DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions were there again, in position for another fourth-quarter comeback, for another chance to pull off a win against one of the best teams in the NFL.
Except for one problem -- and it was the biggest one for the Lions on Sunday night -- it had to try to score from the red zone.
Time and again, the Lions got into the red zone. And time and again, the Lions failed to reach the end zone. Looking for the easiest reason why Detroit dropped its third straight game, sending it to under .500 for the first time this season, and it's here.
Five times Detroit reached the red zone. Five times the Lions settled for field goals or worse in a 20-15 loss to Pittsburgh that dropped the Lions three wins behind the NFC North-leading Vikings.
The playcalling inside the red zone from coordinator Jim Bob Cooter was unbelievably confusing by the Lions throughout the game, particularly in the second half. On a potential game-winning drive, the Lions ran a draw on third-and-5 leading into the two-minute warning. It was a play that was set up to fail -- one checked into by quarterback Matthew Stafford because he said he saw eight players in coverage.
Detroit ran 16 red zone plays Sunday without scoring a touchdown, the most plays run by a team in the red zone this season in a game without getting into the end zone.
"Just didn't execute," Stafford said. "We were close on a lot of plays, whether I missed a throw by an inch or two or we didn't catch a ball or whatever it is, it's obviously frustrating to get down there and not come away with points twice."
But it was so emblematic of Detroit's day. It wiped out a day when the Lions played pretty well otherwise. Detroit actually found consistent offense when it wasn't inside Pittsburgh's 20-yard line, led by Stafford's 423 yards passing. The defense held Le'Veon Bell to 2.9 yards per carry and Ben Roethlisberger to under 55 percent passing. And the special teams -- well, kicker Matt Prater scored all of Detroit's points.
But it was the offense in the position where it needed to score that doomed Detroit.
"Red zone," tight end Eric Ebron said. "We came up with three instead of seven. That was pretty much the game. Whenever you don't put up touchdowns in the red zone, it's kind of hard."
The decision-making was so baffling it even caused former Lions running back Reggie Bush to openly wonder what was going on. When the Lions chose to pass on second down from the 1-yard line, Bush couldn't understand it.
2nd and goal or 3rd and goal from the 1 yard line and you throw the football? I need to ball coach!!!!!!!!!! Run the ball!!!!
— Reggie Bush (@ReggieBush) October 30, 2017
The Lions did try to run on third down, but telegraphed the run when linebacker/fullback Nick Bellore entered the game. Typically when he comes in, the Lions run the ball. Then, when the Lions went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line -- out of shotgun with what turned into a sack when Stafford tried to scramble up the middle-- it led to more confusion when the Lions were stuffed.
Unreal
— Reggie Bush (@ReggieBush) October 30, 2017
Detroit could have kicked a field goal to take the lead, 15-13. Instead, three plays later, Pittsburgh completed a 97-yard pass from Roethlisberger to JuJu Smith-Schuster to take a 20-12 lead. Considering the Lions' inability to score in the red zone -- again stopped on first-and-goal from the 4-yard line on the next drive, too, it seemed close to insurmountable.
Stafford completed 2 of 10 passes in the red zone Sunday for six yards and took a sack. Detroit's running backs had five carries for four yards.
"Just not maximizing opportunities when we were down there," running back Ameer Abdullah said. "Very poor. Very poor. Got to find a way to score."
And it proved to be. The Lions wouldn't score a touchdown Sunday, the first time that happened since their wild-card playoff loss to Seattle last season. But it's a concerning issue for Detroit, especially since the Lions entered Sunday converting 60 percent of their red zone opportunities, which was tied for sixth in the league.
That'll drop dramatically now, with Detroit seemingly fixing some of its offensive problems -- and now running into a bunch of other ones.