The Detroit Lions finally got grounded.
The team dropped their first game since their Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers, losing to a suddenly sharp Kansas City Chiefs squad that managed to carve up their defense with ease.
While they obviously had some injuries holding them back from the jump, it took a few errant plays - a key drop by Amon-Ra St. Brown on a fourth down conversion, a roughing the passer call on Aidan Hutchinson that set the Chiefs up for an easy, uncovered touchdown for Hollywood Brown - to really shift momentum in favor of Kansas City.
3 winners (and 3 losers) from Lions' loss to Chiefs in Week 6
Winner: David Montgomery
It was impossible to not see the impact of Montgomery on this contest - literally. He was taking hit after hit in pass protection for Jared Goff, getting the Lions a shot at a Sam LaPorta touchdown and an overall positive drive when the game was closer in the third quarter. He also ran for 24 yards, adding something to his great game despite the loss. He was the clearly best option for Detroit at running back in this one.
Winner: Dan Skipper
The Lions were down two tackles this week, with Taylor Decker out for Week 6 and his backup, Giovanni Manu, landing on the IR after a so-so Week 5 outing. That left the Lions with no choice but to elevate Skipper from the practice squad, bringing back a familiar fan favorite. He performed well, not allowing any pressures on Goff until well into the third quarter.
For an emergency call up, Skipper stepped up. While he couldn't dictate the rest of the contest, his presence was felt compared to what Goff was dealing with up front behind Manu.
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Winner: Jared Goff
Goff likely doesn't view this contest as a win, and maybe some fans wouldn't seen his performance as one, either. Bottom line is that a lot of what Goff was given to work with, such as predictable first down runs or horizontal passes that got the Lions nowhere during a key moment in the second half while the team was down just three points, came down to John Morton's playcalling.
Goff finished up this game with 203 passing yards on 23-29 efficiency and with two touchdowns to boot, a solid stat line towards measuring his individual so far this year. But, again, this is something he probably couldn't care less about given another loss under the bright lights.
Loser: Lions' banged up secondary
While the defense knew it was going to be an uphill battle, of sorts, in this game, there's no excuse for all of the missed tackles and missed coverages that led to easy chunk gains from the Chiefs. Brown, who scored the game-sealing touchdown for Kansas City late in the game, was so wide open in the end zone that you'd think he was just scrimmaging with Patrick Mahomes.
There's no excuse for how poorly the Lions' defense, but specifically their secondary, looked today. Get well soon, Terrion Arnold. You're sorely missed.
Loser: John Morton
Morton has mostly shed a lot of what fans saw him rocking in Week 1 against the Packers - conservative play-calling, reliance on the run game in early down situations, to name a few. He went right back to these warts in this contest, setting Detroit up for failure on multiple drives where they could have, and should have, been able to keep the contest close.
It's unclear if Morton plans on adjusting these calls or routines as we look ahead to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7, or if he chalks it up to a Chiefs defense who's backs were simply up against the wall and knew they had to leave their home turf with a victory. But, it's clear that something's got to give in future close games against tough opponents...which is the entirety of the Lions' schedule for the next several weeks. Welp.