AP

The Lions weren’t able to hold onto a 21-3 second quarter lead in San Diego in Week One and that left a lot of room for second guessing after what turned into a 33-28 loss to the Chargers.

One of the places where the Lions have come in for questioning is their offensive play calling, particularly the way they used wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Johnson caught two passes while being targeted four times during the game, something both offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and head coach Jim Caldwell blamed on the flow of the game.

“We had 47 reps, 40 before the 2-minute drive,” Lombardi said, via the Detroit Free Press. “We certainly had plays that he’s the primary, and for whatever reason, the situation didn’t work out where he was the guy to throw to. I think if we had our 60 normal reps, you would’ve seen the ball go to him a few more times. And that comes down to converting third downs and staying on the field as an offense, which we didn’t do a great job after that first drive. So, certainly Calvin Johnson’s not — he’s going to certainly get his touches this year, and I think that was an anomaly that we had this first game.”

There’s a fine line to travel between forcing the ball to any player and making sure that you are using your best offensive player appropriately, but it’s hard not to wonder whether the Lions would have had more offensive snaps if they’d found ways to get the ball to Johnson more often. Lombardi admitted the team shouldn’t “always have to wait for the perfect look” to get the ball into Johnson’s hands, which should mean more looks in his direction once Sunday rolls around.