lordstanley

I kept expecting Washington to make a big mistake, an unforced error. Not because Daniels is a rookie quarterback, but because they’re a good not great team that won a wacky number of games on the final possession. And were playing on the road. But they kept converting 4th and short (excepting on their opening drive) and took few penalties (except a phantom facemask which should have been the break the Lions needed) and had no turnovers. Going into the game, on a 4th and 2 in a 3-point game I would have expected the penalty would be an illegal procedure on the Washington offense rather than a too many men by the Lions defense. It was a perfect storm. So on a totally sucky day a few points: a) thank God the team that knocked out the Lions was Washington not Green Bay, as I have nothing against the Commanders; b) with the defense again getting exposed and the Minnesota game looking like an outlier, even if the Lions had pulled it out I would have favored Philly vs the Lions; and c) a close flukey loss might have been even tougher to take, as last night so many facets stunk that I have hard a time saying that “if only this one play had gone differently….”

Schedule looks brutal and they will still lose both coordinators. 11-6 would have been easier to take coming off at least a Super Bowl appearance. The Lions will get back to work and they still have a ton of talent, and a great GM and the right coach. But one thing will change. They will no longer be the media darlings. Not until they get to the Super Bowl.

Turns out the Minnesota game was the anomaly of the past 6 weeks.

Setting up for a pass on 3rd and short up 7-3 will go down in infamy along with Michigan getting cute on 4th down on the opening drive of the TCU game. Set the tone for the whole game.

LIONS WEEP TONIGHT

INT is a perfectly fitting way to end this. 45-31 final.

93 seconds. TD, onside kick, TD, 2 pt conversion.

The OCD kicker can make it a 3- score game.

For sure. Tons of blame to go around.

Injuries or not, you can’t give up 38 defensive points, 45 total, in a home playoff game.

Don’t run the playclock down to 7 before snapping!

Lions need a TD by the 5:00 minute mark at the latest.

Dagger. Game over. This will be talked about it for a long, long time. Total meltdown in offense, defense and coaching. Not just one phase.

Washington will have to beat themselves now and that doesn’t look like happening

Again, Ben Johnson needed to come out today and score TDs, not polish a fancy portfolio of cool looking plays. No need to razzle dazzle that rizzle fizzled.

Ineligible player downfield.! Total meltdown.

I’m still confident. But I was hoping the Lions would have the game sewed up by the beginning of the 4th.

So far this ia a failure of defense, offense and coaching.

Assume Washington will go for it on 4th and 1?

The refs want the Lions to make the Super Bowl.

It’s not like the Lions have never outscored an opponent by 11+ points in the 2nd half.

This is like Michigan vs TCU.

That was hockey, this is the NFL. This would be 100x worse, IMO.

The way he stepped up on the last play, and given what we’ve seen the last two years, I was absolutely certain that was going to be a practically routine TD pass to Jameson. NOT an interception.