SOL? Lions fall to the Jets in OT, Stafford leaves game

We’ve heard similar abbreviations before. SOS for the Same Old Spartans, SOW which may be a little newer for Same Old Wolverines and now we have SOL or the Same Old Lions.
Or is it Shit Outta Luck?
I guess either works when describing our Detroit professional football team after yet another loss, this time to the New York Jets.
I’m not buying that this isn’t the same old Lions because of another close game against a good team. It doesn’t work anymore. Especially when the Lions were in a prime position to win this game yet they make another stupid play to take themselves out of it, AGAIN. There are NO excuses for losing a game when you have a 10 point lead late in the fourth quarter. It doesn’t matter that your starting QB left the game with an injury (which I’ll get to here in a second), it doesn’t matter that your kicker went down and your defensive lineman had to attempt an extra point and it doesn’t matter that this was the New York Jets, a team that is being considered a Super Bowl contender. Again, there are no excuses for today’s loss and there’s no defending today’s loss. The Lions really had us believing, only to punch us in the stomach and kick us in the kidney, which is nothing new.
Then there’s the penalties. The Lions once again went into the triple digits with total penalty yardage accumulating 11 total penalties for 102 yards and it cost them. Stephen Peterman and his chop blocks, Dominic Raiola and his false starts and the killer at the end, Julian Peterson and his late hit out of bounds. If the Lions still have a foot left I’d be surprised since it’s probably been long gone from gunshot wounds.
Even if the Lions were able to win today, it would’ve been overshadowed by a bigger issue, the injury to starting QB Matthew Stafford. Stafford who previously missed five games due to a right shoulder separation left today’s game with what appeared to be another shoulder injury to the same right shoulder.
What now?
There has been no word yet on the condition of Stafford and there probably won’t be until Wednesday. The only thing we know is he is quickly earning himself the label of an injury prone QB. If he hasn’t already been labeled that already.
If Stafford is out for any significant time the team will need to sign a QB since Hill is still out with a broken forearm and Stanton is in no position to run this team and PLEASE don’t try to tell me he is. When Hill originally went down with his injury in New York it was rumored that the team was going to sign former Lion Brooks Bollinger who played for the team last year in the pre-season and currently plays for the Florida Tuskers of the UFL. No word yet if the Lions will look into this as an option.
So where do the Lions go from here? To tell you the truth I really don’t know. They have to take a look at Stafford’s shoulder and determine whether it is a serious injury that will keep him out or if he was held out for precautionary reasons (why would they in such a close game). They also need to take a look at Hanson’s injury because like Stafford if Hanson misses significant time they can’t count on Suh being the place kicker. Beyond all that there is no telling what will happen this week in Allen Park.
The curse of Bobby Layne seems to be alive and well.
Source: Detroit News, Mlive.com