The Obvious:
Too many field goals rather touchdowns.
Too many turnovers.
Too many dropped passes.
Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford
Stafford has not performed like an elite QB this season. His rankings: 9th by Football Outsiders, 15th by Pro Football Focus and 17th in ESPN QBR. His NFL rating is 85.5. In his 187 dropbacks he has thrown 4 int been sacked 9 times and his receivers have dropped 16 passes.
His accuracy early season was off. He mssing open receivers and throwing balls to the wrong shoulder.
He still displays great arm strength and confidence. His play outside the pocket has improved but it is still not good.
I expect Stafford to improve and hit is stride in following the Bears game.
Offensive Line
The line has struggled in consistent run blocking but has provided excellent pass protection. The interior lineman have played well while the tackles have struggled in the run game but have been stellar in pass pro.
They rank 22nd in run blocking and 12th in pass pro by Football Outsiders.
Jeff Backus
Backus has played all 309 snaps this season. His stats: 1 Sack 1 Penalty 1 QB Hit. His pass blocking ranks 2nd in the NFL to Ryan Clady. His run blocking is the worst in the NFL. We average 1.37 yards per carry at left end and 3 yards at left tackle. He ranks as the 36th best tackle in the NFL overall. This is what you are going to get with Backus. He has lost his power but can still move his feet. It will be hard to replace him if he keeps Stafford off the turf.
Gosder Cherlius
This is going to surprise you, Cherlius is playing well this season. His stats: 1 penalty (holding agaisnt 49ers) 1 sack 3 hits. He ranks as the 14th best tackle in the NFL. His pass blocking has proved to be better than his run blocking. We still ave 4.54 yards running behind right tackle. His play could keep him Detroit following this season.
Guards
Rob Sims
Sims has once again been the best Lion lineman. He has a clean sheet: 0 sacks, hits and penalties. He ranks as the 4th best guard in the NFL. His pass blocking grades the best in the NFL. His run blocking is about average. We average 4.34 yards on runs up the middle.
Stephen Peterman
Peterman was playing well until the Vikings game when he strgguled in pass pro for the 1st time this season. He was given kudos for his play against the 49ers as most our rushing yards were behind him. He has given up 2 sacks and 2 QBhits. He ranks as the 26th best guard in the NFL.
Center
Dom Raiola
His total metal meltdown vs, Titans has overshadowed a solid year from Dom. He has given up 1 penalty, 1 QB Hit. He ranks as the 7th best center in the NFL. He has the best pass block ranking and his run blocking leads the Lions.
Backups
Riley Reiff
Reiff has played 9 snaps this season. 5 running plays 4 pass. He has surrendered 1 QB Hurry. His future is probably at Left tackle when Backus retires.
Tight Ends
Brandon Pettigrew
The season of Brandon Pettigrew has been awful. He ranks as the 52nd best TE in the NFL. His 5 drops are 2nd to Jason Witten. He has been equally as a bad in the run blocking. He has been tageted 35 times and caught 23. 66% catch rate. Along with his lost fumble TD in the Titan game, it has been a nightmare.
Tony Scheffler
Scheffler has not been effective either. He has been targerted 14 times for 7 catches and 2 drops. Not a factor in the run game, we need him to pick up his game.
Will Heller
A struggle as well for the veteran Heller. He has played 28 snaps with 3 catches and 1 huge drop. He has been a negative in the run game as well.
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