Detroit Lions 2011 regular season Review: A harbinger of a bright future – NFL Special Part II
Continued from Part I
Against Chicago
The Chicago Bears were the Lions closest competition in 2011 for the Wildcard playoff spot in the National Football Conference (NFC) North division and their encounter was billed as an acid test for the Lions progress to the playoff rounds.
The Bears were the underdogs in the game with a 2-2 record while the Lions remained unbeaten with a 4-0 record.
Detroit fans were hoping for a victory over the fierce division rivals to give the Lions a first 5-0 start to the season since 1956 and they did just that.
The game was closely fought as both teams remained neck and neck at 10-7 after the first half but the Lions took complete control in the second half.
The Lions scored two touchdowns four minutes apart in the third period to take the lead which included a marvellous 88-yard rush by Jahvid Best to put the Lions firmly in the driving seat.
The Lions secure victory a 24-13 victory as the crowd cheered themselves hoarse in celebrating a memorable night at the Ford Field.
Against San Francisco
The Detroit Lions faced a San Francisco 49ers side which like them had been a long time out of playoff contention.
First time Coach, Jim Harbaugh, like Schwartz had led a great turnaround in the fortunes of the West Coast side and it all made way for an exciting game of football at the Ford Field.
The Lions were looking good to make it six wins in a row and continue their unbeaten run but the 49ers proved relentless.
The Lions were leading 19-15 in the fourth quarter as Stafford powered the hosts to the lead but San Francisco were not daunted and a last minute touchdown pass by Alex Smith to Delanie Walker turned the game on its head and gave the Lions their first defeat
of the season as the game ended 25-19 in favour of the 49ers.
The game was also marred by a brief scuffle between the two coaches as emotions ran high.
Against Atlanta
With their unbeaten run over the Lions welcomed another franchise from the NFC with the visit of the defending NFC South Champions Atlanta Falcons to the Ford Field.
The game turned into a slog as both teams struggled to convert plays into touchdowns and had to settle for field goals with the Falcons eventually winning by a 23-16 margin after quarterback, Matt Ryan scored a rushing touchdown and passed for another.
The defeat was the Lions second in a row and they needed to turn things around fast to regain some momentum.
At Denver
The Lions visited the Broncos on the back of a two game losing streak and could not have wished for a better fixture to end their miserable run.
The Broncos had just made Tim Tebow their regular starter and this being before Tebow mania had become a global phenomenon, the Lions had a great chance of recovering their season.
Stafford returned back to his brilliant best with a wonderful performance passing for three touchdowns as Detroit snapped their losing streak with a 45-10 victory.
Tebow was sacked a total of seven times as the Lions defence comfortably kept the young quarterback at bay but this defeat would go on to become the launching pad for Tim Tebow’s wonderful season as a Broncos starter and eventually make him one of the most
well known quarterbacks in the world.
To be continued..
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