Detroit Lions 2011 regular season Review: A harbinger of a bright future – NFL Special Part III
Continued from Part II
At Chicago
The Detroit Lions faced the Chicago Bears again for the second time this season after enjoying a bye week after their victory over the Broncos.
The Bears lost to the Lions in week 5 by a 24-13 margin and were in good form coming into the game with three wins in a row.
The Lions had just snapped a two game losing streak with a 45-10 win over the Broncos and the match was all set to be a cracker but it all went horribly wrong for Detroit.
The Lions were comprehensively routed by the Bears as Stafford threw four interceptions during the game two of which were returned for touchdowns and the Bears continued their winning run with a one-sided 37-13 victory.
The Lions were now down to a 6-3 record and third in the NFC North division after the defeat and looked in danger of not making it to the playoffs.
Against Carolina
The Carolina Panthers led by rookie quarterback Cam Newton were a tough proposition for any side and for most of the game kept the Lions at bay with Newton leading the Panthers to a 27-14 first half lead.
Detroit however, was not ready to give up and showed why they are one of the best comeback sides in the league.
Stafford threw for five touchdowns during the game, three of which came in the second half as Detroit rallied from the deficit to secure an important 49-35 victory over the NFC South upstarts.
Against Green Bay
The Green Bay Packers were at the peak of their powers entering into week 12 with a 10-0 record and faced a Detroit Lions side that was the last team to hand them a defeat way back in December of 2010.
The Lions tried their best to rough up Most Valuable Player (MVP) contender Aaron Rodgers and put him off his stride but Rodgers is not one to be bullied into submission leading the Packers to a mammoth 24-0 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The Lions however, showed their potency when pushed into a corner and Stafford sent a touchdown pass while completing a two-point conversion to give the Lions some hope but it was too little too late as the Packers held on to give Detroit their fourth loss
of the season winning by a 27-15 margin.
At New Orleans
After facing Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers the last thing the Lions wanted was to face another MVP contender in the New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
But fixtures are set way before the start of the season and the Lions had no choice in the matter. Brees this season beat Dan Marino’s passing yards record was on fire as usual passing for three touchdowns to give the Saints a 31-17 victory.
The Lions second straight loss raised many to question if they were fading and their chances for the playoffs looked bleak once more as Stafford once again was kept at bay.
Against Minnesota
Two defeats in a row will get any side down however, the Lions had a great chance to deflect some of the doom and gloom at Ford Field with the Minnesota Vikings visiting.
The Vikings by Week 14 were well on their way to the worst season record in franchise history and Detroit could not have asked for a better matchup to return to winning ways.
The Lions were comfortable throughout the first half of the game as they raked up a 31-14 lead by the end of the second quarter as Stafford threw for two touchdown passes.
The Vikings struggled to build any effective plays with their rookie quarterback Christian Ponder struggling with a hip pointer who threw three interceptions during the game.
Ponder was replaced in the second period by Joe Webb who almost led a surprising comeback for the Vikings but the Lions managed to hold on for the win and end their two game losing streak.
The playoffs were now looking closer than ever with the Chicago Bears struggling for momentum and the Lions were well on their way to a first postseason berth since 1990.
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