Season Review Week 1-7: Detroit Lions - Part I
In 2008 the Detroit Lions went the entire National Football League (NFL) season without a single victory to their name.
They have reached far ahead from that poor season and in 2011/12 the franchise finally ended their long running playoff drought after making the postseason with a 10-6 record.
Led by quarterback Matthew Stafford who combined brilliantly with star wide receiver, Calvin Johnson the Lions completely turned around their fortunes last year although they were knocked out in the first playoff game against the New Orleans Saints.
With a first playoff appearance since 1999 and boasting a young but highly talented roster, Detroit was expected to push forward in 2012/13 with many touting them as genuine contenders for the National Football Conference (NFC) North division title while
fans expected the team to reach the playoffs.
Some optimists even had them down as challengers for the Super Bowl.
However, their start to the 2012/13 season has brought many Lions fans back down to earth. Stafford has struggled to recapture the form he displayed last year while Calvin Johnson, who is the face of popular football game Madden 13, is a shadow of his former
self.
In this three part series we will review the Detroit Lions performance in the first seven weeks of the season.
Week 1: Against St. Louis Rams
The crowd at Ford Field was pumped up for the first game of the season as the Detroit Lions faced the plucky St. Louis Rams at home.
However, problems were apparent already as quarterback Matthew Stafford had a forgetful game although he did manage to make a final big play to help the Lions overcome St. Louis.
The quarterback threw three interceptions in the first half for the first time in his career, one of which was returned back for 31 yards by St. Louis Rams Cortland Finnegan for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Detroit went down 20-13 early in the fourth quarter before a five-yard touchdown from running back Kevin Smith restored parity.
St. Louis scored a field goal with 1:55 left to go up 23-20 but it wasn’t enough for victory.
Detroit were rallied by Stafford who sent a five-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Smith who was open, as St. Louis chose to double cover Calvin Johnson, to win the game.
The victory was important but showed that the Lions had major problems to fix especially in defence and against a much better opponent Detroit would not have won the game.
Week 2: At San Francisco 49ers
The Detroit Lions travelled to Candlestick Park in week 2, where they had not won a game since 1975.
That losing streak at the home of the San Francisco 49ers continued as the Lions went down 27-19 in a game where they failed to take the lead even once.
San Francisco’s brilliant defence which helped the franchise reach the NFC Championship game last year once again played a pivotal role in keeping the Lions at bay with Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford limited to just 230 yards and a single touchdown
while he also threw an interception.
Stafford missed the opportunity to make an NFL record for 350 yards or more passing for five games straight.
This was the start of a three-game losing streak for Detroit which raised many questions about the team’s chances to reach the playoffs once again.
(The views expressed in this article do not reflect the editorial policy of bettor.com)
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