The entertainment of the NFC North continues much to the annoyance of Lions fans. This week saw the Lions take on the Steelers, the Bears take on the Ravens, the Packers take on the Giants and the Vikings played the Seahawks.
The Lions entered week 11 on top of the NFC North at 6-3 after a win over the Bears in Chicago, who at 5-4 and second in the division while the third place Packers were also at 5-4 going into week 11. The Vikings, after their win over the Redskins, came in last at 2-7.
Lions @ Steelers
The Lions knew if they won this week they would be in great shape for the rest of the season, but it didn’t exactly pan out like that for Detroit. They quickly went down 0-14 after two touchdown passes to Antonio Brown. After a field goal from both sides the Lions then scored a touchdown to to close the gap to 17-10, only for the Steelers to add another field goal to make it 20-10. The Lions responded and powered into the lead before the half with two touchdowns and a field goal to make it 27-20. But instead of a great rally from the Lions to gain a valuable road win they came out flat footed in the second half giving up a field goal and two touchdowns to lose by 10, 37-27.
As I mentioned in an earlier article, the key to the Lions success could be their running game and this game only proves statement. The Lions have rushed for 100 or more in all but one of their wins and in every loss they’ve rushed for fewer than 100 yards, including the game against the Steelers. Not including Stafford’s yards on the ground, the Lions rushed for under 100 and lost again. It may just be coincidence but the numbers don’t lie. The Lions have definitely made it harder on themselves for the rest of this season with that loss to the Steelers. An injury to Joique Bell could hurt their running game badly. Many blame the fake field goal for the loss but it really wasn’t true. Dropped passes and a poor defence are what cost the Lions.
Ravens @ Bears
This game seemingly went on for ever…… though that’s mainly because a tornado warning caused a near two hour delay. When the first quarter resumed after the delay in Chicago, the Ravens led 10-0 and Lions fans were praying the Ravens would push on a get the W but the Bears came and fought the Ravens hard. It came down to the final drive where the Bears made a goal line stand and forced the Ravens to kick a field goal rather than get the TD, which sent the game to overtime. The Bears kicked a 38-yard field goal to seal a win and go top of the NFC North with a 6-4 record.
Packers @ Giants
This game from the start was a tough one to call with so many injuries to the Packers including Aaron Rodgers, who is still out. With the Giants going through huge ups and downs, it was difficult to know who would come out on top. This was another game where Lions fans were desperately hoping for a result against Green Bay, and the Giants obliged. Without Rodgers, the Packers just can’t seem to get going and with defensive injuries they couldn’t seem to stop the Giants onslaught. The Giants strolled to a 27-13 victory with of course an Eli interception along the way. If the Packers continue to perform like this they are quickly going to be out of contention for the division title. They really need Rodgers back and it will be interesting to see if he will be back for the Thanksgiving game against the Lions. The Packers now stand at 5-5.
Vikings @ Seahawks
The Vikings have been all but ruled out of the division now as they stand at 2-8 after a 41-20 loss to the Seahawks. The Seahawks didn’t let up on the Vikings and continued to pile on the points. Christian Ponder had an awful game before being taken out and replaced with former Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel. Marshawn Lynch was the star of the show rushing for two touchdowns and catching another touchdown which helped in the demolition of the Vikings. There are some serious problems in Minnesota and Adrian Peterson can’t fix them all.
As a Lions fan it was a game to forget for me. We worked hard and looked great in the first half with Calvin breaking more records and becoming the first player to 1000 receiving yards and leads the league with 11 TDs despite missing a game. In happier news, at least for me, my fantasy football team looks to have finally beaten the one team it could not which is the one silver lining I can draw from this weeks NFL…..well that and the fact I said the Bucs would beat the Falcons, so congratulations to them and @Chris_LWOS.
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