The Detroit Lions have been kicker-averse all year after running a carousel at the position in the preseason. Entering Week 8’s Monday Night Football matchup, the Lions had attempted just eight field goals through seven games—that’s amongst the bottom of the teams in the league.
This comes after kicker Riley Patterson returned to Detroit in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where Patterson spent last season helping propel the Jaguars to a playoff win. Patterson, much like incumbent Michael Badgley, was known for his accuracy but struggled with distance. This became a real concern when Patterson came up short during the preseason on a 53-yard field goal attempt and could have been the catalyst for why the Lions didn’t attempt a field goal beyond 37 yards for their first five weeks of the season, despite plenty of opportunities to do so.