Detroit Lions Update

            There are two things that I’m finding hard to believe right now. The first is that the 2014 NFL Season is already past week 10. The other detail that seems almost too good to be true, however, is the fact that the Detroit Lions are 7-2 and are in first place in the NFC North. I can’t remember the last time the Lions had seven wins before Thanksgiving, which makes me very excited for the team. It also makes me wonder, more like hope, that 2014 might finally be the year the Detroit Lions will be playing more than 16 games in a season. I know there’s a long way to go before the playoffs, but it’s never too early to dream, right?

            The month of October was something the Lions will look back on when the season’s over, and be glad everything played out the way it did. Detroit entered October with a 3-1 record, hoping to keep the positive results in order to stay ahead of the competition from Green Bay and Chicago. The month didn’t get off to a good start, however. The Lions blew a 14-6 fourth quarter lead against Buffalo, with the final knockout punch coming from a 58 yard field goal with just 4 seconds remaining. This loss would have devastated most teams, but not Detroit. If anything, I would say they used it as fuel for what was to occur the next few weeks.

            The madness began when the Lions traveled to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. In a great showing by the league’s top defense, Detroit came away with a 17-3 victory. While this result didn’t shock many people, what happened the following week left everyone in a state of shock. The Lions returned home to take on the New Orleans Saints, known for their prenominal passing attack which was led by one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, Drew Brees. As expected, the Saints seemed to do anything they wanted in the air, as Brees threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns. With these stats, it would be easy to say that the Saints won the game. This should have been the case, but something happened in the final 4 minutes that I can’t even explain. With Detroit down 23-10 with just 3:45 left, quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a pass to wide receiver Golden Tate, which went from a 20 yard strike to a 79 yard footrace for a touchdown. With the crowd getting back into the game, the Lions defense made quite possibly the play of the year. With 3:20 to go in the game, safety Glover Quin made the play of his young career as he intercepted Drew Brees, and returned the ball to the 30 yard line of New Orleans. Detroit quickly took advantage of the rare Brees mistake, as Stafford threw a touchdown to Corey Fuller for 5 yards, which clinched a Lions victory. 

            While this event seemed incredible enough, the next game Detroit had was of equal amazement. Trailing 21-0 in the second half to the Falcons, the Lions came back to steal a win 22-21. Just yesterday, the Lions pulled off yet another miracle, beating the Miami Dolphins 20-16 thanks to a Theo Riddick touchdown catch from Stafford with just 30 seconds remaining. It makes you wonder how long the Lions can keep this up. If we’re lucky, maybe they can make it to the Super Bowl, where they can win their first Lombardi Trophy in team history.