Sure, they're a lot better than they used to be, but that's like saying ramen noodles are better than road kill.
Stop and think about who they've played. The Buccaneers? Turns out they're terrible. The Chiefs are unpredictable. They can be really good or really bad. The Lions caught them on a seriously bad day. The Vikes? On a scale of 1 to 10, they're about a 2. Beating the Cowboys down in Big D might have looked impressive, but they're a weird team as well. Lots of young talent, but sometimes Tony Romo seems to drift off into the twilight zone, like he did in the second half against the Lions. The home win over the Bears seemed legit on the first Monday Night game the Lions participated in since a few Presidents ago.
Then San Francisco came to town. Nobody would have guessed that in Jim Harbaugh's first year as head coach they would be an elite team, and maybe the jury's still out on that one, but they dispatched the Lions.
Then Atlanta, another home game. The Falcons probably rate about a 6 on the scale. The Lions lose again.
Off to Denver. The Lions won convincingly. Not sure what to make out of the Tim Tebow experiment, but other than Indianapolis, and maybe Miami, the Broncos might just be low men on the totem pole. Yes, in the NFL, a win is a win, and it doesn't matter if it was by 40 points or just one.
But consider: The Lions then had a bye, which gave them an extra week to prepare for the Bears game. The Bears, meanwhile, had played last Monday night on the road. They had a short week.
And looked what happened. The Lions' so-called dominating defensive line was a non-factor. Jay Cutler, Da Bears' QB, might have got hit a few times, but when it mattered his passes were crisp and on the money. In the meantime, Lions' QB Matthew Stafford got rattled, pulled a Romo, and started throwing to guys in the wrong colored jerseys.
Only after the game did Stafford state that he played with a fractured finger on his throwing hand. That's lame. First, if he was injured, therefore incapable of throwing the ball properly, then he shouldn't have been out there. That's what back-up QB's are for. Remember what Drew Stanton did in the last 4 games last year? 4 wins. Second, those passes he threw were tight spirals with plenty of zip on them. He just got fooled by defensive coverage, burned repeatedly, and doesn't want to admit it.
Just a thought, but when superstar wide receiver with the ball (Calvin Johnson) meets superstar defensive end (Julius Peppers) with forearm clothesline take-down, the wide receiver is going to lose every time. Betcha CJ remembers that one.
And what the hell planet was the Lions' special teams coach on, kicking the ball to Devin Hester? The man's merely the greatest in NFL history at returning kick-offs and punts for touchdowns. How many times does he have to prove this before testosterone-brained coaches stop challenging him and start to comprehend it? Hey, just a 30 yard punt that goes out of bounds is better than a 60 yard boomer that winds up back in your own end zone resulting in a quick 6 for the bad guys. Same with kickoffs. Whatever it takes -- keep it away from Hester. The dude can hurt you -- quickly.
So next week Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers come to town. They're about a 2 on the scale. The Lions better win that game along with when the above-mentioned woeful Vikings come to town in a few weeks.
Because other than that -- it gets tough. The Packers come here on turkey day. They're a 10. On the road at New Orleans with Drew Brees? I wouldn't count on that one. Way out in Oakland with the resurgent Raiders? Approach with caution. San Diego comes here. Never know about those guys. If Philip Rivers is on.....
Too early to say, because a lot of things can happen in the NFL, but here's one thing I'm pretty sure of.
If the Lions want to get to the playoffs -- it would probably be a very good plan to have it already sewed up and not have to count on winning their last game with the Packers at Lambeau Field. Those guys are an 11 at home in cold weather.
Impossible on a scale of 1 to 10? Maybe, but how many times have you heard an athlete say he's giving 110% and never thought twice about it? Isn't that impossible too?
As for the Lions? They've feasted on lesser teams but lost to good ones. More good ones lie ahead than bad ones. I'll grade them out at a 6. Maybe a wild card team for the playoffs -- only because the good teams have been busy beating up on each other -- but it will end there quickly. A lot of Matthew, Calvin, an over-hyped defensive line, and not nearly enough of everything else. Too many weaknesses, which the Bears just exposed.
And here's a shout-out to Deb, my die-hard Bear fan friend. That took a lot of -- um, no, you don't have those -- well at least "something" to walk into Ye Olde Watering Hole filled with Lions fans, clad in Bears stuff, and not only root for them, but bang a coffee can with a bear head sticking out every time they scored -- which was often. Remind me to stay out of your way.
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