Rachel Wold
The Lions really are on course for a 0-16 season
The last time the Detroit Lions started out a season at 0-5 was in 2008 when the team ended the year with a winless 0-16 record. Another coincidental and potential fate-sealing detail is that backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky saw his first action in Week 5 that losing season, just like he did on Sunday.
#Lions begin season 0-5 for 1st time since 2008. They would finish that season 0-16.
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 11, 2015
Matthew Stafford’s Week 5 performance was so devastatingly bad it forced the Lions to swap him out for Orlovsky when there was no shot of turning the 35-7 game around in the third quarter. Head coach Jim Caldwell brushed the incident under the rug and compared to Stafford to a pitcher who was simply having a bad game.
Things just aren’t adding up here, though, which spells doom.
As for the Lions offense and their big playmakers, we’re not seeing much from Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate and the myriad of running backs attempting to assemble any form of rushing game. The Lions possess the worst rushing offense in the league, managing just 49 yards per game at a rate of 2.8 yards per attempt.
The 16.6 total points per game the Lions are averaging reflects on how terribly the team is performing.
The bottom line is the Lions are letting every excuse in the world — injuries, lack of leadership, rookie struggles and bad play calls — dictate their course of play. Until this changes, the Lions will remain winless.
Perhaps at this point in time, it’s best for the Lions to go for broke and target that overall first draft pick in 2016.
