ALLEN PARK — From a defensive perspective, the Detroit Lions didn’t give coordinator Kelvin Sheppard much to complain about in their 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
The Lions held the Eagles to their lowest point total at Lincoln Financial Field in nearly three years. They limited quarterback Jalen Hurts to 135 yards on a 50% completion rate, and running back Saquon Barkley averaged only 3.2 yards per carry, well below his average heading into Week 11 (3.9).
But in the interest of refusing to be satisfied, Sheppard combed through his unit’s performance to find a coaching point. He landed on turnovers forced, or the lack thereof, rather.
“I was trying to find something, and then I found it. It was the takeaway category,” Sheppard said Thursday. “The way that game was structured on that night, our offense needed one more possession. That kind of was the nature of that game. That was the one thing, if I could kind of look to anything that we could’ve improved upon, it would’ve been stealing a possession for our offense.”
The Lions posted nine takeaways through their first five games this season, including three apiece in wins over the Cleveland Browns (Week 4) and Cincinnati Bengals (Week 5). In their last three contests, the Lions only have one takeaway, which was cornerback Terrion Arnold’s first career interception in Week 9 versus the Minnesota Vikings.
Sheppard said the coaching staff shows the players a “takeaway tape” every Saturday. It’s a collection of clips from around the NFL, showing how teams are forcing turnovers. He noted how the tape has gotten shorter as the season goes on. The difference is present, though marginal. Through Weeks 1-5, there was an average of 36.2 turnovers across the league. The average since Week 7 is 33.6.
“I think it’s just more awareness from the offensive standpoint on ball security. I think it’s heightened, I think guys learn from their mistakes throughout the league,” Sheppard said. “But at the same time, that’s not making an excuse. We have to find ways to generate those. Not guys going outside of the scheme, but within the scheme and within the framework, finding ways to kind of (get) more attempts on the ball.”
Kerby Joseph, who hasn’t played since Week 6, leads the Lions with three interceptions. Five other defenders (Alex Anzalone, Arnold, Amik Robertson, D.J. Reed and Arthur Maulet) have one. Aidan Hutchinson has four forced fumbles, and Jack Campbell has two. Robertson, Brian Branch and Tyrus Wheat have one.
Don’t make it a thing
Amid a host of issues for Detroit’s offense in Philadelphia, Jared Goff’s passes being batted down at the line of scrimmage was a notable problem, as defensive linemen Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis combined to deflect five of the quarterback’s throws.
The numbers say it was an anomaly — Goff only had four batted passes this season heading into Week 11, according to Pro Football Focus — and offensive coordinator John Morton plans to treat it as such.
“You can’t tell a quarterback, ‘Hey, this is (a problem).’ It’s not a problem. When you do that, then it gets in your head and you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to throw it like this.’ Just drop back. It hasn’t been a problem,” Morton said. “The line is going to be more aggressive, that’s what we have to do. We’ve got to make sure we’re taking the proper drop. You can’t have that in his head, you just can’t do that. So, we really don’t even talk about it, because it ain’t an issue.”
Davis said the Eagles saw something on film, allowing them to get into Goff’s throwing lanes.
“If it continues to happen, sure, yeah, you would certainly look at something,” Goff said Wednesday. “But, right now, I consider that an outlier.”
Respecting Dart’s mobility
The New York Giants, who will visit Ford Field to play the Lions on Sunday, want rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart to be more calculated in his rushing attempts, knowing when to extend plays and when to know it’s time to cut his losses.
Dart, the 26th overall pick in April’s draft, left New York’s loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 10 with a concussion, forcing him to miss Week 11 versus the Green Bay Packers and making his availability for Sunday unclear.
Sheppard watched Dart as a “natural football fan” when the rookie was at Ole Miss. One thing Sheppard learned about the former Rebels standout: “You can tell a player like that to run less. But within his competition nature, if he’s out there, he’s going to run the football.”
Dart has rushed for 317 yards and seven touchdowns on 57 attempts. Those numbers rank fourth, second and fifth among quarterbacks, and that’s despite Dart only starting seven games this season.
If Dart is unable to play, it’ll be veteran Jameis Winston at QB.
“The QB run game stuff, you have to be more prepared for it (with Dart in the game),” Sheppard said. “Because we do believe it’ll uptick — and the illusion of the QB run, so to say — if Jaxson plays. But we’ll be ready for any guy that they put out there Sunday.”
No LaPorta, more TeSlaa?
Asked in which situations the Lions will miss tight end Sam LaPorta most, Morton’s response was both simple and accurate: “All the time.”
“I mean he’s a hell of an all-around blocker, receiver. He can do it all,” Morton said. “He was really reliable on third down in the red zone, that’s the biggest thing. But his blocking on first and second down — I mean, the way he’s improved with his blocking, it’s just been awesome. So, our other guys, all the tight ends, have got to step up.”
LaPorta, who was placed on injured reserve with a back injury last weekend, missed his first of at least four games against the Eagles on Sunday. The Lions sorely missed him, as they went a combined 3-for-18 on third down and fourth down. They also missed his ability with the ball in his hands; Detroit’s receivers and tight ends combined for 64 yards after the catch.
Without LaPorta, the Lions leaned more on 11 personnel, with three receivers on the field instead of two tight ends. Kalif Raymond (38) and Isaac TeSlaa (21) combined for 59 snaps. TeSlaa was targeted once. Neither had a catch.
“Everybody’s going to have a certain role,” Morton said, when asked about TeSlaa, specifically. “It’s our job to be creative, try to get these guys open and put him in certain spots that he’s really good at right now. And he’s still learning. Listen, he’s tough, he’s physical. I love that part. He’s a blocker. … He’s got it, and he’s a Lion for that because he blocks his butt off. It’s only a matter of time for (him). He’s going to have a breakout game.”
Last word on the fake punt
One of the Lions’ five failures on fourth down against the Eagles was a fake punt in the second quarter. The play featured a direct snap to linebacker Grant Stuard, who was tackled well short of the line to gain.
The Lions ran the play despite Philadelphia having its starting defense on the field. In fact, that was the look the Lions wanted. How does it make sense for Detroit’s five-man front on punts (Derrick Barnes, Trevor Nowaske, Ty Summers, Ross Dwelley and Hogan Hatten) to block against the Eagles’ starting defensive line?
In short, the Lions were hoping to catch the Eagles off guard.
“It doesn’t sound good, but sometimes what doesn’t sound good actually ends up being good,” special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said. “I think if you look around the league through the years, you’ll see a handful of times where the defense has been on the field and what happens with those guys is they don’t think that the ball is going to be run on them because they’re out there. Every time they’re out there, they just punt. And then all of the sudden, (you) get up underneath their pads and you roll them back for a yard and it happens so quick on a guy that it ends up working out. … The gist of the play was more along those lines. … Our blocking technique could’ve been better, our pad level, I could’ve coached those guys better.”