First and foremost, let me say this...For the first time in this century, the Lions will not have a losing season....those are big, big words....an amazing feat that the Lions should be proud of...they are officially taking that next step that people in Michigan have been asking for for a long, long time.

But they shouldn't have won yesterday...and not just because I picked them to lose...by a point...which is what they would have lost by if the refs had called one of the most obvious face mask penalties in recent years....but hey, much like a lot...and I mean A LOT of calls all day...the refs decided to overlook this one too.

The refs overlooked a ton of calls...both ways...so if everybody is cheating...then it's "fair."...I guess...I think...

Here are some other thoughts about this game...

1. On the long incompletion to Titus Young...a beautiful laser, put in just the right spot up the left sideline...the reason he didn't catch that ball was because the Vikings defender grabbed his outside arm and pulled it back, before the ball got there...that's called pass interference...

2. Any time that Matthew Stafford feels the pressure and pulls it down...he never seems to look downfield.  It's as if he panics early and then tries desperately to escape...these are the mistakes of a rookie qb with mobility...which Stafford isn't...he's not a rookie and he's definitely not mobile.  He needs to be coached out of this.

3. Why?  Why couldn't the Lions stop Toby Gerhart?  He's the reincarnation of Tommy Vardell...maybe Mike Alstot...not Earl Campbell.  He's not a speed back.  He's a power runner.  The strength of the Lions is supposed to be their defensive line and yet they couldn't stop Gerhart from averaging almost ten yards a carry. 

4. Why?  When the Vikings had only one viable receiver, Percy Harvin, were we completely unable to cover him?  How can the Vikings be smart enough to consistently find ways to get Harvin the ball and we can't get more catches for Calvin Johnson?  The Lions must be doing something really wrong.

5. The Lions really missed Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairly this week.  They'll definitely get Suh back for this weeks road game against the Raiders...but you know that every eye in the stadium will be on him and he'll get flagged for anything that is remotely close to a foul.

6. Likewise, the Lions really miss a running game.  With Leshoure gone all season, Best now on the IR and Kevin Smith nursing a bad ankle, the Lions have been trying to scrape together some semblance of a rushing attack with Maurice Morris (who has been less than impressive), Keiland Williams (who has looked good at times, but not consistently) and reverses to Stefan Logan and Nate Burleson.  This is a team that cannot get one yard late in the game with their running attack.  This will not do.

7. Where has Alphonso Smith been all year?  I know he came to camp hurt, but last season he was the second best (some might say the best) corner on the team and this year the Lions have played an inexperienced and highly suspect Aaron Berry instead of Smith.  I hope to see Smith the rest of the year...at least in the Nickel if nothing else.

8. Are Houston and Delmas coming back?  The Lions need them badly.

9. Sure there were no stupid personal foul penalties, but...the Lions still gave up 10 penalties...that's pathetic.

10. In order to make the playoffs, the Lions have to win against both Oakland and San Diego...if they don't, they will not be playing in January.

It has taken me more than three days to get over that Thanksgiving day travesty of a game.  If you ate dinner really early and were in a Turkey coma or you were nursing a monster hangover and missed it...

I can't go on...there's no way anybody missed the monster-epic-massive contest between the 10-0 Green Bay Packers and the 7-3 upstart Detroit Lions...no way...which means that you saw what happened--all was revealed to you...

Ndamukong Suh has issues.  Perhaps, deep seated psychological issues.

The Lions were not winning.  They went into the half down only 7-0 to the undefeated defending Super Bowl Champs...and at the end of the first half, it really looked like they were finally applying pressure to the latest Darth Vader of the NFL, Aaron Rodgers.

The offense, despite some wretched throws by Stafford, had consistently moved the ball against the Packers...although they had been unable to come away with any points...mostly because of drive stalling penalties and a missed Jason Hanson field goal...not because the defense was proving good enough to stop them.

It was third down and three at ten yard line (approximately), the Packers had the ball and Rodgers forced an overthrow through the back of the endzone.  The Lions had stopped the mighty Packer offensive juggernaut AGAIN!  Sure, the Pack would most likely kick a field goal and make it a 10-0 lead, but anybody who's watched any Lions football this year knows that they don't even wake up until their at least 17 points down...things were looking up, especially against a defense that was giving up yards like crazy.

