Without pressure, the Lions defense began to sink. When it began to sink, the backbone fell out, and Detroit could hope for a stop to keep things honest throughout the game against the Seattle Seahawks.
A team like the Detroit Lions doesn’t fall because of one factor. Blame the pick six, or the defense, or some bad rotten luck on a coin flip, but the fun thing about football (and grim, really) is how the whole thing, teetering on a knifepoint, goes from “noticeable problem but manageable” to “total disaster” with a few bad plays.