When Prater missed the extra point, and then the short field goal, the game started giving me that sickly feeling like a knee injury that leaves cartilage floating around in there.
But they snatched away a victory so that make it a lot easier to look at the positives. That W covers a lot of crap. But just for that game.
We tied a game that we played well enough to win and we won a game we played poorly enough to lose. That’s life in the NFL. Hopefully we can put a full 4 quarters together here soon against better competition.
Also, it would be nice for Snacks and Flowers to join the team any time now. Getting next to nothing out of them so far. Pretty disappointed in their output.
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Last I checked the Chargers were in the playoffs last year.
Last I checked the Chargers were 12-4 and in the playoffs last year.
Most of People were saying we would lose to them…Now suddenly they don’t count as a win against good competition?
I know I know… if we beat them they can’t be a good team…Even though they were 12-4 last season and lost to the Patriots in the playoffs 
You guys crack me up
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I don’t know about you but I got really nervous when Prater missed those kicks. You never want to see a kicker lose his confidence.
Not in that way. It just felt like the old Lions curse was in effect.
Weren’t the Charger misses on that same end?
No kicks went through that goal post.
Every win is a good win. But everyone knew that was a beat up Chargers team who were missing some key players. We could not afford to lose that game, especially at home. Got the job done. Who said it doesn’t count as a win? Call me crazy, I just think the Eagles on the road and the Chiefs pose a tougher challenge. We can’t afford to play like we did yesterday and expect to win those games. Do you disagree?
Totally agree they have to play better.
But when you said you need to see a win against some “good competition” you implied they weren’t …
A couple injuries, not to the starting QB, does not make a 12-4 team a bad team. They are a very good team with the players they put on the field yesterday whether people want to admit it or not
Yes it was really satisfying to see another team suffer the way we do. It’s not often that Lions opponents miss a couple of kicks or fumble the football on the goal line. …or with Slay getting an interception in the end zone in crunch time. Is the tide turning?
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At least of those was due to a bad snap. The ball wasn’t down where it was supposed to be, and it don’t take much to miss a kick one way or the other if the ball ain’t on the spot.
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Well, I didn’t say that. I said we need to put 4 quarters together if we expect to win against these teams coming up. I don’t think we can go into Philly and play like that and come back with a W. Same goes for the Chiefs. Flowers and Snacks were absent again and Slay got torched for most of the game. Wouldn’t bode well vs Mahomes and company. We’re going to need our studs to play like studs. Even a split in those 2 games would be huge.
It has seemed like Muhlbach’s been off this year so far. Didn’t he bounce one off the turf in the opener too?
How much better? A 13-3 team? A 14-2 team?
Beat em all, we’ll count em up later! 
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We totally need to play better to win consistently in the NFL and be a playoff team that is a threat to go deep in the playoffs…like the Chargers
You also have to recognize that many good teams get better as the season goes on. Like the Patriots team we beat in Week 4 last year.
So let’s see if we clean it up. As you point out…we HAVE to.
Just don’t down play what they just did. They beat a team that was 12-4 and lost to the eventual Super Bowl champs in the playoffs
Not worried about last years record on a different team. The NFL power rankings had the Chiefs at #3, the Eagles at #5 and the Chargers at #12 going into this week, so I’m not the only one who considers those 2 teams a tougher challenge. We were a 1 point underdog to the Bolts. I bet that number will be larger for the next 2 games, which means Vegas also believes those are better teams/tougher competition. It doesn’t make the win any less important. Again, we will have to up our game over what we saw yesterday if we want to add some W’s.
My thoughts FWIW:
Tyrell Crosby did better than expected, as did Wagner on the other side. Result was that Stafford didn’t get sacked or even pressured as much and he could throw it downfield. Once or twice maybe more than he should’ve but that’s on him not the OL.
We still cannot run the ball as well as we’d like to. I think other teams know that is one of our main goals this year, and consequently they put more guys in the box. Plus, our guys just aren’t as good at run-blocking, seems to be a fact of life.
What was the deal with Hock and Amendola? They gotta be more involved than this.
CJA isn’t getting the job done right now, but Ty Johnson is.
Agnew isn’t getting the job done either, and the PR team isn’t doing good either. Penalty after penalty costs us field position, and that hurts the offense and the defense. Since Agnew doesn’t offer much on defense, I think it’s time to cut bait.
The Lions are more unconventional than they used to be. Throwing on 3rd down instead of running it and letting the clock run when there are 9 guys in the box and you know you can’t get the 1st down? Going for it on 4th down? Aggressive play-calling indeed. Which makes you wonder at some point will teams have one or two fewer guys in the box on the next 3rd and 1, perhaps making it easier to convert on the ground? Go with what the defense gives you, and this team has the TEs do do it. Or the speed in the backfield to outrun people around the edge enough to get that yard or 2.
