Taylor Decker

Rookie offensive tackle Taylor Decker says Detroit needs to do a better job of finishing off assignments.

(AP Photo)

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions' running game got off to an optimistic start, with Dwayne Washington pounding out 16 yards on his first two carries.

But then it flatlined.

Washington managed only 15 yards on his other 12 carries, while Zach Zenner had 12 yards on three carries. Detroit finished with 56 rushing yards as a team, including 13 yards on two scrambles from Matthew Stafford.

But while the running backs are certainly responsible for the diminished production, the offensive line shares some culpability as well for the number of times the backs were hit before they crossed the line of scrimmage.

What happened?

Taylor Decker had an interesting response.

"I mean, when we get out there, we just have to do what we're coached to do," the rookie left tackle said. "As a group, we need to hit our ending points and use the technique we've worked so hard in practice.

"When you get out there in the game, you can't go rogue and do something crazy. So, all correctable things. But we've obviously got to execute better."

Going rogue? Was somebody going rogue against New York? Decker wouldn't elaborate.

"I, watching the film, worry about myself," he responded. "I'll let (offensive line coach Ron) Prince worry about correcting the other individuals. That's not my job. And I'll let other coaches correct their respective position groups. And I know there were things I could have done better, and will do better in the future."

Decker has played at a level that is beyond what could have been reasonably expected this year. Rookies typically struggle at a position so demanding, and the Lions were bracing for ups and downs from their first-round pick. But he's been a god-send at left tackle, including going 11 straight games without allowing a sack.

That streak ended on Sunday, when he had trouble handling Olivier Vernon and the Giants' defensive line, which is among the best in football.

"I thought I did a nice job," Decker said. "They're professionals too, and very rarely are you going to win every single rep. But yeah, it was a challenge for me. I haven't faced a ton of guys yet, because I'm still young in my career, but yeah, he was definitely a really good player. Really good at disengaging from blocks."

But Decker was far from the only player who was challenged Sunday. It seemed there weren't many holes throughout the game, and receivers and tight ends struggled some with their downfield blocking too, which squandered the few opportunities Detroit did have to break off a big one.

The Lions are 29th in rushing yards per game overall this season (81.7), and 27th in yards per carry (3.7). And they have two tailbacks who rank among the six most frequently stuffed backs in the league, with Zach Zenner being stopped for no-gain 19.6 percent of the time (fifth) and Theo Riddick 18.5 percent of the time (sixth).

As a team, Detroit doesn't gain any yardage on 14.2 percent of its carries. That is last in the league.