The Detroit Lions put up a valiant fight, but the banged-up underdogs couldn’t make enough plays to pull off the upset over the reigning AFC champion Chiefs in Kansas City on Sunday night. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs prevailed, 30-17, over a shorthanded Lions team.
As head coach Dan Campbell noted during his halftime interview with the NBC broadcast crew, the difference was in just a couple of plays. That was certainly accurate in the first half, which ended with the Chiefs leading 13-10.
The Lions appeared to take a 6-0 lead after a lengthy drive that ate up almost 10 minutes of the first quarter, but a controversial penalty negated a 4th-and-goal touchdown pass from David Montgomery to Jared Goff. Detroit settled for a short Jake Bates field goal, and what could have been a 7-0 lead was just 3-0.
The Chiefs scored a touchdown to answer, though kicker Harrison Butker badly missed the extra point. Detroit answered with a great Goff-to-Jameson Williams TD strike, seizing a 10-6 lead. The Lions defense even came up with a hard-earned fourth-down stop on Kansas City’s next drive.
This led to another of Detroit’s missed opportunities. On 4th-and-2 from the Chiefs’ 44-yard line, Goff faced heavy pressure and delivered a low throw that hit Amon-Ra St. Brown in both hands, but the All-Pro wideout lost control and dropped it. The Chiefs converted the turnover on downs into a touchdown and a 13-10 lead, an advantage they would not relinquish. A spectacular Goff-to-LaPorta touchdown answered a Chiefs TD, keeping it to a reasonable 20-17 margin early in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs offense converted two critical fourth downs, both of which exploited the injury-ravaged back end of the Detroit defense. The Mahomes-to-Hollywood Brown TD pass that elevated Kansas City’s lead to 27-17 in the fourth quarter was another example of a bad miscommunication in the Lions defense. Nobody covered Brown as he ran a shallow drag. Whether it was Amik Robertson, Kerby Joseph or Jack Campbell who misread the coverage assignment, it resulted in a too-easy TD that made it a two-score game midway through the fourth quarter. With injuries all over the secondary, including both starting safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch clearly playing at far less than 100 percent, the Lions simply didn’t have the sharpness to handle a Chiefs offense that blocked well for Mahomes.
Detroit’s next offensive possession after the second Brown TD catch was a disastrous death blow. The Lions went 3-and-out, losing yards on the drive as the Chiefs defense attacked with gusto. The final gasp ended with three straight incompletions from Goff, all under considerable pressure.
The Lions saw their 4-game win streak snapped, setting their record at 4-2. They play the 5-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football in Week 7. Kansas City leveled its record at 3-3.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Undermanned Lions outexecuted, fall to Chiefs in tough Week 6 loss
Reporting by Jeff Risdon, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
