DETROIT — The Detroit Lions were already down their coach, defensive coordinator and three position coaches due to COVID-19 close contact quarantine. Then their quarterback, Matthew Stafford, played a series before suffering an ankle injury, ending his day.
The combination of that, along with a season already lost, led to this: one of the worst losses in franchise history.
The Lions lost 47-7 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, the team’s worst home defeat in the Super Bowl era and fourth-worst home loss of all time. It’s the ninth time in the team’s history the Lions lost by 40 or more points.
Prior to Saturday, the team’s worst loss at home in the Super Bowl era was a 55-17 blowout by San Francisco on Dec. 19, 1993. That Lions team ended up winning the division — Detroit’s last divisional title — and going 10-6. This Lions team had already been eliminated from the playoffs and clinched their third straight losing season.
Saturday marked the team’s worst loss since Stafford’s rookie season, 2009, when the Lions lost 48-3 at Baltimore.
It’s also the first time Detroit has allowed 588 yards of offense or more since Nov. 4, 1990, when the Lions gave up 676 yards to Washington.
It got out of hand Saturday, in large part, because of Stafford’s absence.
Stafford, who had already been battling rib and right thumb injuries, hurt his right ankle on his first series when he collided with Tampa Bay linebacker Devin White.
Trainers surrounded Stafford on the sideline after he left the field. After a retaping, Stafford stood up and tried to put weight on the ankle. He sat back down and moments later popped back up and hopped about 30 yards to the entrance to the Detroit locker room.
Stafford was ruled out of the game during halftime. He completed 2 of 3 passes for 17 yards before leaving the game and spent the second half on the sideline in sweats, watching backups Chase Daniel and David Blough finish.
The Lions, with Daniel at quarterback, trailed Tampa Bay 34-0 at half.
Lions starting center Joe Dahl, who replaced injured center Frank Ragnow, was also declared out for the game with a back injury in the third quarter.
This was already a day when Detroit was without interim head coach Darrell Bevell, defensive coordinator Cory Undlin and three position coaches. The Lions were also without two starting offensive linemen — Ragnow and Tyrell Crosby — and their top receiver, Kenny Golladay, on offense.
