The third quarter was the axe swing that killed the Lions’ promising Super Bowl run. Leading 24-7 at halftime of the NFC Championship game, the Lions imploded in the third quarter. The San Francisco 49ers managed to drop 17 points on the Lions, most of which came from mind-numbing mistakes from the Lions offense and defense. Kindle Vildor had a potential interception bounce off his facemask and into the arms of Brandon Aiyuk to set the 49ers up near the goal line. Jahmyr Gibbs would fumble on the first snap of the ensuing drive to once again give the 49ers fantastic field position for another easy seven points.

That begs the question: what in the world is wrong with the Lions in the third quarter? The Lions’ third quarter performances were monumentally bad:

From a pure net Expected Points Added (EPA) perspective, the Lions in the third quarter were among the worst in the NFL. What makes it even worse is how good the Lions are in the remaining quarters. The Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers, and Denver Broncos have the excuse of not being good teams, with those first two claiming the worst records in the NFL. The Lions, meanwhile, are an elite team for three quarters of a game—what is it with the third quarter that causes such a shift?

Unlike the issue of extending Jared Goff or which prospects to draft, this is a question with no tangible answer. The obvious answer of “stop collapsing” isn’t a true answer since it does little to diagnose the actual issue. Is Dan Campbell making poor halftime adjustments, only to be bailed out by the offense and defense in the fourth quarter? Thanks to strong first half performances, are the players in a lull from the downtime at half time? Has someone tainted the orange slices in the locker room?

Whether it’s a change in the playbook or the personnel, the Lions need to address the third quarter woes in some way before next season. It seems like Detroit will maintain a majority of their core for 2024, but they cannot be hampered by the third quarter once again. How the Lions do that—and whether it works—will be up to them.

What is your biggest question for the Lions as the offseason approaches? Let us know in the comments below.