That was bad. It was one of the ugliest defensive performances I’ve ever seen from the Detroit Lions, and the loss to the Carolina Panthers felt like the same game we’ve been watching all season.

The most frustrating part is that the Lions still had a chance to win at the end. Then came the one bad fourth-quarter offensive drive, and a sack killed everything. It’s like banging your head against a wall.

Still, we’re going to get into the winners and losers. I’ve got three winners and six losers, so let’s jump right into it.

Winners

Alim McNeill

McNeill had a great game. He finished with five pressures, a sack, a QB hit, and a tackle for loss. Per Pro Football Focus’ instant grades, he was one of the highest-graded defenders on the team at 74.3. Only Aidan Hutchinson (82.2) and Malcolm Rodriguez (79.6) graded higher. After that, it was a nosedive into the 60s, 50s, 40s, and 30s.

Going into this game, I wrote that the way to beat Carolina was to get pressure up the middle. Detroit did that early, and then it faded. Skyler Gill-Howard had four pressures and Tyleik Williams had two. The Lions finished with 24 pressures as a team. That’s a defensive line putting in real work, and it doesn’t matter because there’s no help anywhere else on the field.

Jameson Williams

We’ve been waiting for Jamo to pop off, and this was the game. He caught six passes for 102 yards and probably could have had more. Jared Goff threw him a perfect deep ball early, and it went right through his hands. I wouldn’t call it a drop because he never really got his hands on it.

With the Panthers missing their two best cornerbacks, you knew the Lions could take the top off the defense. They did. It just wasn’t enough.

Bryce Young (and every quarterback who plays Detroit)

No disrespect to Bryce Young. He was leading the league in passing yards coming into this game, so he’s been putting up numbers. But he’s not this good. This was a clinic. He threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns, and he did whatever he wanted.

That’s been the theme. Josh Allen did whatever he wanted. Geno Smith mostly did whatever he wanted. Tyler Shough did whatever he wanted. When a team loads up on fourth-and-4 more than once and knows it’s going to convert, that’s as bad as it gets.

The win for the Lions? They didn’t let Tetairoa McMillan reach 200 yards. He finished with 192 yards and two touchdowns. Hang the banner.

Losers

D.J. Reed

Reed got destroyed again. He had a 51.4 grade, was targeted six times, and allowed five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown, including a 32-yard explosive.

He’s supposed to be your top cornerback, and Detroit paid him a decent amount of money. When Carlton Davis left, signing Reed felt like a win. You got a better corner for cheaper. Outside of the first four games of last season, he just hasn’t been that guy. It’s possible last year’s hamstring injury is still messing with his game. Part of me thinks it’s the Lions putting him in a defense he can’t win in. Amik Robertson left and suddenly played the best ball of his career. The whole secondary feels stuck in bad situations.

Kelvin Sheppard

That brings me to defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. Detroit has allowed over 400 yards in three of four games, and they’re giving up more than 420 yards per game. They tried man, and it didn’t work. They tried zone, and that didn’t work either. They tried bringing pressure, then backed off. Nothing has changed.

I don’t think he was that bad last season, and he dealt with a ton of injuries then. Yes, the Lions don’t have Brian Branch or Kerby Joseph, and that makes a big difference. But I hate to invoke Matt Patricia, because this feels the same. Something isn’t working, and he keeps trying it anyway. I know what I think they should do, and I’ll write about it soon. After this, I’m ready for something drastic.

Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes

Campbell is an outstanding run defender, tackler, and pass rusher. He can’t cover, and teams know it. He was targeted four times and allowed three catches, including a 21-yard grab. Last week, he was out of place on a 43-yard catch by Kenyon Sadiq.

And no, this is not a first-team All-Pro getting paid and checking out. He’s getting exposed. Teams are going after Barnes too. Barnes posted a 53.9 grade and allowed five catches on five targets for 70 yards, including a 26-yarder. The whole linebacking corps is getting beat up.

The biggest losers didn’t do anything wrong

Aidan Hutchinson

Hutchinson isn’t here because he played badly. If you didn’t come away from this game thinking he played his tail off, you weren’t watching. He’s one of the best players at his position, logging around 90% of the snaps, and he’s getting nothing out of it.

Jared Goff

It’s the same reason for Goff. He’s having probably the best year of his career, and nobody cares. He’s hitting the deep ball everyone said he couldn’t, throwing against pressure, and he hasn’t turned it over once. Then the defense comes on and puts him right back in a hole. Of course, the late sack was the first one he’d taken all game.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell will speak to reporters at 4 p.m. ET Monday. Let’s see what he has to say.

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