Detroit Lions: Was last Sunday night a glimpse of things to come?
By Robert Jones
Last Sunday night the Detroit Lions shocked the world by dominating the New England Patriots, but was that a mirage or foreshadowing?
I think we can all admit that the Detroit Lions surprised all of us last Sunday night. Sure the Patriots were short a couple of key defensive players and they were really short on receivers, but even with those built-in excuses, there was no way anyone could have seen what was coming.
The Detroit Lions dominated, decimated and destroyed the NFL’s current and most long-running dynasty.
That would be the sugar coated version.
Yes sir, for all of us who tuned in and hoped for a best-case scenario of possibly keeping it close and finding a way to win with a Matthew Stafford late-game comeback and shuttering at the distinct possibility of another embarrassment on national T.V., it was a different animal completely.
It was the type of game we’ve seen other teams do to the Lions over the years. A well-prepared team that was able to execute on offense doing almost anything they wanted and a swarming defense that took away their opponents strengths and made them look helpless.
That’s right, the Detroit Lions did that!
No matter how we look at the tape, the Lions dominated the Patriots. The Lions were simply the better team. Let me repeat that; the Lions were the better team! Not many teams can make Tom Brady look like just another prospect from Nowhere Tech, but the Lions did just that.
They also stopped the Patriots ground game cold. That had to be the biggest shocker of all. No disrespect to Brady, but so far the Lions showed a much better proficiency for pass defense than run defense.
Then if that wasn’t enough, the Lions O-line pushed around the Patriots front seven to produce an effective ground game which featured the first 100-yard rushing game since the Reggie Bush administration back in 2013, courtesy of rookie Kerryon Johnson.
Yet even after a game the Lions dominated in every phase for the first time since anyone can remember, there is still the key question to be answered; Was that the start of what Matt Patricia’s Lions are becoming or was it just an aberration?