GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Detroit Lions blamed it on the clichéd execution. Quarterback Matthew Stafford said some of it extended to the progression of his reads during plays.
But one thing is clear now, after a game in which the Lions failed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time since Stafford's rookie season in 2009: The play-calling by first-year coordinator Joe Lombardi leaves a lot to be desired.
This was supposed to be the game in which he could finally open things up again, with his full complement of receivers and tight ends along with two of his top three running backs. Instead, the Lions sputtered in a 14-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. They converted five of 15 plays on third down. They reached the red zone only once.
Detroit seemingly forgot all about receiver Golden Tate, who was targeted only twice Sunday -- the fewest times he's been thrown to as a member of the Lions.
"They weren't forcing me to look away from him," Stafford said. "Just going through my progressions, trying to find open guys. They get paid, too, guys to cover. Just trying to send the ball the correct way."
Six Detroit players were targeted by Stafford at least once on his 30 attempts. He completed 18 of those for 183 yards, his lowest total since his 183 yards in Week 7 of 2011 -- not counting the Lions' game in a blizzard at Philadelphia last season.
The Lions totaled just 262 yards -- the third time this season and the third time in the past six games that the Lions have been held to fewer than 275 yards of offense.
"The biggest thing is, for me, it's frustrating when you leave plays on the field," receiver Calvin Johnson said. "Your defense is playing their butt off, holding them to 14, you figure you're going to win all those games."
One of the biggest trend areas for the Lions -- it showed up again Sunday -- has been on third downs. Detroit's 33.3 percent conversion rate Sunday was the fourth time this season the Lions have been unable to convert more than one third of their third-down chances. The Lions have only been above 50 percent in the area three times this season -- and two of those games were in September.
The play calling Sunday in third down situations was particularly rough and somewhat predictable. Twice on Sunday, including on the Lions' first drive of the game, the team ran the ball on third-and-short and failed to get the one yard necessary to continue the drive. That first third down, a handoff to Jed Collins, was fairly obvious to those who have seen Detroit play this season because it is something the Lions have done before.
To be fair, the play had worked before, as Collins converted every third down rush he had all season prior to Sunday. But it seemed somewhat obvious it was coming. There were other issues, too, including Stafford's throwing short of the sticks on third down often Sunday.
Lions coach Jim Caldwell didn't seem too concerned about the team's play calling and said, "I don't feel that way," when asked if the Lions were becoming predictable on third down or in general.
Johnson echoed his comments and said it didn't have anything to do with what Lombardi was drawing up.
"I don't know. I'm not going to blame it on that," Johnson said. "It's just execution."
If that is truly the issue -- if the team isn't able to perform the plays well enough consistently -- that might be a bigger problem for Detroit as it hits the final six games of the season with a playoff berth still within reach. That is what Caldwell stressed Sunday after the game.
Despite the way Detroit played Sunday, and despite the offense's continued inefficiency, they are still in the middle of the playoff picture and tied with Green Bay for now.
"Just missed opportunities," running back Joique Bell said. "Missed opportunities, that's it. Can't call out one particular group. At the end of the day, we're a team. We play as a team, fight as a team, win as a team, lose as a team. So when you have those factors, you can't really point out one particular [area]."
On offense, it isn't one area right now at all that is Detroit's problem. It's the culmination of everything.
