Detroit Lions: 3 takeaways from week 1 loss to Chicago Bears

Mitchell Trubisky rallied the Chicago Bears to a 27-23 come-from-behind victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday by throwing three fourth-quarter touchdown passes during the week one matchup at Ford Field.

Count on the Detroit Lions to remain consistent in a world that is forever changing. Because once again, they’ve spent a Sunday afternoon upholding what has become a regular tradition during head coach Matt Patricia’s tenure in the Motor City. The team’s defense collapsed during the fourth quarter of an ugly, vomit-inducing loss to the Chicago Bears.

The Lions faithful are probably neither shocked nor happy about the events that transpired down the stretch of a sloppy game between the two NFC North Division foes. With each passing season, those fans have grown accustomed to these gut-wrenching, heart-breaking narratives.

Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s soul-crushing loss:

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Takeaway #1

With Adrian Peterson leading the charge, maybe the Lions have found a running game? After being freshly-signed off of the NFL’s free-agent wire last week, the future Hall-of-Famer dazzled during his Detroit debut by rushing for 93-yards on 14 carries.

The veteran managed a few broken tackles that developed into long runs and continued displaying the power and acceleration necessary to thwart success running between the tackles at the professional level.

He can still play at a high-level and outshined both Kerryon Johnson and second-round pick D’Andre Swift while garnering more than his fair share of the team’s rushing attempts. As long as the former-Sooner can stay healthy, look for Peterson to possibly become the first Lions’ back to rush for over 1,000-yards since Reggie Bush in 2013.

Takeaway #2

The Lions defense continued their trend of being the only NFL team to make Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky look worthy of his second-overall draft selection in 2017. The former Tar Heel found his groove in the fourth quarter of the Bears’ comeback victory and connected with three different players (J.Graham/J.Williams/A.Miller) for passing touchdowns.

Besides Lions defensive end Trey Flowers’ strip-sack for a 28-yard loss midway through the fourth quarter, Trubisky used his legs to evade what was an otherwise anemic Detroit pass-rush for the entire game. At points down the stretch, the quarterback paired both his scrambling ability and big-play passing to produce himself as a Walmart version of Green Bay Packers passer Aaron Rodgers.

The performance continued Trubisky’s success against Detroit during the Matt Nagy era in Chicago. Since the head coach was hired, the Bears are 5-0 against the Lions. In the last four meetings between the two teams, he’s accounted for 13 touchdowns compared to only one interception.

Takeaway #3

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford saw his first live game action since suffering a season-ending back injury in Week 8 of 2019. Perhaps, the time off resulted in the passer accumulating a little-bit-of-rust on his throwing shoulder? Despite solid protection from his offensive line (1 sack), the veteran signal-caller managed to complete just 57-percent of his throws during the game (24/42ATT/297YDS/1TD/1INT).

At points during the second half of the game, he delivered a few errant passes on what seemed to be wide-open throws to rookie receiver Quintez Cephus across the middle and downfield during key moments of drives. As a result, it’s not at all surprising that the Detroit offense stalled for a majority of the fourth quarter in the loss.

Offering a glimpse of hope for next week’s game, Stafford pushed the ball downfield, going 4-7 for 51-yards on the Lions’ final drive, which included a dropped game-winning touchdown in the end-zone by Swift with 11-seconds remaining in the game.

Final Take

Patricia and GM Bob Quinn have asked the Motor City to remain patient while they continue implementing their “winning” plan to lift the Detroit Lions from purgatory. In all reality, that goal is rapidly being relegated to nothing more than bulletin-board material for media critics throughout the state of Michigan. It’s a fairytale that’s fading quickly while morphing into a nightmare that plagues the mind of anyone who ever had faith in the Honolulu-Blue and Silver.

It seems that the 2020 edition of the Detroit Lions is shaping up to be another emotional-rollercoaster that fans cannot live with or live without. Perhaps, these are just our same ole’ Lions? Maybe, this is just an overreaction. After all, what’s one game out of a full season’s slate of possible disappointments?