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Their loss to the Colts wasn't as lopsided as the final score (41-21) indicates. Detroit was down 20-14 and in field-goal range late in the third quarter. But Matthew Stafford took a sack/fumble, and the defense gave up a touchdown. Stafford then threw a pick six. In under four minutes, the Lions went from trailing by six to trailing by 21. Matt Patricia's defense now ranks 29th through seven games.

Their little surge came back to reality in a hurry with a terrible showing at home against the Colts. The heat is back on Matt Patricia.

They've scored first in all seven of their games this season ... but haven't scored enough in four of them.

Reason for optimism: P Jack Fox

The offense is inconsistent. The defense can't do much against any team with a winning record. The coaching has been suspect -- and has moved away from things that work, like a group of offensive linemen that appeared to coalesce prior to Sunday's demolition by Indianapolis. But hey, have you seen the punting? Fox leads the NFL with 53.2 yards per punt, best in the league by 2.8 yards. His 47.6-yard net punting average also leads the NFL. And Detroit's special-teams coverage, led by coordinator Brayden Coombs, has been good. So not all is troublesome in Detroit. -- Michael Rothstein

The Lions are now 0-3 at home after a 41-21 loss to the Colts that wiped away any goodwill accrued from back-to-back wins. They had a chance to put themselves into excellent playoff position entering the season's second half, but instead melted down with two turnovers that produced 15 Colts points at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth. Detroit also lost star wideout Kenny Golladay, who'll likely miss time after sustaining a hip injury. The Lions face three losing teams over the next three weeks -- if they clean up their play, they could still find themselves in the thick of the playoff race come December. But can you trust this team? That's what I thought.