Detroit Lions: Surviving is good, but finishing is better

The Detroit Lions have found a way to survive in their first three games, but they need to learn how to finish off opponents.

Through the first three weeks of the NFL season, the Detroit Lions have been playing their own game of ‘Survivor Island’. Walking a delicate balance between pulling out wins and avoiding a near-disaster like coming as close to losing as possible to the Arizona Cardinals in the opener.

This new brand of Lions football isn’t for the faint of heart. But unlike the pathetic last 60 years of Lions football, at least they’re winning games. So far. Because every man, woman, and child that bleeds Honolulu Blue and Silver knows how this picture usually ends.

In short, the tight rope breaks, the Lions plunge to an unmercifully new low that fans have to live with like some kind of brand that’s been seared into their flesh like they were mere cattle, then the Lions repeat it again the next year and the next year until… well, hopefully, this year we get a more favorable result.

It’s like the old saying that time heals all wounds, but how can the wound heal when it gets continually re-opened? Lions fans have been blessed to see some generational talent like Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson make us ‘ooh and ahh’ at their feats, but in the end, this franchise has eaten then up emotionally denying them championship play and wasting their talents on mostly also-ran teams.

This doesn’t mean we haven’t enjoyed their feats, but I think most fans would gladly accept a lineup of hard-working, pedestrian players that knew how to win and did. A lot.

This current Lions team does have some exciting players and outside of that opening day black eye in Arizona, they have found a way to outlast their opponents and gather wins the past two weeks. However, one would suspect that it will take more than just outlasting Kansas City to get a win against the Chiefs.