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LIONS LEFTOVERS: Out of frying pan, into fire in loss to New Orleans Saints

Lions Leftovers is the weekly post-game commentary from Detroit Sports Nation contributor Rob Otto. The opinions are his own, and not necessarily those of Detroit Sports Nation.


If you think things were bad for the Lions last week, things got exponentially worse on Sunday. I had a number of readers call me out for DARING to mention “Same Old Lions” in last week’s Lions Leftovers column. Would any of you care to rethink that position?

If the Lions had really turned the corner and were a genuine threat in the NFC, Sunday’s game in New Orleans was the type of bounce-back opportunity they had to take advantage of to prove the S.O.L. moniker is a falsehood. Instead, they lost 52-38, and the game wasn’t even really that close.

Detroit failed in every phase of the game. The offense, led by a battered Matthew Stafford, gave up five more sacks, could not run the ball to save their lives (or Stafford’s for that matter), and once again showed how unimaginative “offensive genius” James Robert Cooter really is. Their lack of protection, and Stafford’s lack of situational awareness, led to three defensive touchdowns for New Orleans. That is more touchdowns than the Saints OFFENSE has scored in three of their four games coming into the game against Detroit.

The defense, which held Carolina to just 28 rushing yards the previous week, allowed Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara to go off for 189 yards on 39 carries. Had the Saints not taken their foot off the gas in the middle of the third quarter, it would have been even worse.

The special teams had their issues as well. Matt Prater missed his second field goal attempt of the season, and punt returner Jamal Agnew mishandled a kick in the fourth quarter that eventually led to one of those New Orleans defensive touchdowns.

Now, here is why Sunday’s game, and this season, have all the earmarks of Same Old Lions. Every year they find new and unique ways to tease their fanbase, then dash their hopes on the rocks. This year they started 3-1, with the only loss coming in the final second to Atlanta on a controversial call. They had a nice comeback in that game, only to fall short.

Their second loss came to Carolina; who had a big lead but the Lions came roaring back (see what I did there?) only to fall short.

Then this Sunday’s loss, when they fell down 45-10 in the second half, only then mounted what seemed like an impossible comeback, only to fall short.

See a pattern here? The Lions started 3-1, and hundreds of thousands of doubting Lions fans jumped right back on the bandwagon. They will fall short.

I can hear you now. “But Rob, Aaron Rodgers is hurt, and Chicago is starting a rookie, and Minnesota is without Teddy Bridgewater AND Sam Bradford! This is the Lions’ year!”

Remember last time you said something similar? And the time before that? Oh, and then there was that time before that! Wash, rinse, repeat.

The Lions seem to have lost Golden Tate for a few weeks or more. There is no timetable on Taylor Decker’s return. Glover Quin might have a concussion, Haloti Ngata is done for the season, and Ziggy Ansah has not looked the same since his injury (seriously, was he even ON the field Sunday?). Not to mention how much more Stafford can take after 17 sacks in three weeks, and dozens of more hits, including a few that came during what turned out to be meaningless minutes in a game they lost by two touchdowns.

This team is average at best when all those guys are contributing, but you think they are going to win the division without them?

Wake up.

Things will not change with this moribund franchise until the fans stop accepting mediocrity as success. Last year’s team was not a success, and this year’s team is worse than they were. You applauded when they gave their unexceptional coach and their middle-of-the-road quarterback contract extensions.

Those contracts have only set you up for years of more of the same.

The Same Old Lions, that is.

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Rob Otto
Rob Ottohttps://detroitsportsnation.com/author/robotto/
Rob Otto is a former broadcaster on Sportsradio 1130 WDFN, WWJ Newsradio 950, 97.1 The Ticket, Fox Sports Detroit and Comcast SportsNet. He is a lifelong Michigander, a graduate of Central Michigan University, and has an opinion on everything.

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Brad Holmes will do what HE believes is best for the Detroit Lions.

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