The Lions probably won't win another game all year. They beat an awful Cleveland Browns team by one point, at home. They almost got blown out and almost lost after retaking the lead. They played fairly bad the whole second half. We have won a game already this season. That was an end of an era. This is the turning point for the franchise. Other Lions teams would have folded and been all right losing in a blow out. You came out and honored past greats, won a game this year, so who cares?
Down 24-3 late in first quarter and the offense looking lost, the team could have been stupid with the football and throw all over the place. But Stafford looked calm and poised and delivered the ball with arm strength and accuracy. He threw 2 ugly interceptions into coverage but threw 5 TD passes (a rookie record) and put the team on his back. He took shots all game and scrambled for precious extra yards. He was injured when he threw the game winning touchdown pass to Brandon Pettigrew. Pettigrew grew up just as much as when he took pass after pass and ran for tough yardage. His hands looked great. The young core of talent is really starting to take shape for Detroit. Give Schwartz and Mayhew time and some more drafts and this team will win. Period.
I was wrong with Stafford. I know he threw 5 TDs against the Browns, but his toughness, leadership, guts and mobility were all on display today. His accuracy and understanding of the NFL is evident. We will go as far as he does. He has rare arm strength. Aaron Curry can't lead a team to a win. Jason Smith can't inspire a team to a win. Stafford has the right mindset and all the talent in the world. Hopefully the city of Detroit will look past his 41.7 million dollar guaranteed contract and see the tough leader he is with so much potential. He is what the city of Detroit must do. Battered and beat, with the world on top of you and all the pressure in the world you need to make a comeback and battle through and take the win no matter how tough it is. You need to sacrifice even more than you have now and take what is yours. This is an epic win for the Lions, and something to build on. Enjoy this win, but expect more losses. But the Lions are battling their way back to the top, one game at a time.
Having not seen the game, I can't fully comment. However, I'll take the Cleveland side of the game.
ReplyDeleteThis was Cleveland's best chance to get to win #2. Maybe one could argue it was on the road, and the Browns plain suck.
This Browns team beat Buffalo in a field-goal game, and has only been competitive in score in two games this year, coming into the Detroit game.
Even with the inconsistency at quarterback, and, cutting to the chase, ALL of the problems....the Browns came out guns blazing, on the road, and led 24-3 in the first quarter, scoring on their first four possessions, while forcing the Lions to 3-and-out and then picked off Stafford on his first play the next drive.
Say what you will about their YPC, but at least the Browns moved the ball on the ground, and held the ball for nearly 35 minutes. They won the turnover battle.
Then they let Stafford loose. He torched them to tie the game at 24 apiece before halftime. And yet the Browns still took the lead at the break.
But the offense lost its rhythm against another terrible defense. An extended drive that still led to a punt and two 3-and-outs let the Lions take the lead at the turn of the last quarter.
The Browns' defense even got warmed up, holding down the Lions until the final drive with a safety, a 3-and-out, and an interception, in addition to a nearly 7-minute Browns TD drive.
And of course, on the penultimate play, 32 yards away from the line of scrimmage, the Browns pass interefered, then called a timeout which allowed a little more time for the injured Stafford to recover, only to blow it.
Did the Lions show some balls? Sure they did. But the Browns choked away in the John L. Smith-esque way some of us are used to seeing.
I think the Lions won the game more than the Browns lost it. I was most impressed from the fight in the Lions, and in Matthew Stafford in his mobility and accuracy improving and his ability to shake off big hits, interceptions and an injury to win the game. Sure, this game isn't that huge. But it is something that a lot of people in the fanbase and team needed to assure that the franchise is going in the right direction.
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