hold the Bills to a field goal. Instead, the penalty wiped it out, and Buffalo scored a touchdown. On the very next play, linebacker Jack Campbell committed a defensive holding that wiped a Devin White sack off the board. The Bills went on to score on that drive, too. Then in the third quarter, White committed a facemask on a 1st-and-goal at the Detroit 6, moving Buffalo even closer. They scored again.
Week 3 against the Jets brought more of the same
The Jets game was the most glaring example yet. On offense, the Lions drove down to the Jets’ 10-yard line in the second quarter. Tight end Brock Wright got called for holding on 2nd-and-6, turning it into 3rd-and-8. Jared Goff couldn’t connect with Amon-Ra St. Brown, and the Lions kicked a field goal. That’s the difference between three points and seven.
On defense, cornerback D.J. Reed committed back-to-back defensive pass interference penalties in the red zone on consecutive drives. The first came on a 3rd-and-17. The Jets had almost no chance of converting, and the penalty gave them new life. They scored a touchdown a few plays later. On the very next Jets drive, Reed committed another DPI in the red zone, and New York scored off that one, too.
This is the easiest thing to fix
You can understand why things get tighter in the red zone. The field shrinks. Defenders get more handsy. Offensive linemen grip a little harder. It happens. But the sheer volume of what the Lions are dealing with right now is a problem. The majority of their most damaging penalties are concentrated in the red zone, and it’s costing them points on both ends.
The Lions are 2-1, which is great. But they could potentially be 3-0, or at least sitting in a much more comfortable 2-1 if some of these penalties didn’t put extra points on the board for opponents. This is the thing that isn’t getting talked about enough. This is the thing Dan Campbell, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing need to get together on and address. Clean up the little mistakes in the red zone, and this team looks a lot different.
Week 4 against the Panthers is a prime-time game against a team that can put up points in bunches. We’ll see if the Lions can get it together.
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