And then it happened.  Ndamukong Suh got tangled up with a Packer offensive lineman.  The lineman pulled Suh to the ground and appeared unwilling to let him go...this, in hindsight is called "holding" most of the time...but these are the Lions and they don't get calls like this...furthermore this was probably the fourth or fifth non-called holding on the drive...but whatever...the Packer lineman goes to the ground, dragging Suh with him.  Suh takes offense to this and shoves his head into the ground three times in "an attempt to get up."  Then, when he is finally able to free himself...he lashes out with a foot to kick the downed Packer again.

In truth, this is indefensible. 

But let me try to defend it anyway.  I can see where Suh's frustrations were building.  He, and the rest of the defensive lineman were being mugged--Cliff Avril has been quoted as saying his wallet was stolen by the Packer RT...--and there were no calls.  The defense had played a very good game and only due to a Stafford interception had they given up any points at all...

Most frustrating...but then he blew his top...and may very well have blown the Lions playoff chances this season. 

After the games this past weekend, the Lions went from being the #5 seed--if the playoffs ended today--to out of the playoffs all together.

Why?

In a very short 24 hour span, the Lions went from 7-3 and a real contender to talking about what running back they need to draft next April.

First they lost to Green Bay...now the record is 7-4.  Also, they've lost Suh, for at least two games due to his impending suspension for complete stupidity...during the game they lost Louis Delmas and Chris Houston to injuries (Losing two of your four starters in your secondary the week you go to play the #1 passing offense in the league is not a good plan for success.)  Furthermore, they lost RB Kevin Smith...they're only legitimate running threat since Jahvid Best's concussion...for who knows how long...and then the following day...they put Jahvid Best on the IR...lost for the season...no coming back. 

Atlanta, which holds the tie breaker advantage over the Lions, won also...tying them with the Lions.

Now, with no Suh and two backups in the secondary, the Lions go to New Orleans to play Drew Brees and his band of playmakers.  Not a good outlook...so, 7-5 probably...and another game back of Atlanta...playoff chances looking really, really slim now.

Furthermore, look at the Lions running back group...Mikel Leshoure-IR, Jahvid Best-IR, Kevin Smith-high ankle sprain, doubtful...yeah, that's about it.  Also, you can't know if Jahvid Best will EVER come back.  He may be forced to retire for his own safety.  Leshoure will have to come back from a torn achilles tendon, which is no gimme by a long stretch...and Kevin Smith, the guy who was out for the better part of two seasons with injuries, came back for one game and then...that's right...got injured.

You see where I'm going here....

Such a sad end to such a promising year...and there's still more than a month to go.

With the 15th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select....Running Back from...

0-24...that's what Kevin Smith probably remembers best...that a team that had just lost 24 straight games didn't think he was good enough to play for them.  He wasn't even brought to training camp as a roster fill in back when they could have 82 guys to practice with.

So he sat on his couch for the last eight weeks...working out in the morning and then....coming home and waiting...

He had six different try outs with NFL teams and....he wasn't picked up until Jahvid Best missed his third straight game with concussion symptoms....and even when the Lions picked him up, they figured he'd only do spot duty until Best came back.

Let me just say this, because it scream of how good of a story this is, Matthew Stafford bounced back from throwing two awful interceptions with his broken finger to throw FIVE touchdown passes to five different receivers and NONE of them were named Calvin Johnson...and nobody's talking about it...everybody wants to talk about a guy that Matt Millen drafted and the Lions cut and then brought back off of the trash heap.

Let me also say this...despite the Lions 7-3 record...I don't think this team has proven anything...in fact, it's brought up a heck of a lot more questions than it's answered. 

The Lions were down 24-7 to a 2-8 football team.  This game should have been a blow out.  We learned last week that if you go down by 17 or 20 points to a GOOD football team...you don't come back. 

And, outside of maybe Minnesota, the Lions don't have any gimme games left on their schedule. They cannot fall into huge deficits against the Packers (twice) or the Saints or the Chargers or Raiders.  The Lions are 7-3 and will need to win at least three of their remaining six games to make the playoffs.  Which means if the Lions can find a way to win this week against the Pack....they may just be able to write their own ticket to post season play.

But back to Kevin Smith...during his rookie season, which was pretty impressive, he still didn't rush for a thousand yards.  He is not an every down back.  Kevin Smith is the minimum of what the Lions were hoping to get out of Mikel Leshoure...and for right now, that's OK.

In 2008, when Smith was drafted, he ran with reckless abandon...but he never had the top end speed to take any runs the distance.  After he suffered two injuries in successive years...he no longer broke all those tackles and he still didn't have top end speed...that's why the Lions decided not to bring him back this year.

