You know, they don't award style points for wins in the National Football League. I don't care how they won, the Lions won and thats what matters. Coming from behind or winning with a solid lead the entire game all counts the same.
The talk that they got lucky because the Raiders blew it is rubbish. Would you like to be on the other side of it? Be the team that blew it, or be the team that comes from behind to win it. Well, the Lions won it. They made plays to win it. The Raiders did not make the plays they needed to win it. That's the difference. I've written about this before, it's about making plays. Playmakers make plays at big moments. The Lions have more playmakers than the Raiders and the Lions won.
I am also done with those who question whether Matthew Stafford is the real deal. He is an excellent quarterback, and of all the young guns at that position in the league he is in the top three. He is the next generation of Brees, Brady, and Manning. If he stays healthy he'll put up some very impressive numbers if the Lions keep the cupboard stocked around him. Am I being generous with comparisons like that? Probably, but, I think he's that good. That's where I stand on that one, like it or leave it.
Next, Calvin Johnson is just on a planet of his own. The guy is phenomenal. Virtually uncoverable. I believe the Lions will force the ball to him a little more and thats OK. I normally am not a proponent of that kind of thing, but, Calvin is so good taking some shots with him is worth the risk even when he appears covered. Like I said, he's got abilities and talents that not many guys who play this game and his position have. So therefore exploit them. If you are a Lions fan, when you wake up every day and think about this teams future, be thankful that Calvin Johnson is a Lion.
From an analytical standpoint, while the Lions did not play great, they played well enough to win on the road in a tough environment. Early on, they were making penalties and shooting themselves in the foot, but, as the game progressed they got better. They adjusted. The players took care of it. That's a really good sign to me.
Ndamukong Suh played incident free. That's big. His first game back he needed to be just another player out there. He didn't need the spotlight or microscope focused on him. While it was focused on him early, as the game went on, he became just another one of the Lions 11 on defense. In the defensive rotation at defensive tackle. It shows maturity on his part. Hopefully going forward he'll learn that his play between the whistles is what counts, like his deflection of the Oakland last gasp field goal attempt, than his reaction to issues after the whistle. Well done, Ndamukong!
Everybody gets in a lather about the running game. Or lack of it. Well, forget it. It's not going to get a whole lot better. That's just the way it is. At this point in the season, you don't just magically start pounding a punishing running game. They are what they are. The way I see it, if they can get 80 or so a game on the ground and 300-plus in the air every week, they'll be tough to handle. I will repeat now, it's about winning, not how. Play to your strengths, and for the Lions that is the passing game. That's who they are this season, next season it may be different but this year, thats what you get. Embrace it, and hope they win with it.
A perfect example of that is San Francisco. They are dead last in the league in red zone offense. Do you think they care? They've won 11 games, they are in the playoffs, probably with a first round bye, and a home game besides. Their kicker is setting field goal records, and their defense hasn't allowed a rushing score all year. Do you think they are in a lather that their red zone offense isn't up to par. I think not!
Let's not get in a lather here about being perfect. It is never going to happen. Play to your strengths and ride them as far as you can. So far, so good. The Lions are on the very brink of the play-offs, from where they have come it has been a long, hard, painful, trip. Let's enjoy it.
