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.
The end of the day is all that counts, and by 4:30 on Sunday, the Lions beat the Browns 38-24. Detroit crawled above .500 and knocked Cleveland down to 0-9. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Wouldn’t it be nice to just sit back and enjoy a Lions game from start to finish without ever having a doubt as to who is going to win? Instead, it is more like this:
Just another relaxing @Lions game. pic.twitter.com/cqSyUMfRcG
— wcsx (@wcsx) November 12, 2017
After an emotional win Monday night in Green Bay, it seemed like Detroit was just not ready to play this game. Perhaps they believed their own hype and thought they could just throw their helmets onto the field and the win would be easy. Nope. The Lions let the lowly Browns jump out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
— DetroitSportsNation (@detsportsnation) November 12, 2017
That is not a position Cleveland fans were used to.
This is the first time the Browns have scored 10 points in the first quarter in over a year. I mean, come on! #CLEvsDET
— DetroitSportsNation (@detsportsnation) November 12, 2017
It is almost as if the Lions were letting them run away with it. Hmmm…
— DetroitSportsNation (@detsportsnation) November 12, 2017
Eventually, the Lions woke up and came roaring back (see what I did there?), with a little help from their defense.
It's a Browns fumble…
And a @Lions Scoop & SCORE! #OnePride https://t.co/nX7CDaCHZ9
— NFL (@NFL) November 12, 2017
The Browns didn’t crumble though and got the ball down inside Detroit’s two-yard line near the end of the half. Then…this…
Dumbest play call of the year goes to Hue Jackson. QB sneak from the 2 with 15 seconds before half and no timeouts. pic.twitter.com/3XMCetOdWG
— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) November 12, 2017
Browns with a stupid play call. Try to sneak it, then get back to the line & snap it with only 15 seconds on the clock and no timeouts?? Dumb, dumb, dumb. Lions lead 17-10 at the half. #CLEvsDET
— DetroitSportsNation (@detsportsnation) November 12, 2017
#CLEvsDET pic.twitter.com/CW72E9azaO
— DetroitSportsNation (@detsportsnation) November 12, 2017
I think this sage scribe said it best:
Just as the Lions start remembering they are the Lions, the Brown trump that by remembering they are the Browns! #CLEvsDET
— DetroitSportsNation (@detsportsnation) November 12, 2017
Who is that genius? Oh yeah, it was me. Give me a moment while I pat myself on the back.
The Browns tried to make up for the screw-up in the third quarter, and just drove the ball right down Detroit’s throat. Twice.
From the exact same spot they soiled themselves to end the first half, the Browns run the exact same play, but this time Kizer gets into the end zone. Browns up 24-17. #CLEvsDET
— DetroitSportsNation (@detsportsnation) November 12, 2017
Browns in the 3rd quarter against that vaunted Lions defense: 2 drives, 10 minutes, 8 plays, 170 yards, 14 points. #CLEvsDET
— DetroitSportsNation (@detsportsnation) November 12, 2017
Then this happened, and the entire game changed:
https://twitter.com/WorldofIsaac/status/929806422069653506
Without DeShone Kizer in the game, the wheels fell off the Browns’ offense. By the time he came back, it was too late, especially thanks to the quick feet of Golden Tate.
https://twitter.com/WorldofIsaac/status/929814456422621184
It all ended with a 14-point victory, which, in the end, is all that matters.
Victory formation is always fun (when it is your team). Lions win 38-24 and get back over .500. pic.twitter.com/e5JHbkZBg7
— DetroitSportsNation (@detsportsnation) November 12, 2017
However, with fans believing this team is going to run the table and win the NFC North, the Lions cannot have this much trouble from a winless team. They are going to need to figure out how to play much better than we saw on Sunday if they are going to stay in the playoff race.
Now, two final images to help illustrate Sunday’s game.
Final thoughts Coach Thousand Yard Stare? #CLEvsDET pic.twitter.com/QV8WqsYCub
— DetroitSportsNation (@detsportsnation) November 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/WorldofIsaac/status/929818779260981249
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