Lions revert to mistake-prone ways Sunday in 24-7 loss to Panthers
You wondered how long it would take.
Well, new Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell should consider himself "Lion-ized."
After a turnover-free opening-game rout, the Lions reverted to their mistake-prone ways Sunday in a 24-7 loss to the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
The Lions committed three turnovers to none by the Panthers. They also missed both field-goal attempts while Carolina went 3-for-3.
And after zero drops in the opener, the Lions dropped six passes in Week 2.
"Against a good football team, away from home, you cannot make the mistakes that we made and expect to win it," Caldwell said during his post-game radio interview. "When you're on the road, they (turnovers) can be devastating."
To make matters worse, the Lions' problems at cornerback aren't getting better. Rookie cornerback Nevin Lawson, a fourth-round draft pick, suffered a dislocated foot in the third quarter that required surgery. Lawson's injury comes after the Lions lost Bill Bentley, their top nickel back, to a season-ending knee injury in the first game.
Sunday's turnovers were the result of a fumble by running back Joique Bell, an interception by quarterback Matthew Stafford on an underthrown pass into double coverage to Calvin Johnson, and a fumble on a kick return by Jeremy Ross.
The Lions also missed out an apparent touchdown when Johnson dropped the ball as he rolled over in the end zone -- the so-called "Calvin Johnson rule," for not completing the process of the catch.
Detroit finished with eight more passing yards than Carolina, and two more rushing yards, but it came down to the turnovers, kicking game and missed opportunities.
Two games into the season, and it appears the Lions have a potential serious problem at kicker.
Rookie Nate Freese, a seventh-round draft pick, missed two field-goal attempts of 49 yards, both wide right, in the first half when the Lions were unable to take advantage of their early domination.
Carolina's Graham Gano connected from 29, 53 and 38 yards, along with recovering Ross' fumble, which only made it all seem worse for the Detroit kicker.
Freese, who made two 53-yarders and one 55-yarder in the preseason, missed a 43-yard attempt in the opening regular-season game. He is now 2-for-2 from inside 30 yards, but 0-for-3 on longer attempts.
Maybe it's just rookie jitters and he'll settle down, but at this point, it has to be considered a major concern for the Lions, who are sorely missing the days of Jason Hanson's consistency.
Could they already be in a position to try to add a veteran free-agent kicker to replace the youngster?
"We certainly want to take a look at all of our options and see where we'd like to go from here," Caldwell told reporters after the game.
Stafford, meanwhile, wasn't nearly as sharp as he was in last Monday's 35-14 victory over the New York Giants.
He completed 27-of-48 passes for 291 yards and one touchdown with one interception and three sacks against the Panthers, who were without top defensive end Greg Hardy (inactive because of a domestic violence incident).
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, who didn't play last week because of a rib injury, was 22-of-34 for 281 passing yards and one score with, most importantly, no interceptions.
The Lions moved the ball with relative ease in the first quarter, but they had nothing to show for it because of Freese's first missed field goal and Bell's fumble, on their first two possessions.
In the first quarter, Detroit had a 125-15 edge in total offensive yards, but it was a scoreless game.
"You look at the first half," Caldwell said, "I thought we ended up moving the ball pretty well and playing decent defense against a good team, but we faltered. We just didn't score the points we were capable of scoring, turned the ball over too many times. That was the nature of things.
"We just weren't quite clicking as well as we're capable. But those are things we can fix. That's the great thing about it. This is a marathon, not a sprint."
Caldwell was encouraged by his team's run defense, which allowed only 62 yards rushing, including 2.6 per carry, and had seven tackles for loss.
"Our interior was tough, gritty," Caldwell said. "They didn't give up a whole lot and this team (Carolina) runs the ball and runs the ball well. There are some positives we can build upon."
The Lions, who are 1-1 for the third straight year, return home to face the Green Bay Packers next Sunday at Ford Field.
EXTRA POINTS
--- Tight end Eric Ebron, the Lions' first-round draft pick, made his first NFL reception, a 16-yard gain, with about eight minutes remaining in the second quarter. Ebron ended up with three catches for 38 yards. He kept a scoring drive alive by showing tremendous concentration when he juggled and held on to a deflected pass that should have been intercepted. But, late in the game, Ebron also had a bad drop.
--- The Lions' only touchdown came on a one-yard pass to fullback Jed Collins on the first possession of the second half for a 7-6 lead.
--- Johnson extended his streak to 108 consecutive games with a reception, breaking the team record held by Herman Moore.
--- The Lions' philosophy of being more of an attacking defense was never more evident than when middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch surprised the Panthers by charging through for a sack and a 15-yard loss.
