Lions-Chiefs: The Good (Detroit), The Bad (Kadarius Toney, Andy Reid, Brett Veach) And The Ugly (NFL Officials)
The Detroit Lions won this game and are off to a fine start for the first time in the Dan Campbell era. But this 21-20 Lions victory was as much bumbled opportunity by the Kansas City Chiefs as an achievement for the Lions.
The Lions showed trademark grit and resiliency in staying in this game, surviving a tough first half, and winning at the line of scrimmage in the second half to claim the win. So, great for Detroit.
The Chiefs, the NFL's defending Super Bowl champions, were disappointing. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was asked if he was embarrassed and he agreed he was.
Kadarius Toney of the Kansas City Chiefs fumbles the ball while defended by Alex Singleton #49 of the Denver Broncos during the second quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on January 01, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
And it says here if the Chiefs play like this to any great extent the rest of the season, we can look past them as repeat contenders.
This game, you see, was lost by Chiefs receiver Kadarius Toney.
Lost by Chiefs coach Andy Reid.
Lost by general manager Brett Veach.
Lost by the Chiefs as much as won by the Lions.
Let's get to the details in 5 takeaways from the game:
1. Moment Too Big For Chiefs Receivers
The Chiefs must react to what they saw out of their receiver corps because that was pathetic. Mahomes had 12 attempts to wide receivers in the second half and gained only 12 passing yards for his trouble.
There were at least four drops, three by Kadarius Toney. And Mahomes and his pass catchers were too often out of synch.
So I wonder if the issue is the greatest quarterback in the game today, or the young, unproven pass catchers who seemed overwhelmed by the moment?
Yeah, the pass catchers are the problem. Skyy Moore's communication with Mahomes was clearly off. Guys didn't uncover when the Lions went to man coverage later in the game, which means they simply couldn't win their matchup.
And Toney had a forgettable game.
One of Toney's drops bounded off his hands and into the hands of Detroit safety Brian Branch, who returned the gift 50 yards for a touchdown.
Toney, who was injured much of training camp and the preseason, seemed to lose confidence after the second drop. It was obvious to anyone watching him run routes late that he seemed to not want the ball to come his way.
The Giants bailed on Toney, a first-round pick, after only one season. He was constantly injured and had other issues within the building. The Chiefs could fairly believe they can rebuild Toney who is only 24 years old.
"Stuff doesn't always go your way, honestly," Mahomes said. "He wanted to catch a few of those in the game but I trust he's going to be that guy that I go to in those crucial moments and he's going to make the catch and win us some like he did last year.
"So we're going to continue to work him in, give him some more (practice) reps. I'm sure those drops will kind of disappear."
Maybe, but the Chiefs must look around to upgrade the wide receiver room. One game doesn't mean dump everyone. But it shows upgrade is necessary.
"Guys got to step up and they're going to have to step up in big moments because I'm sure there are times is doubled," Mahomes said. "And just going to have to rely on guys that are young and talented to step up and make plays and I believe that they will."
Dan Campbell, head coach of the Detroit Lions during the Detroit Lions Training Camp on July 27, 2022 in Allen Park, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
2. Lions Are 'Built For This'
The Lions are something an upstart team trying to break into the upper echelon of NFL contenders. They suggested they could do that by winning eight of the final 10 games last year.
They're 1-0 in 2023. Welcome to contention, Detroit.
"This is a resilient team," coach Dan Campbell said. "It already was a resilient team and we added pieces to that resilient team. We're built to handle some stuff and we did that today against a very good opponent."
The Lions overcame a 14-7 halftime deficit. And a 20-14 fourth-quarter deficit.
They did that by finishing strong with an offensive line that wore down the Chiefs. The defense, meanwhile, didn't buckle in the second half after yielding first downs on 5 of 7 third-down situations in the first half.
In the second half the Lions thwarted the Chiefs on all seven of their third-down attempts.
"We had some tough spots in this game against a really good opponent, and that happens, and nobody got down, nobody got frazzled," Campbell said. "And we just hung in there. We told the team we're built for this. That's why we play with three phases. If one at any given time is struggling, the other two will bail them out. And that happened today."
So are the Lions going to be good this year?
They just went to Kansas City. They trailed the defending Super Bowl champions in the fourth quarter. And they won the game.
Yes, they'll be good.
Andy Reid gambled with 2 minutes to play Thursday night, and lost. (Getty Images)
3. Andy Reid Head-Scratching Decision
Reid is a great coach. He's perhaps the best in the NFL and has the Super Bowl rings to argue the point. But he managed the end of this game like a goofball.
The Chiefs, down one point with 2:09 to play, faced a fourth-and-20 on their 35 yard line. They had all three of their timeouts.
Lions coach Dan Campbell called the situation, "fourth-and-forever," which should give you an idea of what the Chiefs faced.
But rather than punt and work to get the ball back using those time outs, Reid went for it.
And given a reprieve on the decision when offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor jumped early for a 5 yard penalty, Reid went for it again on fourth-and-25.
"It was designed to complete the son-of-a-gun," Reid said of his play-call. "It didn’t work that way but, I mean, we were trying – the best we could – to get a completion and keep things going."
Wrong. Terrible decision.
And I wasn't the only one to notice.
"Coach Reid decided to put the ball in my hands," Mahomes said. "We were close to getting it. Obviously it didn't work out ... It just didn't happen for us there."
Actually, the Chiefs were never really "close to getting it." They were never close to erasing a Reid mistake.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones celebrates after he recovered a fumble against the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 21, 2021. (Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
4. What Is Brett Veach Doing About Chris Jones?
All Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who is holding out for a record contract extension, was at the game. He watched from a suite.
And this is where general manager Brett Veach has to step up because the Chiefs have only three dynamic players -- Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, and Jones -- on their roster right now.
And Veach let one of those play spectator instead of play on the defensive line Thursday night.
Look, the Chiefs are in a tough spot with Jones because they cannot overpay, knowing other contracts are coming due in future. But if they want to win now, they have step up now.
The 49ers, in a similar difficult situation with defensive end Nick Bosa, gave him a contract that breaks records. And they did it in time for Bosa to play in the regular-season opener.
Jones will get a lot of money from Kansas City one way or another. Either that or they'll have to trade him. So not signing him in time to get him on the field Week 1 is a missed opportunity for Veach.
The retort is obviously that Veach is protecting the team's salary structure. Fair. But he's negatively impacting the team's won-loss record, too.
Veach should realize that quarterback contracts signed this year are massive, led by Joe Burrow's new deal that averages $55 million per season.
Mahomes averages $45 million per season. So use that relative bargain to your benefit. Use the savings on the QB market to lock up your other dynamic players.
The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line in the first quarter of an AFC divisional playoff game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs on January 21, 2023 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
5. NFL Officials Are Still Bad
NFL officials are back. And now we remember why we hate them.
Chiefs tackle Jawaan Taylor lined up practically off the line of scrimmage throughout this game. At times he looked like a slot receiver in a bunch formation.
The illegal formations were not penalized.
Taylor jumped the snap count on maybe 99 percent of the passing plays the Chiefs ran. He did it so often and so consistently, he was actually tipping Kansas City's pass intentions.
But no false start call.
It wasn't until the Chiefs final possession, on a third-and-20, that officials finally flagged Taylor for the first time.
The zebras are back in all their inglorious service.