Column: Detroit Lions brutalize Packers, but let's not get too excited (yet)
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Calvin Johnson races for the end zone during Thursday's 40-10 romp against Green Bay. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)
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Kyle Meinke |
kmeinke@mlive.com By Kyle Meinke |
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on November 29, 2013 at 5:59 AM, updated November 29, 2013 at 6:04 AM
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DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions continue to play their best football when their back is against the wall, and you have to admire their resolve. They're not afraid, even when there's no margin for error.
But what about when there is margin for error? When there are expectations?
That's the unsolved question -- something that can't be answered in a 40-10 drubbing of Green Bay -- and is what will determine just how much this team achieves.
The Lions, facing a must-win scenario after consecutive losses, overwhelmed the Packers (5-6-1) in a game they had to have to maintain their division lead. That delights the hometown fans, who saw a winner on Thanksgiving for the first time since 2003.
But you don't learn a whole lot from the game, either. Detroit, after all, has thrived in this position before.
Dealing with the forthcoming expectations is what has proved problematic.
The Lions were 6-3 just a few weeks back, remember, and could have commanded a near-insurmountable division lead today had they taken care of business. Could have been in play for a first-round bye.
So if a team is so talented (it is), and if it's division is so wide open (it definitely is), the question is: Why were they facing a must-win in Week 12 while facing the NFL easiest schedule?
Because the Lions play with expectations like they've got sand in their cleats.
They ceded fourth-quarter leads each of the past two weeks -- against teams that combined for a 5-14 record -- and were in danger of sinking back to .500 team. They brought it on themselves, too, with an ill-advised fake field goal, blocked punt and a huge spike in turnovers.
That's the biggest thing holding back Detroit. Itself.
The Lions showed a bit of that Thursday, obliterating Green Bay in every way but the scoreboard early. They had nearly eight times the offense at halftime -- they had gained 297 more yards -- yet led just 17-10.
-d45afb717048ea56.JPGDetroit's Stephen Tulloch, left, and DeAndre Levy squish Green Bay's Ryan Taylor during Thursday's win. The defense delivered a debilitating performance. Mike Mulholland | MLive.com
That's because they turned over the ball on three of their first four drives, settled for a field goal on the other and later missed a field goal. Reggie Bush fumbled the ball, just seven days after promising not to do that again this year, and Matthew Stafford threw two picks just three days after professing ball security.
"We dug ourselves a hole again," center Dominic Raiola said. "We heard the boos -- heard all that, understandably. The (crowd) didn't want to see that again. I just told the guys in the huddle, 'Let's tighten up. Let's just draw closer together. All we got is the 11 guys on this field. Defense was busting their (butts). Lets' pull it together and get the offense rolling.'"
They did, rolling through the gaffes to score 37 unanswered points. Stafford bounced back from his rough start to throw touchdown passes to Calvin Johnson (20 yards), Jeremy Ross (5) and Kevin Ogletree (20).
Joique Bell and Bush each scored touchdowns and combined for 310 yards of offense, the pairing's best game to date. Detroit gained 561 yards overall while holding Green Bay to 126, the fewest yards it has allowed since 1992.
Justin Rogers and Kyle Meinke analyze Lions' win over the Packers Justin Rogers and Kyle Meinke analyze Lions' blowout win over the Green Bay Packers.
The defensive line showed particular maturity, using comments of scumbaggery as fuel to dismantle Green Bay without ever crossing the line. They have embraced their bad-boy image, going so far as to take the field together during pregame introductions in a show of solidarity.
Detroit, in other words, played well with its back against the wall.
"We answered the call," Bush said. "Our backs were against the wall, with the division and the race for first place, and everything was right there in front of us. We answered the call. That's the biggest thing
"I am impressed with the way we handled it. We handled the pressure well. We handled the situations and fought through adversity."
They did, in convincing fashion, and get all the credit in the world for it. But it's what they do next that has tripped them up in the past, and why long-term excitement should be tempered.
Detroit simply hasn't proven it can be trusted to maintain the kind of performance it delivered against Green Bay. Especially when it's expected to deliver that kind of performance.
The Lions showed more glimpses of what they're capable of, and it's seductive. But it's what they do next, as they transition back to division favorite, that will be far more telling.
