The Lions had a valiant comeback effort today, but they fell short, losing 28-21 to the Houston Texans. If they can somehow get the NFL to let them skip the 1st quarter, they may actually win a game. They have now been outscored 54-0 in the 1st quarter this year. Ack. They are making progress, though - they at least managed to get a 1st down in the 1st quarter today for the first time since week 3. Double ack.
Today’s loss drops the Lions to 0-6. This means that since last season’s 6-2 start, they are a robust 1-13. As Frank Barone would say, “Holy crap!” Having said all of this, though, I’m pretty happy with the Lions right now. They’ve lowered my expectations so much that I’m now pleased when they can play a competitive game, which they’ve now done an unprecedented 2 weeks in a row. Seriously, though, they’ve actually been fun to watch the last couple of weeks, which I guess is all we can ask for at this point. Kevin Smith and Calvin Johnson have both provided some exciting plays and the defense is playing better and more physical. Let’s hope this trend continues.
GAMEBALLS
Calvin Johnson
What a freak this guy is. The 96 yard TD and 2 pt conversion got the Lions back in the game today. He is a terrific player and I can’t say enough good things about him.
Kevin Smith
He should be starting over Rudi Johnson. For the 2nd week in a row, he made a big play in the running game.
Jason Hanson
He drilled 2 field goals over 50 yards today. What a steady, consistent player he has been.
Matt Schaub, Owen Daniels, Andre Johnson
I’m giving out a gameball to some Texans this week for helping my fantasy teams. “Forget you” for hurting the Lions, but “thank you” for helping my fantasy teams.
GROIN KICKS
The Coaches
I continue to find some of Marinelli’s personnel moves very perplexing. George Foster over Gosder Cherilus? Really? Kevin Smith, Dizon, and some of the young defensive linemen should also be playing more. I also thought that they should have blitzed more today, too. When you let Matt Schaub have a completion percentage of 84, your vaunted cover 2 defense isn’t getting it done. And please get Calvin Johnson more than 2 catches! Make adjustments!
George Foster
More false start penalties. Gee, what a friggin’ surprise.
Shaun McDonald
He’s a good role player, but doesn’t come through in the clutch, as evidenced by his 4th quarter drop today. It would’ve been a tough catch, but they needed a play and he couldn’t make it. He also let a punt bounce toward the end of the game instead of fair catching it. This cost them time and field position. The play wouldn’t have made a difference, but it was still a bonehead decision.
Ahman Green
Ahman played a good game for Houston today (and I don’t have him on any of my fantasy teams). Honestly, he really kind of bugs me because I got sick of seeing him rip up the Lions when he was with Green Bay. Just retire already, Ahman, and spare yourself a kick to the groin.
WHAT ELSE?
Dan Orlovsky made a few mistakes today. He missed McDonald on a long bomb, had a completion percentage just under 50, and took a sack that almost took them out of field goal range. However, I actually thought he had a pretty solid game overall, once again. He had 1 TD and no turnovers for the 2nd straight week and it’s no coincidence that the Lions have been competitive in both games that he has done this.
Having said this, though, I still think Stanton needs to start at QB in the near future. At this point, I think the Lions know what they have in Orlovsky. He’s not great, but I think you can win with a guy like him if you’ve got a good defense and a strong running game. He’s good at managing the game, protecting the ball, and throws a pretty good deep ball (better than Kitna, anyway).
Stanton, however, has more upside than Orlovsky and appears to have everything a successful QB needs. He’s got the intangibles along with an accurate arm and great mobility (and with that mobility comes an ability to make plays that cannot be taught). The question is, can he put these skills to use in a game? There’s only one way to find out.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Next week, the Lions welcome the 5-2 Redskins to Ford Field. Winning this game would be a difficult task, but not an impossible one. The Lions have to continue to protect the ball on offense and must also manage to make a few more plays, especially early in the game. On defense, they have to limit Clinton Portis to around 100 yards ( hopefully less) and not give up any huge plays to Santana Moss (both of these tasks will be much easier said than done). Go Lions!
Greg
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