Despite a 17-10 loss to the previously-winless St. Louis Rams, Head Coach Jim Schwartz says he isn’t going to place any greater emphasis on the outcome of this game compared to any others.
“We are there as a team (and) as an organization where we still have issues that we need to address,” he said. “I don’t think it makes it any more or less urgent to get that done based on losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers or losing to the St. Louis Rams.
“A loss is a loss and our issues don’t change regardless of where those losses are. There are still things that we need to address as we go forward.”
While it may sound cliché, Schwartz’s point is that the team shouldn’t enter a game with a greater expectation to win just because of the team’s record. On the flip side, the team shouldn’t enter a game with a lesser expectation to win just because of the team’s record.
“We don’t go into a game saying, ‘Oh, yeah, hey guys we have a good chance to win this one,’” he said. “Or, ‘This week, not so much,’ or ‘This is a must win,’ or ‘This one as long as we play a good game, that will be fine.’”
Well aware that there are different circumstances in each game – sometimes there are injuries, sometimes it’s playing on the road – Schwartz doesn’t want to call any more attention to one win or loss as he does to any other.
That being said, he knows the team has things it needs to address, both in the current season and beyond. But that doesn’t mean he is going to put forth any less of an effort when it comes to coaching this team this year.
“There are a lot of different circumstances that go into (being competitive in a game) and to minimize a win is disrespecting the game in this league,” said Schwartz. “Every win is important in this league and it’s hard to win in the National Football League. Also, to gloss over a loss, or to excuse a loss, is unacceptable and that’s disrespecting this game.
“A win is a win, a loss is a loss … this is the National Football League.”
The Lions did get rookie quarterback 
While Schwartz is not going to jeopardize Johnson’s long-term health by putting him out there too soon, he did say that things are looking up in regards to getting the top receiver back.
“He’s getting closer,” said Schwartz.
The fact that Johnson was absent from this week’s game was glaring because of the way he changes an opponent’s approach to defending the Lions.
His size, speed and strength draw attention and that lack of attention definitely affected Detroit against the Rams on Sunday.
“It doesn’t rest solely on him, but he is obviously an important part of it because he affects the way that it opens things up for other guys,” said Schwartz.
The question is whether that is concerning. Considering Johnson’s elite abilities, it shouldn’t be surprising that his absence affects the offense, but Detroit struggled against the Rams.
“Adrian Peterson, a great running back from Minnesota, opens up their passing game because of the way people have to defend him,” said Schwartz. “Calvin affects coverage, so it’s not that he’s the only threat, it’s just that he enables other people to be able to make plays down the field.”
Still, Schwartz is going to make sure all players are held accountable for their performances, regardless of the team’s injury struggles.
“This is the first game that we consistently had drops,” said Schwartz of the wide receivers.
“Wide receivers are going to drop some balls. It’s unrealistic to think that they’re going to catch every single one the whole season but when you have a situation like we had and there’s consistent drops, there’s definitely accountability to it.”
