Detroit Lions 2011 regular season Review: A harbinger of a bright future – NFL Special Part I
Who could have expected such a brilliant turnaround in the state of a franchise?
The Detroit Lions had not qualified for the playoffs since the 1990s while just three years ago went 0-16 in the National Football League (NFL) regular season after hitting rock bottom.
This season they overcame all odds qualifying for the playoffs with a 10-6 record and showcasing some of the best attacking plays in the league.
Coach Jim Schwartz who took over the helm of affairs in 2009 brought in some of the most exciting young talent into the roster in quarterback Matthew Stafford and the dangerous Ndamukong Suh while getting the best out of star wide receiver Calvin Johnson
to recharge the Lions back into playoff contention.
In this three part NFL Special we will look back on a season that will live long in the memory of Detroit fans and revisit some of the defining moments for the Lions.
At Tampa Bay
The Lions ended the 2010 regular season with a 6-10 record and third in the National Football Conference (NFC) North.
Starting the season against a young Tampa Bay Buccaneers side that was tipped for the playoffs was always going to be a tough match.
The Lions however, came out with flying colours. Matthew Stafford who had been hampered by injuries early in his career finally showcased his undoubted talents and threw three touchdown passes and a single interception to lead the Lions to a 27-20 victory.
This was the Lions first winning start to a regular season since 2007 and the victory would lead to a five game winning run for the impressive Detroit team.
Against Kansas City
This game showcased the pinnacle of Detroit’s offensive prowess.
The Lions outmanoeuvred a struggling Kansas City Chiefs side in one of the biggest one-sided results in their franchise history.
Wide Receivers Calvin Johnson and Jahvid Best ran riot over the Chiefs who could muster just a solitary field goal to show for all their effort.
Stafford passed for four touchdowns with two to Calvin Johnson and one each for Best and Tony Scheffler as the Lions won 48-3 in their best performance of the season that sent a real message to the rest of the league that Detroit is a force to be reckoned
with in 2011.
At Minnesota
The Lions faced division rivals Minnesota Vikings next in a closely fought encounter with both teams almost equal on paper.
The Vikings ran up a 20-0 lead in the first half of the game and the old Lions would have simply collapsed in the face of such a large margin.
But this was not 2009. The new look Detroit never gave up and Matthew Stafford led the charge with his favourite target Calvin Johnson on the receiving end of his accurate passes.
Stafford sent two passing touchdowns to the wide receiver to make it 20-17 early in the fourth quarter with kicker Jason Hanson scoring two field goals to give the Lions the lead.
The Vikings however, equalised the score at 23-23 and sent the game to overtime but Stafford drove the Lions forward in the OT period and another field goal sealed a 26-23 victory for Detroit.
At Dallas
A visit to Dallas Cowboys is never easy and the Lions found that out soon enough going down 27-3 in the third quarter.
The Cowboys were looking comfortable and seemed to have finally ended the Lions unbeaten run but they learnt an important lesson that day. Never discount the Detroit Lions.
Stafford and Calvin Johnson combined once more to lead a late rally. The Lions scored two touchdowns late in the third quarter after returning two interceptions to the end-zone and pegging Dallas back to 30-17.
Then Johnson showed why he is one of the best receivers in the game combining with Stafford to score two brilliant touchdowns in the fourth quarter to give Detroit a 34-30 win to continue their unbeaten streak.
To be continued..
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