Last week, the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars provided fans with a thriller that featured a massive comeback and a thrilling game-winning drive. This week, the Detroit Lions could barely compete with the Kansas City Chiefs for a quarter.Alex Smith had a second straight sterling performance, and Kansas City scored four touchdowns on the ground as it earned a 45-10 rout over the Lions in England.Smith set a career high with 78 rushing yards, including a 49-yard scamper that doubled as the game's biggest play. It was the first time in nearly two full calendar years Smith, who is fleet of foot despite not having a reputation among the game's quickest quarterbacks, has gone over 50 yards on the ground.Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman came up with an apt comparison:Smith also went 18-of-26 passing for 145 yards and two touchdowns, completing a majority of his passes underneath to Travis Kelce or on screens to running backs. Kelce has had at least five receptions in his last three games and got into the end zone for the first time since Week 1 with a two-yard score in the third quarter.The NFL's fantasy feed appropriately gauged the reaction of owners everywhere:Jeremy Maclin, who was returning from a concussion, added 35 yards and a score. It was his second touchdown since joining the Chiefs and continues a trend of Smith actually getting the ball to his pass-catchers in the end zoneeven if it hasn't translated to wins.The running game compiled 206 yards, withCharcandrick West leading backs with 97. West has come through with two straight solid performances after a shaky first outing in the post-Jamaal Charles era.Hes actually really good, too, Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said coming into the week, per Terez A. Paylor of theKansas City Star. I dont think people were expecting that out of him. Hes a great player and did a good job."Paylor also offered midgame analysis:As for the Lions offense, it appears firing an offensive coordinator and two assistants did nothing to fix their woes. The Chiefs brought Matthew Stafford down for six sacks, continuing an ugly trend reminiscent of Stafford's injury-plagued early seasons in Detroit. He's been brought down 13 times over the last two weeks after taking only nine sacks through the first six games.The Lions fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, along with offensive line coaches Jeremiah Washburn and Terry Heffernan, after starting 1-6. Head coach Jim Caldwell was careful to warn that massive changes were unlikely with only a week for new coordinator Jim Bob Cooter to get his system in place."We may have a little different variety, maybe a little different twist here and there along the way, but you can't make a thousand changes in a very, very short period of time and expect your guys to grasp it, particularly after teams that you're facing are still operating and doing the same things they were working on in the spring," Caldwell said, per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com.HBO's Bill Simmons offered a tongue-in-cheek reaction:Stafford finished with 217 yards and a touchdown against two interceptions. Down big for most of the game, the Lions passed the ball 38 times and were able to run only 14 times. That likely played a factor in the lopsided nature of the score, as Detroit had success when handing the ball off. Joique Bell set his season high with 56 rushing yards on only seven carries.Calvin Johnson led the way for the Lions with five receptions for 85 yards, while Golden Tate added 59 yards on six grabs.With the Lions now 1-7 heading into their bye, one has to wonder whether Caldwell's job will be the next to go. The Lions have a depleted coaching staff after firing three assistants, so Caldwell might stick around through the end of the season, but it's clear some major changes are needed. Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post is ready for the coach to go:A year removed from a playoff berth, Detroit is once again one of the worst teams in football.If changing the offensive coordinator didn't help, maybe it's time to start working the way up the chain.Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter
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