ALLEN PARK Rashan Gary Jersey , Mich. (AP)solve their issues near the goal line, they probably would have done it by now. Instead, those problems have the Lions falling behind in the playoff race. Despite three second-half opportunities inside the Pittsburgh 10-yard line, Detroit was held without a touchdown in a 20-15 loss Sunday night. It was the second time this season the Lions lost in large part because of their inability to reach the end zone from in close, and whether the play-calling or the execution is more to blame, Detroit now has some real missed opportunities to look back on. ”There’s no magic to it,” coach Jim Caldwell said Monday. ”It’s just strictly working at what you’re doing and getting better. Execution’s got to be better. We didn’t execute as well as we’re capable.” The Lions (3-4) have lost three in a row, and Sunday’s game was certainly there for the taking. Detroit finished with 482 yards of offense but no touchdowns. ”I think if we’d put it in the end zone, you’d call this a breakout performance,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. ”We got inside the 10 and didn’t put the ball in the end zone for one reason or another. But from 20 to 20, we were playing as good of football as we have this year I think.” In September, the Lions lost to Atlanta when Golden Tate was ruled down just short of what could have been a game-winning touchdown. Down 30-26, the Lions had first-and-goal at the 1. Stafford threw incomplete twice before his completion to Tate was ruled short of the end zone after a review, ending the game . That sequence illustrated the perils of passing out of the shotgun at the goal line – it’s sometimes difficult because the defense has limited space to cover. But the clock was a factor and the Lions were out of timeouts, limiting their options a bit. Against the Steelers, Detroit tried running the ball near the goal line, but that didn’t work either. The Lions’ running game is ranked near the bottom of the league. ”We have to have a respectable running game Hakeem Butler Jersey , make teams honor it,” Caldwell said. The Lions had first-and-goal from the 4 in the third quarter, with the Steelers up 13-12. A run by Dwayne Washington reached the 1, then Stafford threw incomplete and Washington was stopped on another run. Detroit went for it on fourth down from the 1 and had a pass called from the shotgun, but Stafford tried to run the ball in after seeing how many Pittsburgh players were back in coverage. He was stopped. On their next possession, the Lions again had first-and-goal from the 4. After an incompletion, Detroit tried a couple running plays with Washington but didn’t score. The Lions finally settled for a field goal. Late in the fourth quarter, Detroit was back inside the 10, but on that drive, the Lions never got closer than the 6 before turning the ball over on downs. ”The fact of the matter is we’ve got to be able to get it in one way or another,” Caldwell said after the game. ”We tried several different ways and we got to keep trying. I think we’re capable.” NOTES: DT A’Shawn Robinson was ejected following a skirmish at the end of the game while the Steelers were kneeling out the clock. ”When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. Obviously, he was penalized, ejected from the game, so that’s an issue,” Caldwell said. ”There’s three guys that ran out onto the field, that’s an issue. So Chris Lindstrom Jersey , those are the things we got to address. We’re not going to stand for it. … We want to play this game the way it’s supposed to be played and losing your poise is not one of those things. So, we’ll handle that. We’ll handle it in house and certainly the league may have something to say about it as well.” … P Sam Martin played for the first time this season after being on the non-football injury list. He did not specify how he got hurt. ”I wasn’t doing anything stupid,” Martin said. ”It’s a freak accident. It’s not even worth the story.” … The Lions put G Tim Lelito (thigh) on injured reserve and signed DE Jacquies Smith. HOUSTON (AP) — It will be a showcase of two of the NFL’s best receivers in DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. when the Houston Texans and New York Giants meet on Sunday with both teams looking for their first win.Hopkins likes Beckham’s determination and grit, and sees similarities between himself and the New York star.“Of course. He makes plays no matter where the ball is,” Hopkins said. “He’s not the tallest, I’m not the tallest, but he (goes) up and gets it. He just makes plays.”Beckham is a fan of Hopkins and said he has been admiring him since he was in college.“I love his game,” Beckham said. “I remember when we were playing them here and he had that catch against Prince (Amukamara) down the field and they called it back. Trust me, I have been watching him, watching him a long time.”Houston defensive end J.J. Watt raved about the knack both players have for making difficult catches look easy.“I know they both can catch anything you throw their way,” he said. “I know they both find a way to get open and find a way to make catches that 99 percent of people wouldn’t be able to make, so they’re obviously special playmakers, both of them.”Hopkins has 188 yards receiving with a touchdown this season and Beckham has 162 yards receiving. Giants coach Pat Shurmur noted that 6-foot-1 Hopkins is a bit bigger than the 5-11 Beckham, but also sees many of the same qualities in the two receivers.“Their production can be similar in a lot of ways (and) I think they’ve got a lot of similar traits in terms of their competitive nature, their spirit, their ability to win their one-on-one matchups. There’s really a lot of similarities. I think Hopkins is a little bit bigger, if I’m not mistaken http://www.falconsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-kaleb-mcgary-jersey , but for the most part, they’re very similar guys.”Both teams will be looking for a big game from their star receivers to avoid falling into an 0-3 hole. The Texans lost to Tennessee 20-17 last week and the Giants fell to the Cowboys 20-13.Some things to know about New York’s game against Houston:BARKLEY’S RECEIVINGNew York running back Saquon Barkley set a franchise record with 14 receptions last week against the Cowboys and tied the NFL mark for most catches by a rookie. The second overall pick in this year’s draft was asked if getting that many catches was a surprise.“If any running back told you that he expected to have 14 catches in a game, he’ll be lying to you,” he said. “So obviously I did not expect that, but … (the) Dallas Cowboys did a great job defensively taking away the deep threats and as a quarterback you got to go through your progressions and sometimes you go through your progressions and there’s a check down to your running back. It just happened to be more times this game.”Houston defensive end Jadeveon Clowney raved about the young running back.“He catches all the balls for them,” he said. “He does everything for them. He’s a very versatile back. He can catch it, run it. There’s nothing the guy can’t do. It’s going to take a whole team effort to get him down on the ground.”SEARCHING FOR A SACKWatt had a solid performance last week in his second game since sitting out the final 11 games last year after breaking his leg, recording two tackles for losses and forcing a fumble. But the player who has twice led the NFL in sacks in his career still hasn’t taken down the quarterback this season. It’s been more than two years since Watt last recorded a sack after he also missed 13 games in 2016 because of a back problem. His last sack came Sept. 18, 2016, when he had 1 1/2 against the Chiefs.He joked about needing to up his game since nose tackle D.J. Reader already has two this season.“He leads the team in sacks from the nose guard position, so I need to start doing my job a little better,” Watt said.INJURY WATCHThere are definite areas of concern for the Giants. Veteran John Greco is now the starting center. He replaces Jon Halapio, who broke his lower right leg and ankle last week. LB Olivier Vernon (ankle) has not played this season and is not full speed. Without their best pass rusher, New York has one sack this season. The biggest weakness might be at cornerback with starter Eli Apple nursing a hamstring. B.W. Webb replaced him in the third quarter and the Cowboys went after him. Expect the Texans to do the same with Will Fuller and Hopkins.
