Scanning the Savanna: What They’re Saying About the Detroit Lions’ Loss

December 5, 2010.

“That date stands out in my mind,” Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola was saying in low tones Sunday afternoon. Not since that seemingly mundane winter day had Raiola’s Lions lost, in any venue or under any circumstances. Over the next 312 days, the Lions ran off 13 consecutive victories, if you count the 2011 preseason, and captured both the city of Detroit and the NFL by storm.

Now, as Raiola said Sunday: “We’ll see what we’re made of.”

Maybe the NFL should have held this one over at Caesars Windsor Hotel and Casino, across the Detroit River in Ontario, instead of in Motown. It was that kind of a slugfest Sunday at Ford Field.

Jim Harbaugh and his football team are shaking up the NFL. Or should we say handshaking up the league’s expectations?

For sure, the 49ers gave us another upside-down, hey-did-that-just-really-happen moment here Sunday afternoon. They beat the previously undefeated Detroit Lions by a score of 25-19, at Ford Field.

It’s understandable if the Lions didn’t recognize the symptoms.

The clinical term is Monday Night Hangover, and since the Lions were 10 years removed from their last appearance on the NFL’s biggest regular-season stage, they wouldn’t know the side effects of playing in such an emotional game. They’re a little slow and sluggish, playing a step behind what’s considered normal speed.