The NFL is a funny league, in this up and down season for a very unready team, the Lions held on to win a not so very impressive nail biter fashion. This year of the 2011 Lions will be know for many things but you can never stop watching this team until the final whistle.
It was a blow out waiting to happen, a division rival with a horrid record. The Vikings came into town and were supposed to be crushed. This Vikings team has had way more downs than ups, they came into today without a real QB, the best RB in the game hurt and more questions than answers.
As an added bonus Jared Allen the all - pro Defensive lineman for the Vikings made an effort to heat things up by running his way to rich mouth about Detroit as a city where its geographically located. This led to the Lions Defensive Coordinator saying, Allen wasn't tough enough to live in Detroit. I'm guessing the bulletin board was full of things to add extra motivation.
One thing was truly certain, the Lions needed to win this game to stay in the playoff chase.
The game was sloppy, choppy and the Vikings did everything in their power to try and give them the game. Six total turnovers and bad play allowed the Lions to get a big lead at the half. The second half started out the same way but only three points, bad play calling and bad route running watched the Lions not do what they normally do on in the second half. Score.
Ponder was pulled, enter Webb and away goes my nails. Three straight 3rd and longs seen the Lions lose contain and seen a running QB carve them up. One run was for over 60 yards.
The next few series seen the Lions get chewed up in yardage and the score get closer.
Look the Lions aren't a bad team, not great either. This was way closer than it should have but the Lions have also comeback and won a few they shouldn't. This is what a team that doesn't really know where they stand does. They don't know how to win nor can they understand that being down by 20 points in a game mean you lose. This team is still not ready for "prime" time and needs to grow up and get a leader.
The final drive was like having a sore thumb and lots of small nails to hammer, you were just waiting to hit that injury. Chunks of yards were disappearing and time wasn't running fast enough. They Vikings had a back up who wasn't super accurate throwing the ball and running wild.
Nine seconds left in the game....Vikings run to spike the ball to kill the clock and Avril jumps offsides...He is a pro NFL player right? Why on earth would you ever do that? Why would you stomp a player lying on the turn? This team still has issues.
Last play of the game, we all know as Lions followers they will lose this game. They always do. The Lions don't win games like this. This is the team that had a kicker with half a foot and non soccer style kick the (still) record distance for field goals. They just don't win games like this.
Well they did. Say it was a break, say the Refs screwed the Vikings or whatever you want. Fact is they won. Sure it was ugly, horrid and way to close...they won.
Savor the day and know know at the very least we have a .500 football team and a team that is closer to being good than we've seen in years.
Yes the ref's probably blew that call but those calls go both ways and any team that turns the ball over six times doesn't deserve to be in that close of a game.
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