Detroit Lions need to prove they have a high compete level
By Robert Jones
The Detroit Lions and their fans are still smarting due to the one that got away last week. The answer is to compete for four quarters.
The Detroit Lions will host the Los Angeles Chargers today and despite last weeks results and the subsequent anger and bitterness it generated, there is excitement in the air. There should be too.
Last week, the Lions overcame the odds and completed yet another collapse in a team history filled with them. They overmatched the Arizona Cardinals in the desert and were basically taking them to the woodshed despite all of the Lions missed opportunities for three quarters.
Then came a fourth-quarter we have all seen before. A fourth-quarter that despite my belief that this team is ready and capable of turning the corner, sent the Lions faithful into an angry rage. As a matter of fact, when the Cardinals scored to trim the lead to 24-16, I couldn’t help myself when the thought popped into my head, ‘they’re going to give this game away’.
To the Lions credit, they didn’t give it completely away, but it was still absolutely inexcusable.
These Lions aren’t only supposed to be better than that, they are. They are more talented than the re-building Cardinals and would have cruised to victory if they had done one simple thing; finish the game.
The difference between the Cardinals gaining a tie and the Lions squandering a win was the mentality of both teams. For Detroit, they kicked back and were just waiting for the game to end and leave with a win. Meanwhile, the Cardinals did what every team in every sport should do, they played every snap like it was the difference between winning and losing.
In other words, they competed for four quarters, even if they stunk for the first three. While it didn’t net a win for the Cardinals, it did help them avoid a loss and added yet another embarrassing moment to Detroit Lions history as it kept Matt Patricia and his team from claiming their rightful victory.
And in the end, the tie smelled worse on the Lions than the re-building Cardinals.