Everything went the way the Detroit Lions needed it to go on Sunday. Everything. The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to go into Lambeau Field and beat the Green Bay Packers. The Philadelphia Eagles stomped the Chicago Bears.
That meant all the Lions had to do to reclaim their lead in the NFC North was to beat the New York Giants at home.
The Giants have proven to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. They really had nothing to play for when they came into Ford Field on Sunday as they were well out of the race for a playoff berth. Yet somehow, it was the Lions who looked like they had nothing to play for.
Sunday’s game was a must win for the Lions. A loss would mean the end of the season, elimination from the playoffs before they even start. But for some reason, the Lions came out looking lackadaisical.
The only person on the Lions’ team who really looked like he wanted to win was Joique Bell.
I started feeling sorry for Bell, watching him run his butt off while no one else seemed to have any spark, any real desire to win.
Bell’s play has been solid all season long. As he is about to become a restricted free agent, the Lions should be negotiating to keep Bell on the team.
On the other hand, after the collapse the Lions had to end the season (not unlike other recent seasons), the Lions should also be negotiating to find a great candidate to replace Jim Schwartz by next season.
I remember watching Schwartz make his post game comments after running that controversial fake field goal in Pittsburgh. “You can all say whatever you want about me. Don’t say I’m scared. Because we ain’t. This team is going to be aggressive.”
I remember thinking that at least that was true. This is a team that could be counted on to go for it, to never give up, to be aggressive to the end.
But when the game against the Giants was coming down to the end of regulation with the score tied and Detroit having the ball with time outs left, Jim Schwartz’ calls were anything but aggressive.
He had third string running back Theo Riddick run the ball up the middle. An obvious move to run down the clock and take the game to overtime instead of trying to get into field goal range and go for the win in regulation.
Maybe that was offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s call, but it shouldn’t have been. As head coach, Schwartz is the ultimate person setting the tone as to what the Lions are going to do at this point in the game and at this point in the season.
What we saw Sunday was a microcosm of the collapse the Lions have suffered over the second half of the season. There were good moments. Bell was a highlight, as mentioned above, and Nick Fairley dropping Eli Manning for a safety was huge. However, the game saw another fumble from Reggie Bush and a fourth quarter pick six thrown by Matthew Stafford that ultimately cost the Lions the game after holding yet another fourth quarter lead.
On paper, the Lions have arguably the most talented team in the NFL. They should be able to dominate games. Looking at them before the season started, I predicted they would go all the way to a Super Bowl victory. After a good start to the season, they collapsed so thoroughly, only a long-time Lions fan could believe it. Disappointingly, they won’t even get a chance to make a playoff appearance.
The sad thing is that all they needed to do was beat the Giants at home and we’re having an entirely different conversation now. They would be a team that managed to bounce back and are on the verge of winning the division and hosting their first playoff game in a couple of decades.
But a team that can’t even beat the Giants at home doesn’t deserve to go to the playoffs. And that’s where the Lions sit now.
As has been the case year after year for us Lions fans, our team is on the outside looking in come postseason. We have nothing to do but console ourselves with empty talk of next year and watch a final game that it would almost be better for us to lose than win so we get a better draft pick.