On to Philly, who currently is pretty banged up. They’re missing a few good DTs, Akeem Spencer? Really? We better be able to pound it inside, and that sets up play-action downfield. BUT - no matter if the Lions don’t play smarter football with a lot fewer penalties and mistakes. Wouldn’t it be cool to win in Philly? I had that game figured for a loss, and they probably will lose if they don’t up their game. But I had the Chargers as a loss too, so I guess you never know. Doubtful that the Eagles will give us as many breaks as the Chargers did though.
Hock did what Bevell wanted him to, Block for Stafford vs The Chargers…TJ was thrown to 3 times in the game. (I even wondered why we weren’t throwing to him more…that is why I asked about it in-game. But we won and we should be happy ….I mean damn!!! It’s like we cannot enjoy a win here. they won 12 damn games and just missed a bowl last season, WE got 6 whole wins . And yet we beat that 12-win team yesterday ENJOY that !!
My thoughts on today’s game.
It really is true that in most wins, it isn’t as good as it looks, and in most losses, you are aren’t as bad as you look. It felt like we had a ton of luck in this one. The called back TDs, Agnew’s fumble that never was, some key penalties/no calls (which probably came out fairly even), missed FGs. Messiness on both sides.
I honestly expect us to be in a lot of messy, defensive-style slug outs a lot, this year.
Stats would suggest that we lost the football game, while the scoreboard says otherwise.
I feel the belief in the team shifting a bit. Faith matters so much, and I think that even when players deliver maximum effort, if they deep down believe that their team loses these types of games (identity of loser), they are more likely to lose and self-sabotage.
It feels like our guys are having more faith in the HC & OC, the system, the culture…and themselves. Time will tell on this.
We have guys that are strong-willed, and believe in themselves, and causing a trickle-down of believing in each other.
It takes faith for Matt to throw a 50/50 ball to Golliday, and trust that he can get it. It takes faith in your guys to throw into a tight window, and trust that they can turn into a DB if need be.
People will usually meet expectations. When you go for it on 4th down, it shows that you believe in your guys to get the play, and also have faith that if they don’t get it, you have faith in your D.
Golliday is a badass that believes in himself.
Mathew is a badass that believes in himself.
Hock.
Slay (he did it when it mattered, and being beaten like that was messing with his identity).
KJ - disappointed with a 9 yard run, and expects more of himself.
Ownership and no blaming is showing up as a team. We don’t have Dre Bly and Joey Cheerleader dividing the locker room. Joey had no faith. It’s the difference between hope, optimism, and FAITH. Matt believes he is a winner and tries his guts out. I am not saying Joey is a bad person that doesn’t try, but he and Matt have very different definitions of “trying your hardest.”
We are developing a culture of winners. I hope the coaches have learned from the whole “trust your guys” thing. It matters. it’s more fun for the players and gives them more ownership. I am surprised at how many NFL coaches don’t keep playing football. Honestly, a good portion of Matt’s 4th QTR wins have come against bend but don’t break situations, where the opposing coach didn’t trust their guys, and also didn’t trust that Matt could beat them…right up until the moment he beat them.
We have a lot of growth to do - TONS. I think we are headed in the right direction. We have momentum, and that helps with faith. When you are building something, and have a goal, during early phases, your subconscious is looking for proof that you can actually achieve the goal. You keep plugging along and creating more and more proof, until you have a “holy shit! This is actually happening”-type moment!
I believe in Quinn. I think he will easily prove to be the most winning GM ever in Detroit, both in terms of the team’s record, and in terms of % of players that stick on the team and in the league.
Bevell is a massive upgrade already. I hope he’s good enough to win titles.
Patricia ia great leader of people…just like Caldwell was. I hope he’s learned from the last 2 weeks and has faith in the guys…allowing them to play football and play to win, instead of playing not to lose. We have good people in charge now. I just hope they can be good enough as coaches. We have a great brotherhood that will fight to the end for each other and I love that shit!
Let’s now be philosophically sound enough to whip ass until the final buzzer goes off.
We are not going to win the SB this year, anyway. Let these dudes play with aggression for 4 quarters and get used to that culture. Let’s have faith and see what happens. I think they’ll be surprised at the result, IF they have the balls and/or faith to do it!
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Stafford threw the same pass to Jones that he has always thrown to Marvin as that is where he typically wants it. He always high points the ball and goes over the defender. I am assuming that he didn’t see the defender and tried to basket catch the ball, but that is his ball if he high points it. It was a good throw. He threw the one to Golliday as well and he got his route cut off and batted it, but it luckily stayed right in his stomach. I have no problem with either throw and want my QB letting that ball go where 2 of 3 likely things to happen are good for the Lions. The Lions do not have WR’s that run open often enough to be that picky when trying to get them the ball!
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Disagree JR. Stafford threw that ball to Jones into double coverage. One-on-one, I’m (more than) fine with that throw, but the safety was in the perfect position to make that play (and he did). In the past, those “high-point” balls to Jones have been in one-on-ones.
On the through to Golladay, it was a good decision, but a poor throw. That ball needs to be higher and towards the corner of the end zone more.
I believe Stafford has said as much on these two balls in his post-game presser. One was a bad decision, but a decent throw, and the other was a good decision, but a bad throw.