DETROIT -- “No, no, no,” Jared Goff said before exiting the podium.
That was the Detroit Lions quarterback’s answer to whether or not the possibility of going 0-17 has crept into the team’s mind after a 44-6 pounding at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles on Halloween.
Now 0-8 heading into a much-needed bye week, it’s hard not to be reminded of the infamous 0-16 campaign in 2008. But this team is trying to block those thoughts out.
“That’s not a possibility in my mind. I’m just saying if we don’t fix it ... if we continue with the same problems, obviously we ain’t gonna win a game,” Lions safety Tracy Walker said of potentially going 0-17.
In a game that was considered winnable after Detroit pushed the Los Angeles Rams in a 28-19 loss last week, the Lions were embarrassed by the visiting Eagles on a day in which nothing seemed to go right.
“Honestly, it makes us feel like trash,” Walker said of the winless start.
Goff was sacked four times in the first half, which equals the most first-half sacks he's suffered in his NFL career and is tied for the most of any quarterback in a game this season.
Fans were so upset that many exited Ford Field before the end of the third quarter, showering boos on a team that failed to score until midway through the fourth.
“Tough,” Goff described. “One of the tougher ones I’ve been a part of and tough to swallow. It wasn’t good on any phase. We knew that and I though what Dan [Campbell] said to the team afterward was right on and we can do better.”
Campbell shouldered the blame, acknowledging that they got pushed around badly and weren’t ready. He says the coaching staff didn’t set the tone or the tempo properly throughout the week and didn’t feel like they gave themselves a chance to win.
“I felt like we got outcoached today and we got outplayed across the board,” Campbell said. “And that does, that starts with me. It really does. You don’t play that bad with a number of guys in areas and turn the ball over and penalties and the low energy and it’s just, you don’t do that unless that comes from the top so that’s on me."
Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson ended with a team-high 10 catches for 89 yards against the Eagles, but also couldn’t hide that losing is taking its toll on the roster.
Still, he’ll use the bye week to reflect on the first eight games as they try to figure out why the Lions offense continues to stall out. They remain confident that this isn’t a repeat of the 2008 season. Guys still believe that they can win a game.
“This season is not over,” Hockenson said. “And we’re able to write the story with what guys want to do, what we want to do as a team and where we want to go with this organization and with this city. That’s something that we’ve gotta look right in the mirror and just reflect to understand where we want to go and what we want to do for these next few games.”