Many of the angles following the Detroit Lions' 12-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks will focus on the former's final play. That's understandable. The entire game swung on it.Lions losing on a missed call, which only came into effect because of an execution error, is more Lions-like than just the execution error. Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) October 6, 2015That play wasn't the only one Detroit's offense missed on Monday night. In fact, the evening was littered with the type of missed opportunities that have been present since the season opener.Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin stymied the Seattle offense for most of the night, giving the Lions hope for this week and the season.But, alas, that execution didn't transfer to the other side of the ball, so Detroit can probably start swapping out game plans for scouting reports.Part Player, Part SchemeDetroit's running game was last seen in2013, and Monday night didn't bring the team any closer to finding it. The offensive line couldn't open up any holes for Ameer Abdullah, with the "defenders in the backfield" theme carrying over from each of the past three weeks.The Lions' longest run was nine yards. They had 53 yards on 18 carries. That's not even three yards per carry.Everyone talking about this blown call... Nobody talking about how the Lions have 185 yards rushing for the season. TOTAL. Mayer World Peace (@MayerHawthorne) October 6, 2015How much longer can this blame be laid at the offensive line's feet' At what point will offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi acknowledge that his team is built for a power scheme and eschew the long-developing zone runs that have gone nowhere'That same stubbornness spills over to the rest of the offense. It's also obvious that quarterback Matthew Stafford isn't the Tom Brady-Drew Brees type who will pick apart a defense with precise five- to seven-yard throws.Crazy # from @PFF Stafford only thrown deep pass (20+ yards downfield) FOUR times all year. Attempt % on deep balls 3.1%. 2nd lowest in NFL Dave Softy Mahler (@Softykjr) October 5, 2015That lack of aggression was on display often against Seattle. Detroit continuously tried to dink and dunk its way down the field, even throwing two consecutive passes behind the line of scrimmage when trapped inside its own 20.To be fair, Lombardi can't shoulder all of the blame. He did let Stafford go once or twice, and his quarterback didn't take advantage of his free reign.Stafford Missed Big OpportunitiesThe difference in this game can be boiled down to its quarterbacks. Russell Wilson made enough plays to win. Matthew Stafford made too few, waiting more then three-and-a-half quarters before finding his rhythm.Of particular consequence were the two missed opportunities to pick up large chunks of yardage with deep tosses to Johnson.Right before halftime, Stafford overthrew the former All-Pro wide receiver by two yards when he had a step on Cary Williams. The other bounced off of Megatron's fingertips, again down the left side.We can argue whether Johnson should have caught the second throw. However, the pass was high and outside, where Johnson couldn't get it since he had beaten Williams to the inside this time.Finally, there was an errant toss to Lance Moore:That's the throw Detroit has to hit. Seam vs. Cover 3. There is a window there to target. Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) October 6, 2015Instead of facing a short third-down conversion near field-goal territory, the Lions had to punt.Again, the defense and special teams did all they could to overcome the offense's ineptitude. Unfortunately for Detroit, the latter unit squandered way too many chances, setting the scene for the final play.Calvin Johnson Can't Buy a Flag, But Didn't Deserve OneThe back and forth on Twitter immediately after the game was searching for a single scapegoat. Fellow Bleacher Reporter Zach Kruse summed everything up well getting to the heart of the matter:One half of Twitter: The refs missed the call! Other half: But Calvin Johnson blew it! BOTH CAN BE TRUE Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2)October 6, 2015He's spot on.Yes, the referees should have flagged Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright for batting the loose ball out of the end zone. The result would have been 1st-and-goal at the half-yard line for the Lions.However, Johnson cannot be given a pass. Seattle safety Kam Chancellor made an incredible play to seal up the win, but Johnson received the league's largest wide-receiver contract to do the same for his team.Megatron didn't get it done. Had he scored or held on to the ball, it's probable that we're discussing whether Detroit can replicate its 1995 run to the postseason after a 0-3 start.That could be said for a lot of Lions, though, including members of the coaching staff. Apparently the road to a top draft pick is paved with good intentions and poor execution.BrandonAlisogluis a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centricpodcast,Lions Central Radio.Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is@BrandonAlisoglu.
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