The Lions fired head coach Jim Caldwell after back-to-back 9-7 seasons, which suggests that the front office thinks the team is talented enough to win at least 10 games.
Matt Patricia does not look like he’s going to win 10 games.
Patricia, the Lions’ first-year head coach, saw his team fall to 0-2 today in San Francisco with an uninspired performance through three quarters, followed by a fourth-quarter comeback that fell short.
For the second week in a row, the Lions collapsed in the third quarter. Last week they were outscored 31-7 in the third quarter by the Jets, and this week they were outscored 14-3 in the third quarter by the 49ers. That would suggest Patricia has some work to do on his halftime adjustments.
The Lions did show some fight today, making it interesting late in the fourth quarter. The final score was 30-27, and in the final minutes the Lions appeared to be in great shape to win the game when Jimmy Garoppolo threw a terrible pass that the Lions intercepted and returned deep into 49ers territory. But the pick was called back on a penalty on the Lions, and that was the closest Detroit got.
The 49ers got their first win of the season after falling to the Vikings last week, but they have some problems to address. That starts with Garoppolo’s ability to feel the pass rush and get rid of the ball quickly: Garoppolo was sacked six times, and has already been sacked more times this year than he was all of last season.
But a win is a win for the 49ers, and they’re now 1-1. The Lions and Patricia are 0-2.