Lexington as reconnaissance ship and carrier task-force guard

Would a Lexington-class battlecruiser have failed badly in a real fight, even against a Kongō?

It was vulnerable in a line engagement, but its intended value lay in scouting, rapid reaction, and protecting carrier groups with speed and 16-inch guns rather than dueling battleships.

The Lexington design had serious fighting limitations, but it was a battlecruiser built for a battlecruiser's mission rather than a fast battleship. Completed ships would probably have served as reconnaissance and rapid-reaction assets instead of joining the battle line. A Lexington could lead a carrier task force and use its 16-inch guns to deter Japanese fast capital ships. Against a Kongō threatening the carriers, the battlecruiser would provide a surface shield that the task group otherwise lacked.