Head coach Dan Campbell did not have to look far and wide to find out who was to blame for the Lions' one-sided loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Campbell put the blame on himself for his team's poor performance in the 38-6 loss.
That's what we learned from Campbell in his Monday press conference.
The Lions never were competitive in the game. The Ravens scored on their first four possessions to take a 28-0 lead.
"Ultimately, when you step back and you look at a number of performances that were very much subpar across the board it's not a coincidence," Campbell said.
"That's where I did not do a good job of getting them ready."
Campbell will make some changes in practice to get players better prepared.
"We need to get back to some of our fundamental work -- our one-on-one work, our technique work," he said.
The Lions next game is against the Las Vegas Raiders at Ford Field on Monday night.
Campbell sounded confident that that the team will be better prepared to avoid losing a second game in a row.
"I can help these guys," he said. "I know I can.
"We'll be ready for the Raiders."
Among the other things we learned include the following: Versatility adding duties for linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, patience for wide receiver Jameson Williams and cornerback Jerry Jacobs' value.
High value: Jacobs' rise is an example of a player whose value to a team is not fully appreciated by the average person until he's missing.
Jacobs made the Lions' roster as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and gradually moved up in stature. He started nine games as a rookie, eight in 2022, and all six this year before missing Sunday's game with a knee injury.
Jacobs has three interceptions this year and is aggressive in coverage. His presence was missed Sunday.
Patience: Williams' speed is an obvious skill – so it's obvious that the expectations for what he can bring to the Lions' offense are greater than what he is contributing at this point.
There have been ups and downs in the three games he has played in.
A 45-yard TD catch at a critical time in the Lions' 20-6 win over the Buccaneers was an up moment.
A downer was having six targets without a catch in Sunday's 38-6 loss to the Ravens.
Snap decision: Rodriguez has seen his role at linebacker diminished, but his versatility still has value.
Rodriguez played two snaps at fullback Sunday. He also played one snap at linebacker and 12 on special teams.
There is precedent for the Lions having linebackers doing double duty at fullback.
Chris Spielman, an All-Pro linebacker with the Lions from 1988-95 and currently a team employee, had a brief stint at fullback as a lead blocker.
We can assume he helped Barry Sanders gain a few of his yards.
