The Detroit Lions did it again on Thanksgiving Day. They dug themselves an early hole and then spent the remainder of the game trying to dig out of it. But this time, Matthew Stafford and his teammates were not playing the Cleveland Browns or the Chicago Bears, they were playing one of the top teams in the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings.
After getting down 20-3 late in the second quarter, Stafford led the Lions down the field in a flash as they scored a touchdown to cut the lead to 20-10 at the half. Despite clawing back for the entire game, Detroit was unable to get the job done as they eventually lost the game 30-23 to drop to 6-5 on the season.
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Getting off to slow starts has become a habit the Lions absolutely must break if they want to right the ship and make a playoff run. In fact, it would not be a stretch to say they have to win each of their final five games to secure a Wild Card spot in a competitive NFC.
One player who has been about as consistent as can be from the start to the finish of just about every game is cornerback Darius Slay. Since being drafted by the Lions, Slay has slowly developed into one of the best shut-down cornerbacks in the entire league and this may finally be the year he gets voted into the Pro Bowl.
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Following the loss to the Vikings, Slay was asked about the Lions slow starts and his response was extremely interesting.
From CBS Detroit:
“I don’t know, man, that’s a question I be asking myself as an individual. I’m trying to make sure — I’m making sure I’m playing all four quarters, but I ain’t the only person on the team. We all have to feel the same way. I’m an energy guy, so I’m turned up all day, every day. Some guys might be a little different, I don’t know.
“But I know one thing: We gotta get this sh*t right because we can’t be starting slow. This slow stuff is going to catch up with us, man. It’s catching up now in critical moments, and we can’t be having that.”
Those are some strong comments coming from Slay.
Nation, was Darius Slay calling out his teammates or was he just stating the obvious?
