MichiganCardinal

I still think the Vikings lose one to the Seahawks or Packers (probably Packers), which - if the Lions can beat the Bears and Niners - sets up a scenario in the final week where the Lions have clinched the division, but need a win for the one-seed (assuming the Eagles beat the Commies and Cowboys), while the Vikings are already locked into the 5-seed or 6-seed. Which means they may rest some starters.

Love that man. Also love the quick reactions by the host to censor his language. I nearly posted this yesterday for the first time since the 2022 bye week. The acorn this time is Josh Allen.

It's a numbering rule. If he's wearing an ineligible number but is lined up at an eligible position, he must report as eligible.

Or, alternatively, the Bears just suck.

But add Reader... Arnold > Sutton... Moseley/Vildor > Vildor... Branch and Kerby are both better this year than they were last year by every metric. Same with Paschal. Levi is doing well too. Tyson Alualu of all people was a leading contributor on that defensive line in the playoffs. Is it possible that this is the straw that broke the camel's back? Maybe. But 34-10 in their last 44, including playoffs, tells me that it's probably pretty unlikely that they just revert to mediocrity.

If I could give five reactions I would. Such a pity party in here for a 12-2 team.

The defense that played San Francisco last year is equal to or worse than the defense that will go into Chicago. The defense that played San Francisco last year played well enough to make the Super Bowl. The sky is not falling.

No one said it was going to be easy. Last year, we went into Dallas in week 17 and played a game on national television that we should have won. The defense let us down at points, we got robbed at the end. We were all angry, upset, disappointed, even hanging our heads. It would have been easy for the team to go all woe is me and fold it in for the season. They took that adversity and ate it for lunch. They'll do the same here. Lions will win the next three and get the first-round bye. I still think they will reach New Orleans too.

I'm interested to see the snap counts. I didn't expect the run defense to look so bad with Levi and Paschal back. I'm wondering if they were eased back into action, or if they just weren't at 100%. Even without Alim, Reader, Levi, and Paschal last week, or CDIII or Arnold a few weeks before that, they just weren't getting gashed like they were today. I think they'll bounce back, no matter who is healthy and who isn't.

Bears GDT will be posted after their game tomorrow night, so we can keep this pity party going for another 24 hours or so.

Bucs was worse, but that was for different reasons than just playing badly. I agree with your points generally.

It might sound crazy after this game, but I think I like the Lions' odds to make it to New Orleans better than the Bills. Lions still have the inside track to the first-round bye, which might be huge with these injuries. If they finish the season 3-0 (and I think they will), their path is probably a Packers or Vikings Divisional Round Game (after going 2-0 against those teams in the regular season), and then either an 8th divisional game on the season, or an Eagles NFCCG. The run defense will absolutely need to figure their **** out by that point (especially against Saquon), but I don't think today makes those any less of winnable games. If anything, as has been said, the injuries are worse than the loss itself if we indeed can't get guys like Alim and CDIII back for that game. Meanwhile, the Bills are losing sight of any possible first-round bye, and their path will likely look something like Chargers-Steelers/Ravens-Chiefs. The Bills have given up 86 friggin' points in the last two weeks, but have come out of it 1-1, because Josh Allen is playing out of his mind. Now, maybe he can continue that. He's the clear frontrunner for MVP. But it's hard to just expect your offense to score 45 points every week. And with that defense possibly playing Herbert, Lamar, and Mahomes in three consecutive weeks? I could easily see a 45-42 heartbreaking loss in there. The Lions' defense will bounce back. Since Campbell and Glenn took over, they always have, even in the darkest days.

Last week in the Vikings-Cardinals game the announcers quoted the Vikings DC as saying that he doesn’t run a man defense every week because he doesn’t think it’s sustainable. I think this kind of output gives some truth to that.

It will be like the 41-10 game two years ago coming out of the Carolina game. It will not be close.

I would put money on Lions -21.

I don’t think the Lions lose another game before at least February.

Hell of a kick by Bates. That’s as close as you’ll come in 2024.

1:05 and two timeouts is game over.

484 yards and five TDs for Goff and the defense couldn’t stop a THING,

You CANNOT call that timeout there. Unacceptable.

No offense in the league is going to win a game when your defense plays as poorly as this was today. It falls on Glenn, but it’s a top to bottom failure.

It is asking a lot, but you’re down 10 (soon to be 13) with 2:45 left. It’s going to take a lot.

No. You score without calling a timeout, you onside kick, and if you don’t get it back, you use them on the hopeful three-and-out. Otherwise you’re required to recover the onside kick.

“They are who we thought they were - and we let ‘em off the hook!”

Josh Allen is the puppet master and the Lions defense is the puppet.