Now, he appears to be healthy, he is again making people miss and breaking tackles...but he STILL does not have that top end speed...that's why he was a third round pick to begin with.  He is a compliment to Jahvid Best, not a replacement.  Smith is a pounder and grinder and he may very well be exactly what the Lions need for the rest of this season in order to keep defenses honest.  He should average about four yards a gain...and if he does that the Lions should be ecstatic.

If he does it against the Packers this week and the Lions manage the upset...Smith may have to show he can do it in the playoffs too.

The Lions, currently 6-3 and poised to fall down a really familiar and ugly deep well after losing three of their last four games, should be incredibly eager for the Carolina Panthers to come to Ford Field on Sunday.  They should be eager to prove that history will, in fact, NOT be repeating itself this year.  These are NOT the same old Lions.

But they have to win this Sunday, simply MUST, against a 2-7 Panthers team at home where they are favored by 7+ points.  The world expects the Lions to win this game...

Which is why I'm scared.  This the kind of game that bad gamblers bet on...because it seems like such a sure thing....this is the kind of game the Lions are supposed to win...but the "Same Old Lions" will always prove you wrong.  Over the last ten years the Lions pretty much lost every game they were "supposed" to win...along with all the games they were supposed to lose too...before that, in the 90's the Lions were a decent team...but an enigma...you never knew when they'd win and if you were ever 100% certain that they'd win on a given week...they'd be sure to put you in your place with a loss.

This season...they've won on the road, which they haven't been all that successful at in recent seasons...but they came home from a road trip and promptly lost two in a row at Ford Field. 

For all intents and purposes, the playoffs start for the Lions this week.  The Leos are 6-3...already 3 games behind the 9-0 Packers in the NFC North.  The chances of catching them is slim...even if they still have two head to head games with them coming up.  Even if they could win both...they'd still be a game behind.

The Lions chances to make the playoffs exist only as wildcards.  Which means their main competition is against Chicago (6-3), Atlanta (5-4, and who we've already lost to, so they have the tie breaker) and Dallas (5-4, who the Lions have already beaten and hold the tie breaker over).  Over the next seven weeks, two of these four teams will step up and claim the two wild card spots...and sadly, the Lions have the hardest schedule.

A win against the Panthers is vital to their chances of staying in the race.

Panthers Offense vs Lions Defense

The Panthers offense looks a lot like the Lions offense in this regard...they have a big time QB-WR connection.  Cam Newton to Steve Smith has turned out to be one of the most dangerous batteries in the NFL so far this season.  While Newton to Smith might pale in relative comparison to what Stafford to Johnson has been able to do this year... On the other hand, even though the Panthers have been unable to single out a go to running threat...they are still averaging almost 30 yards a game more than the Lions on the ground.

Newton loves to put the ball in the air, which means the strength of the Lions (the pass rush) will be put on display.  In my opinion, this is the whole game right here.

Advantage: Even

Panthers Defense vs Lions Offense

The Lions are being hurt by the loss of Jahvid Best.  He might not always have been the unstoppable running threat...but he was an all around threat, capable of taking it to the house on any play.  He had to be game planned for and he was feared far more than Maurice Morris or...Kevin Smith....

A lot of writers are saying that since Calvin Johnson didn't have a great day against the Bears CB Charles Tillman, a long physical corner, that the Panthers' CB Chris Gamble can have the same results....I don't by this at all.  This game will be played in the friendly confines of Ford Field without "40 mph" winds...and Stafford's finger has had another week to heal.

Again, I don't think that Johnson can be stopped.  Look for him to get back into the endzone, hopefully at least twice.

Advantage: Detroit

Prediciton

Detroit 38 Carolina 10

This week we'll learn an awful lot about the character of this rendition of the Detroit Lions.  How will the team respond to it's first loss?  How will they handle being favored against another pretty good team? 

Will they bounce back and trounce the 3-3 Atlanta Falcons?  Or will they start to fall back into their old habits which lead to the long streak of losing seasons they are still a part of?

In 2008, Atlanta QB Matt Ryan's rookie season, the Falcons opened the season visiting Ford Field.  The Lions were coming off an a "momentum building" 4-0 preseason record....On the first offensive play of the year, on Matt Ryan's first pass of his career...the rookie QB in his first start ever against a team that was supposedly playoff worthy...was a lightning shot to Roddy White that went for 80+ yards and a touchdown..

The first step toward 0-16...

The Falcons, on the other hand, managed to make the playoffs behind that same rookie quarterback...

