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Lions'
collapse
starts
well
before
fourth
quarter
this
time
By
STEVE
MEGARGEE
apnews.com
GREEN
BAY,
Wis. -
This
time,
the
Detroit
Lions
didn’t
bother
waiting
until
the
fourth
quarter
to blow
a
double-digit
lead.
The
Lions
scored
touchdowns
on their
first
two
series
to go
ahead
14-3
against
the
Green
Bay
Packers
but
allowed
that
advantage
to
disintegrate
by
halftime.
Detroit’s
42-21
loss on
Sunday
came one
week
after
the
Lions
fell
27-23 to
Chicago
after
leading
23-6 at
the
start of
the
final
period.
Detroit
is the
first
team
ever to
blow
double-digit
leads to
lose
four
consecutive
games,
according
to the
Elias
Sports
Bureau.
“We
can’t
ride the
wave of
the
game,”
Lions
coach
Matt
Patricia
said.
“We
can’t go
up and
down and
be
really
high and
something
happens
and then
go
really
low and
then try
to pick
it back
up and
then
something
good
happens
and go
really
high
again.
Just the
ebbs and
flows of
the
game,
we’ve
got to
ignore
that.
We’ve
got to
stay
consistent.
We’ve
got to
not
think
about
the end
result
before
we get
to the
end
result.”
The
Lions
have
lost 11
straight
games
overall
for
their
longest
skid
since
dropping
19
straight
from
2007-09,
which
included
an 0-16
season
in 2008.
After
leading
14-3 on
Sunday,
the
Lions
gave up
31
straight
points.
Detroit
hasn’t
won at
all
since a
31-26
victory
over the
New York
Giants
on Oct.
27. The
Lions
ended
the 2019
season
by
blowing
a 10-0
lead in
a 27-17
loss to
Denver
and
squandering
a 17-3
advantage
in a
23-20
loss to
Green
Bay.
“We
know
what we
did, we
know
what
we’ve
done in
the past
and at
the end
of the
day,
we’re
working
to
correct
those
mistakes
and
right
those
wrongs,”
running
back
Kerryon
Johnson
said.
“That
doesn’t
need to
be said
from
anybody.
We’re
all
grown
men. We
all
understand
this is
a grown
man’s
game.
We’re
going to
go out
there
next
week and
we’re
going to
try and
get the
job done
again.”
The
Lions
are
hurting
in every
respect.
Detroit
played
Sunday
without
its top
receiver
(Kenny
Golladay),
two
projected
starting
offensive
linemen
(guard
Joe Dahl
and
right
tackle
Halapoulivaati
Vaitai),
two of
their
best
cornerbacks
(Desmond
Trufant
and
Justin
Coleman)
and one
starting
defensive
tackle
(Nick
Williams).
The
Lions’
thin
secondary
made
plenty
of
costly
mistakes.
Detroit
seemed
likely
to take
a lead
into the
locker
room
when
Green
Bay got
the ball
at its
own 38
with no
timeouts
and a
minute
left in
the half
while
trailing
14-10.
Lions
safety
Will
Harris
was
penalized
for
unnecessary
roughness
and a
horse-collar
tackle
on
consecutive
plays,
putting
the
Packers
in
scoring
position.
An
11-yard
touchdown
pass
from
Aaron
Rodgers
to
Robert
Tonyan
put
Green
Bay
ahead
for good
with 14
seconds
left in
the
half.
Detroit’s
Matt
Prater
sent a
57-yard
field-goal
attempt
wide
right as
time
expired.
On
the
first
play of
the
second
half,
Aaron
Jones
scored
on a
75-yard
touchdown
run as
he got
between
Harris
and
Lions
safety
Duron
Harmon.
The
Lions
gave up
259
yards
rushing
(7.4 per
carry)
Sunday
after
allowing
the
Bears to
run for
149
yards
last
week.
Jones
rushed
for a
career-high
168
yards.
“We’ve
got to
do a
better
job in
what
we’re
doing
right
now,
especially
to come
out and
start
the
second
half,”
Patricia
said.
“Those
plays
can
happen
when
you’ve
got a
dangerous
back
like
that,
but
we’ve
got to
do a
better
job of
being
ready to
go.”
The
mistakes
weren’t
limited
to the
defense.
Midway
through
the
third
quarter,
the
Lions
were at
their
own
5-yard
line
when
Matthew
Stafford
felt
pressure
from
Rashan
Gary and
threw an
interception
that
Chandon
Sullivan
returned
7 yards
for a
touchdown.
The
pick-six
extended
Green
Bay’s
lead to
31-14.
“Obviously,
a huge
play in
the game
I can’t
make,”
Stafford
said.
“I’ve
got to
find a
way to
make
sure
that
we’re
not
giving
up
points
there.
If I
have to
throw an
incomplete
that
looks
horrible
or find
a way to
get
around
and just
get the
ball
out,
I’ve got
to do
that.”
After
driving
75 yards
on each
of their
first
two
possessions,
the
Lions
gained a
total of
67 yards
over
their
next six
series.
Just
like
that,
another
promising
start
went to
waste.
___
More
AP NFL:
https://apnews.com/NFL
and
https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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