This weekend, the Bears took care of the Browns, thus ending the hope of celebrating the Lions first divisional title in 20 years next Sunday at Ford Field. To make matters worse, the Packers completed an impossible comeback on the road with a fourth string quarterback at the helm, thus increasing the odds that Aaron Rodgers will return and mess everything up. These two results should, and do, make me quite nervous about the Motor City Kitties and their postseason chances.
However, several other teams managed to comfort me today.
Over the course of this season, the Lions have managed to snatch defeat from the clutching jaws of victory far too many times this season. First, it was week two against Arizona, then it was an awful fourth quarter against Pittsburgh, followed by a loss to a one win Tampa Bay team at home. Finally, last week Philly ran up the score in the final quarter during a blizzard. This is nothing new for Lions fans, they have been doing this for many years and we should be used to it.
Thankfully for us, this week proves that the Lions 2013 season is far from unique. Week 15 saw many good, even great, teams lose to far inferior opposition. It started right from the beginning on Thursday night. Not only did Denver lose to a sub .500 team, but they did it at home. It wasn't like they lost a heart breaker either. At no point did Denver ever look like winning that game. San Diego outplayed them in every aspect of the game, much like the Lions failure against Tampa Bay.
Next came the slate of games on Sunday afternoon, where we witnessed the New Orleans Saints, considered one of the best offenses in football, lay an egg against a last place St. Louis Rams team. The Philadelphia Eagles, the team that beat the Lions in last week's snowstorm, got planted by the putrid Minnesota Vikings. The Cowboys, who the Lions beat in miraculous fashion in week eight, gave up 34 points in the second half and fell to Green Bay, who was operating with a quarterback who barely deserves to be in the NFL. Finally, on Sunday Night Football, we saw the Cincinnati Bengals fall with the chance to clinch the division against the Steelers, who are having a less than sub par season.
All of these results comfort me. Other teams have done exactly what the Lions are doing this year. This is the NFL, the separation between the best team in the league and the worst team in the league is not very much at all. On any given Sunday, or Monday, or Thursday, or Saturday, a team perceived as inferior can and will defeat a better team. Games like the Lions have had against Philly, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Arizona, and countless other times over the past 56 years happen. I just wish they would stop happening to my team.
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