On Sunday, they'll return to the scene of the crime.  On Sunday, the Lions will have a chance to change the city's memories of that horrible day...or they have the chance to reinforce those memories.  That year, the Falcons showed the world that the Lions were less than real...that their 4-0 preseason record was a total farce...this year, they can do the same thing, they can show the world that the Lions 5-0 season opening streak was against BAD teams--Dallas Cowboys 2-3, Minnesota Vikings 1-5, Chicago Bears 1-3, Kansas City 2-3, Tampa Bay 4-2 (But beaten by 40+ points by the Niners...)

Of course if they manage to beat the Falcons...that may just add to that argument as Atlanta will fall to 3-4.

Falcons Offense vs Lions Defense

I think this is where all of the water boils away in this game....Can the Lions vaunted front four stop Micheal Turner like they couldn't stop Frank Gore?  Can they manage to get Matt Ryan down on the ground, instead of just rushed and flushed from the pocket, like they did against Alex Smith?

Personally, I really, really, really want to be wrong...but I don't think they can.

Advantage: Falcons

Falcons Defense vs Lions Offense

Even without a running game, I think the Lions have the advantage here.  The fact that the Lions can't run, actually plays into the game plan....the Falcons are ranked sixth against the run...if their strength is defending the run...the Lions weren't going to do much of that anyway.

Look for more throws to Pettigrew over the middle.  Look for Stafford to rebound, to throw more accurate passes to Titus Young, Nate Burleson and at least one more touchdown to Calvin Johnson.

Advantage: Lions

Prediction

I don't want to be the guy to jump off the bandwagon after a particularly ugly, albeit close, defeat.  So I'm not jumping off...but I am wondering where the Lions are going to pick up another five wins this year on their run to their first playoff appearance of the decade.  Yes, they have another game with each of Minnesota, Chicago, Denver and Carolina...but they also have two games against Green Bay, another against New Orleans, San Diego, and Oakland.

It is my humble opinion that the Lions really, really need this game...but Turner and Ryan may prove to be too much for the Lions defense.  This'll be close and I really, really want to be wrong but...

Falcons 24, Lions 20

This year has been incredible for the Lions.  They started off 5-0, part of a nine game winning streak.  They've looked awesome and have repeatedly been the talk of the NFL...but then they played a really, really hot 49'ers team--a 49'ers team that they'd lost to 12 of the last 13 times they'd met...

And they lost....and all hell has broken loose.

First of all, there was "ShakeGate."  Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh met to shake after the end of the very emotional game and Harbaugh may or may not have shaken Schwartz's hand too hard, he may have pushed him in the back, he may have said something under his breath...I don't know exactly what happened, I just know that I'm not fully believing the messages the coaches have been putting out about the incident....but when it happened, I can lip read well enough to know that Schwartz didn't say "Have a nice day!" or "Good luck next week."  And then Schwartz chased him down the field and bumped into him a few times...

So that was a real mess, probably propagated by two very young very competitive coaches, one who was pumped to the nines about having won and one who was really upset about having lost...

On Monday, it came out that Jahvid Best was suffering from concussion symptoms...which is especially scary because it's his third concussion in two years...which was the BIG, BIG fear when the Lions drafted Best.  That's why he was available at the bottom of the first round....

As the NFL Trade Deadline approached, with the Lions not having any idea of what Best's status would be this week or moving forward, they engineered a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for former first round running back, Ronnie Brown.  The Lions were sending RB Jerome Harrison and a seventh round pick for Brown.

This was new...the Lions were dealt a major blow and, contrary to their long history of not addressing issues during the season, they actually went out and made a move! 

But then, today, it comes out that the deal has been voided by the Eagles.  And the trade deadline has now passed...

What happened? According to NFL Network's Adam Schefter, the physical the Eagles gave Jerome Harrison revealed a brain tumor--not a shaky knee or elbow...not a bad achilles or hamstrings...a BRAIN TUMOR...a life threatening condition!  I don't mean to make light of this.  My hopes and prayers are with Harrison and his family as he deals with this horribly unexpected, life changing event.

But this is Lions luck, by definition.  This is not the kind of thing that happens every day...The Lions have had to deal with horrible injuries like Reggie Brown, Mike Utley, and Zack Follet--just to name a few...  They have had to deal with the awful passings of Erik Andolsek, Lenny Fontes, and Chuck Hughes--the only player to actually DIE on the football field.

Hopefully this tumor was found early enough that Harrison can receive treatment and beat it...but it doesn't look like he'll be suiting up any time soon...

The Lions then went out and made a second move to try and shore up the RB position...signing James Davis to the practice squad...a player whose played for the Browns and Eagles...and Davis lasted less than 24 hours...he's on the IR already...

 And Best's status still remains uncertain...