Should the Detroit Lions apologize for winning games?

After the Detroit Lions saved a win at home, should they apologize for winning?

The Detroit Lions have done it again. They’ve successfully snatched victory from the jaws of a soul-crushing collapse. They saw their 24-3 lead on the Washington Football Team disappear before their eyes in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s contest and it was exactly the type of collapse that would get the entire coaching tree fired, all the way up to the general manager.

What’s more is the fans that are actually saddened by the fact that this team DIDN’T lose! Yes, readers, you read that correctly. There are fans out there that would rather this team lose than win. Lose for a better draft pick. Lose to get rid of a coach and general manager they no longer believe in. Lose so that they can win later, hopefully.

It’s an interesting position. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, yet the thought of losing today would make people happier than winning. While the trust in this current team to win more than five or six games this year is small, people would still prefer they lose. Someone should inform the players that losing would be better for them because I’m sure they don’t start every game thinking, “Man, if I can just do my part to help this team LOSE!”

Would Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford prefer to lose a game? Absolutely not. He’s said as much. And he won’t apologize for winning either. Here’s what Stafford told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

"“Every game we win, we’ve got to clean stuff up. This one is no different. There’s definitely some things we can do better and it’ll help stretch the lead, but I’m just proud of our guys for fighting. A win is a win. It’s tough to win in this league, I’m never going to apologize for one.”"

There’s no apologizing for wins in the NFL

To those that would rather this team lose to dump head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn, you’ll have to wait another week, at minimum. Stafford isn’t interested in losing. The rest of the players on the field celebrating kicker Matt Prater‘s game-winning 59-yard field goal didn’t seem interested in losing either. It’s almost like they play to win the game.

It doesn’t matter how a win happens. It doesn’t matter if the entire defense sags back and allows the opposing team to tie the game. If the Detroit Lions come out on top, that’s a win and that’s all that matters that day. Learn from it. Improve. Get better. Play better next time.

Nobody wants to see the Lions lose a lead and need a last-second field goal to win. But if that’s how it happens, it still counts. The majority of Detroit Lions fans would rather that field goal go through and take the win than lose. They’d also prefer not to have the lead evaporate to begin with. But, much like Stafford, Lions fans should not apologize for, or feel bad about, this win. After all, it’s the point of playing the game.