Do you have any idea how hard it is to not start this post without invoking the phrase "Same Ol' Lions"? Difficult enough that I couldn't even make it through the first sentence. It's seemingly the default reaction to any Lions loss, particularly one as crushing as this.
But for all that phrase implies, it doesn't do justice to what happened on Sunday.
It seemed that at every possible turn, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were trying to give this game to Detroit, and the Lions were doing their best to return the favor. A pair of three-and-outs started things off, and on the Lions next possession. a Stafford pass to Nate Burleson was picked off. But Tampa Bay couldn't take full advantage, even with a penalty on Nick Fairley that moved the chains for the Bucs on 3rd-and-15. Thankfully at that point, Ziggy Ansah showed us just how much he was missed on this team, sacking Mike Glennon for 10 yards and forcing a field goal.
Once again, the secondary was all but nonexistent. Chris Houston should probably be out of a job tomorrow, but does it really matter? Whether you put Darius Slay, Rashean Mathis, or Don Carey in, none of them have been able to do much of anything for any length of time. Houston has proven that he has no place on this team by failing to cover Tiquan Underwood worth a damn on what ended up being an 85-yard touchdown pass that gave the Bucs the lead for good.
It really can't be understated how much the Bucs didn't want to win this game, but did anyway. Twice in the 4th quarter, the Lions' defense forced Tampa to settle for a field goal attempt, and both times Rian Lindell missed wide left. So what do the Lions do to capitalize on this? Why, turn the ball right back over, of course! After the first attempt at 35 yards, Kris Durham loses the ball attempting to get some extra yardage on a third-down conversion, and Tampa recovered at the Detroit 37. Then, after Glennon gets sacked by Willie Young and Lindell misses on a 50-yard attempt, the Lions fight back to the Tampa Bay 28, only to have Calvin Johnson lose control of the ball at the worst possible time, with Tampa safety Kelcie McCray tipping it right into the hands of Johnthan Banks to end the game.
And certainly, Matthew Stafford can't be absolved of blame here. Not by a long shot. And his insistence on forcing the ball to Calvin Johnson (see: the throw in the third quarter that got picked of by Tampa's Keith Tandy), missing open receivers, and rushing his throws under pressure (see: the throw behind Brandon Pettigrew that Leonard Johnson picked off for a Bucs touchdown) are making the case that Stafford is simply not an elite quarterback in this league. Elite QB's aren't nearly as careless as Stafford is with the ball, especially in late-game situations where there's all-but-guaranteed points on the board, as was the case on the last drive of the game. If you're going to just throw the ball up for grabs at the opponent's 28-yard line, when a field goal sends the game into overtime, you'd better be damn sure your man's going to come away with the ball. That's not a situation you take that kind of a chance with.
No doubt Tampa Bay fans are as confused about all of this as you are. A month ago, everybody had turned on Greg Schiano, and Mike Glennon was just a placeholder until the Bucs draft Teddy Bridgewater next year. Hell, even after winning their last two games coming into Sunday, they were predicting a blowout at the hands of the Lions. Now, barring a late season collapse, Glennon might just be their new franchise QB and Schiano might have just bought himself another year to right the ship. The pitchforks and torches have been put back into storage for the time being.
Meanwhile, if the Lions had managed to gain any goodwill this season, that has all but evaporated now. Giving away games to teams that you not only should beat, but absolutely need to beat, tends to do that. You can go on all you want about how Tampa Bay isn't as bad as their now 3-8 record indicated, or that Glennon has been proven to be a more-than-serviceable NFL quarterback, or how they just somehow pull quality running backs out of thin air. But none of that matters: This is a game the Lions couldn't afford to lose, especially after the Pittsburgh loss last week. This should have been as easy of a game as they had left on their schedule. And they just couldn't stop tripping over themselves long enough to do it.
Suddenly, the Thanksgiving Day game takes on that much more significance. Win, and they stay atop the NFC North and keep hope alive. Lose, and you can probably kiss your playoff odds, and the coaching staff, goodbye. Let's be clear: the only reason this team is still atop this division is because your division rivals are running out second and third-string QB's. Period. In my mind, a healthy Aaron Rodgers leads Green Bay well ahead of the division. And the only reason you have a shot of winning Thursday is because the Packers are throwing Matt Flynn out there. And with both Rodgers and Jay Cutler expected to return within the next few weeks, the margin for error is slimmer than ever.
There's no way around it: Thursday is the game the Lions absolutely, positively need to win if they want to make the playoffs, and if they want to hold back the "same ol' Lions" doubters, who seem to be making a stronger case each week. I know the eternal optimists out there are going to want to remind me that Detroit is still in first place in the division. However, taking into consideration how weak the division really is at present, how much of an advantage the Lions should have right now over Green Bay and Chicago injury-wise, and how soon that advantage might be coming to an end, that's not saying very much. And all of that makes the Thanksgiving Day game even more of a must-win.
Yes, the Lions should win tomorrow. But given the last two weeks, that means absolutely nothing.
Is it really the "Same ol' Lions," or same bad luck? Yes, Stafford overthrew some wide open receivers and has made a few questionable decisions, but I would not throw him under the bus. (Granted when he has a bad day, the whole team does.) Still, he is better than some past QB's we have had and he can run our two minute offensive better than anyone else, (think win against Dallas.) Besides, when the ball is there, the receivers job is to catch it. Dropped passes seems to be our curse, that and the secondary. Though I agree completely that the only reason we are still leading the NFC North is because Rodgers is out.
ReplyDeleteLets hope while we are all giving thanks for the many great things in our lives, we are also celebrating a win!