They had no chance to win in Arizona against the Cardinals. Zero, zilch, notta chance. Then the Detroit Lions did a very Detroit Lions thing, they won. Making everyone (nearly every expert) look bad for picking against them. Can it last? Can the Detroit Lions losers of 11 games in a row have found footing going forward?
The Detroit Lions were able to overcome the type of mistakes that lead to 11 straight losses and turned in the type of defensive effort that had eluded them early in the season.
The Lions forced Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray into throwing three interceptions and cashing them in for 10 points. Somehow the Lions also withstood a late game penalty to set up kicker Matt Prater’s game winning 39 yard field goal.
Rookie cornerback Jeff Okudah who was put through the grinder last week against Aaron Rogers and the Green Bay Packers, had a much better game. Okudah recorded his first NFL interception.
On offense the return of wide receiver Kenny Golladay (who missed the first two games due to a hamstring injury) showed what his value is to the Lions offense. With a healthy Golladay on the field, it opened things up for the running game as well as other receivers and tight ends to get open. Golladay’s importance can not be understated.
The NFL world had the Detroit Lions six-feet under and a shovel full of dirt ready to bury the team. Somehow the Lions were able to dig down and show for at least one game what they can be.
In all three games this season the Lions grabbed an early lead. Yet it was not until yesterday in Arizona the team did not give the lead back nor did they suffer another fourth quarter collapse. This is a good sign.
Yesterday the Lions played the way many thought they could. This win needs to have a carry-over. It needs to be a launching pad for the rest of the season. The team showed they can do it. Now comes the hard part, repeating.
