The Detroit Lions have to battle more than just other teams on gameday, they have to prove the perception that they’re perennial losers wrong.
After leading by a score of 24-6 going into the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the Detroit Lions did a very Detroit Lions thing. At least according to what appears to be the majority of national media pundits.
The Lions lost their lead in the fourth quarter, allowing the lowly Cardinals to tie the game and force overtime. The contest ultimately ended in a 27-27 tie. But due to their collapse, the regular season opener felt more like a colossal defeat for Detroit. And the perception that the Lions are perpetual losers and their own worst enemies continues.
It’s a perception that’s hard to argue against. One playoff victory since Dwight D. Eisenhower was president has earned Detroit this unflattering reputation. But is it fair? Shouldn’t the Lions be judged by their current worth, not the past sins of other teams who just happened to have shared the same uniform?
What the modern version of the Lions are battling every game now is not just the team on the other sidelines, but that inherited reputation. Sundays’ debacle only confirmed that losing culture in the minds of outsiders. The Lions are the Lions, let’s move on.
And don’t kid yourselves to think this doesn’t have an impact on the team. Especially when it comes to attracting big name free agents to the Motor City or keeping the talented players that they already have in-house.
This is the battle general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia together agreed to take on last year and are currently at the forefront of. This offseason, free agents like defensive end Trey Flowers and defensive tackle Mike Daniels wanted to come to Detroit because of Patricia’s presence here.
But you can be assured that Daniels and Flowers are the exception. There are plenty of players who surely avoided Detroit like the plague this offseason because of the team’s perception as perennial losers.
The idea that the Lions are simply being the Lions when they lose weighs heavily on the players currently on the roster as well. Especially those who have been about the business of changing that reputation for years.
No one shoulders it more than quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is now entering his 11th season in the Motor City. Like Sisyphus of Greek Mythology, Stafford continues push this rock uphill, only to see the Lions’ Week One performance allow the team’s reputation to roll back down again.
Games like the one that took place on Sunday are a step back in the building of a winning culture in Motown. And it continues to sour the Detroit Lions’ reputation in the minds of outsiders. Luckily for Matt Patricia and company, they have at least 15 more chances this year to change those minds.