Cheb wrote: ↑Tue Oct 21, 2025 1:15 am
Finally got back from Ford Field and the downtown area after the game. My thoughts:
- I missed the Midwest. People are really nice here, top to bottom. I am used to...let's say mild animosity if I wear an opposing jersey, some drunk idiots doing drunk idiot things, homeless folks engaging in shenanigans. But nope, the Michigan and Detroit folks were nothing but lovely, even though I had to explain Selmon to too many people (it may be too deep a cut, perhaps). Multiple Bucs fans however got the jersey, and that was nice.
- I forgot how unrepentantly dorky the Lions fight song "Gridiron Heroes" is, and it's sung after every score.
- The Lions are a really good team, and we let them off the hook in a ton of different ways:
- We let Amon-Ra run the majority of his catches versus air. You cannot give elite receivers uncontested released and uncontested routes to go along with uncontested catch points. You will lose to them.
- Dennis was abused in space right off the bat and was consistently picked on by the Lions on money downs, especially on plays designed to out leverage him. He is such an Achilles heel on this defense that it is a weekly liability.
- Our defense allowing the first drive touchdown right off the initial kickoff is a meme. I called it to the guys I was with and they thought I was Nostradamus.
- Only two players went to check on Mike Evans when he was on the ground injured; LVD and Tristan Wirfs. He was otherwise ignored. What the fuck, lads?
- The offense cannot go shotgun fury with our receiving room decimated and win the game. That too much pressure on Baker, too much pressure on guys who were backups for a reason, and WAY too much pressure on the OL.
- The defense played well 80-ish percent of the time, outside of the long TD run, St Brown clowning us on the reg, and Dennis clowning himself.
This team is battered. We need to take Baker off the high dive and strike some semblance of offensive balance. Detroit is a good squad and played a complete game at home.
As I told many people tonight, no matter who wins this game, the loser is likely to see the winner in the playoffs. That hasn't changed.
Have a lovely day.