Detroit Lions can show their resilience with upset win in Lambeau vs. Packers
The Detroit Lions have no chance against the Green Bay Packers, right? How could they?
They just lost to Mitchell Trubisky and the Chicago Bears in the most Liony way ever.
They’re facing a hot Aaron Rodgers.
They’re playing at Lambeau Field, a venue for the Lions that historically has held all the suspense of a fight between a hammer and a nail.
They made huge mistakes — mental and physical — that just cost them a game.
They’re dealing with injuries to key players on offense and defense.
No chance, right?
Maybe. But maybe not.
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Before I go any further, let me confess: This season it’s going to be hard for reporters who cover NFL teams to gauge the mood of the team because of coronavirus safety protocols that prohibit us from entering locker rooms.
Normally, NFL reporters have locker room access for 45 minutes four times during the week and then again after game day. That’s a lot of time to get to know players and the vibe inside the locker room. Five-minute Zoom calls are a poor replacement.
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But I can tell you this about the Lions this week: They seem to have responded well to what happened. They haven’t denied the reality of what led them to squander a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter. But they haven’t hung their heads either.
Linebacker Jamie Collins admitted that headbutting referee Alex Kemp, which led to his ejection, was a mistake, although an unintentional one. He seemed contrite but also at ease when he spoke about the incident Thursday. He even smiled when he spoke.
Maybe some people would prefer a player to revel in misery and self-doubt while flagellating himself over such a mental lapse. I think it’s better to move on. Admit the mistake and learn from it. Living in the past of your lows — or highs — usually isn’t a good thing.
Rookie running back D’Andre Swift found himself in a similar situation, though his mistake was physical. He was the goat of the game for dropping the winning pass with 6 seconds left. Swift was a sure-handed receiver at Georgia but he admitted his big drop was a lack of focus, which he said was an uncharacteristic error.
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As for coach Matt Patricia, he did what he needed to do to put his players in position to win that game. You can second-guess the missed long field goal attempt or any other call. But the simple fact is the Lions had the Bears beat. That game was won.
While no Lions player or coach came out and said it, that was the vibe I got over the week. Everyone knew what happened. No one wanted to point fingers. But it’s obvious. A rookie holds on to a perfect pass on a perfect play and what are we talking about? We’re talking about resilience. We’re talking about a shorthanded team finding a way to win. We’re talking about “dagger time.” We’re talking about Swift scoring two touchdowns in his debut and making the winning catch.
The Lions know this. They also know they come into Lambeau having won three of their past five games there. And it would have been four wins if last year’s pro wrestling-caliber referees hadn’t been fooled by David Bakhtiari’s Golden Globe-worthy acting performance against Trey Flowers.
Despite all this, I’ll admit it’s hard to see the Lions winning Sunday. But it isn’t impossible. They have a chance to do more than win a game. They have a chance to show us how resilient they are.
Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here's how you can gain access to our most exclusive Lions content.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions have chance to show their resilience with win at Packers
