Twitter reacts as the Detroit Lions open their season with a heartbreaking loss
Matt Patricia was hired as head coach of the Detroit Lions in February of 2018. And in his first two seasons in the Motor City, he had yet to win a regular-season opener. Kicking off his third season in Detroit, nothing has changed.
The Lions lost to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, 27-23, in their home opener at Ford Field. Detroit held a 23-6 lead going into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, they then allowed the Bears to score 21 unanswered points in the final frame.
Capping the defeat was a dropped touchdown pass in the final seconds by rookie running back D’Andre Swift that would have won the contest for Detroit. The fourth-quarter collapse was eerily similar to their performance in Week One of last season when the Arizona Cardinals came back down 24-6 to send the game into overtime. That contest ended in a 27-27 tie.
That’s a bad omen for the 2020 Lions as last year’s version of this team ended the season with a disappointing 3-12-1 record. And Detroit’s inability to finish games was a major factor in those defeats as well.
Following the outcome of the game, fans, former players, and media members took to social media to voice their frustrations. We’ve collected a few of those reactions from Twitter below.
Twitter reacts to the Detroit Lions losing in Week One
Lions fans told me not to get my hopes up all summer. They were right. I’ll never doubt you guys again.
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) September 13, 2020
Such a heartbreaker for the lions. Up 17 in the 4th and lose. Bad break for Swift dropping that game winning TD pass with 6 seconds left. They got away from the PA passes that carried them the whole game and got way too conservative. Bad loss.
— Teej. (@TJLang70) September 13, 2020
I tweeted this many years ago:
— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) September 13, 2020
“Being mad at the Lions for losing is like being mad at Canada for being cold.”
Seems to be holding up quite well. Retweet as needed.
The Lions are the only thing that’s normal about 2020
— Barstool Wastern (@BarstoolWMU) September 13, 2020
I’m just glad Lions fans didn’t have to witness that in person.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 13, 2020
Last lions tweet tonight. I really like the team Patricia and Quinn have built. But Patricia is not putting these players in position to succeed and that’s the biggest problem.
— Lions Guy (@LionsGuy9) September 13, 2020
The level of frustration is indescribable. #DetroitLions
— Mike Martin (@GoMikeMartin) September 13, 2020
Mitch Trubisky said the Lions did a good job of mixing up coverages early in the game, but...
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) September 13, 2020
"When they got down to the wire, they’re going to play what they trust most and that’s man for them. And we knew that."
Never change, Matt Patricia.
Am I disappointed? Yes I am. Does this loss forces me to say my team sucks? No way, never ever! Heads up and get ready for week 2. #OnePride #CHIvsDET
— #1 Detroit Lions Fan (@SwissLionsFan) September 13, 2020
To quote the late former @Lions Head Coach, Darryl Rogers; "What does a coach have to do around here to get fired?" #FirePatricia @davebirkett
— Stephen Grubba (@StephenGrubba) September 13, 2020
This is the most Lions ending ever.
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) September 13, 2020
Obviously it’s only one game. And the 0-1 Detroit Lions will get a chance to make things right in the division next Sunday as they’ll face off against the 1-0 Green Bay Packers.
But the way the Lions lost against the Bears will do little to boost the morale of a fan base struggling to find a glimpse of hope. And with the mandate by ownership that this team be a playoff contender in 2020, things are not trending in the right direction following this first home loss.