2024 NFL Season Thread

[thesloppy]

Ended up as a helluva game

[bronconick]

Jared Goff throwing 5 picks in a win is the most Madden shit of all time.

[Honolulu_Blue]

What a weird, weird game. Even the Lions last two field goals were weird.

[Ksyrup]

I fell asleep within about 5-10 minutes of my "bench Goff" post. Woke up after the game to my daughter yelling at me in all caps texts about how she can't believe I missed a comeback for the ages.

I'm old and ran 21.5 miles this weekend. Sue me.

[albionmoonlight]

Good for the Lions. When you've been blowing teams out, it is good to remind yourself that you can win a close one.

[Passacaglia]

Wow, WTF with those field goals!

[Brian Swartz]

Not dumping any cold water on Lions fans, I am one. Having said that ...

This game is really a great example of why I detest sports media and sports fandom. Not just fanboys but pundits falling all over themselves in talking about how it demonstrates how great the Lions are. We all know they should have lost the game, and if either of those field goals are a foot wider the story is about the interceptions and how Detroit laid an egg on the road and it was a needed awakening for a team that maybe was reading too much of their own hype, etc. Bad games happen for everyone ofc, but talk about missing the point. If Houston scores once in the second half they win anyway.

If a 2-win team comes back from a bunch of turnovers like that on the road, it's 'wow how did they pull that out' or 'what a collapse'. Nobody's going nuts saying 'this is why they're the best team in the league' and 'that proved to me they are Super Bowl worthy' and all this other utter horsecrap that's going on.

[bronconick]

Tua throws a pick and tries to tackle the carrier with his head into the knee. He's not going to make it.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Not dumping any cold water on Lions fans, I am one. Having said that ...

This game is really a great example of why I detest sports media and sports fandom. Not just fanboys but pundits falling all over themselves in talking about how it demonstrates how great the Lions are. We all know they should have lost the game, and if either of those field goals are a foot wider the story is about the interceptions and how Detroit laid an egg on the road and it was a needed awakening for a team that maybe was reading too much of their own hype, etc. Bad games happen for everyone ofc, but talk about missing the point. If Houston scores once in the second half they win anyway.

If a 2-win team comes back from a bunch of turnovers like that on the road, it's 'wow how did they pull that out' or 'what a collapse'. Nobody's going nuts saying 'this is why they're the best team in the league' and 'that proved to me they are Super Bowl worthy' and all this other utter horsecrap that's going on.

Yes, it's very true that the narrative often depends on who wins the game, but is that really worthy of being detested? Sports is a results oriented business. The margin between winning and losing can be razor thin and totally change the perception of a team.

It's true that if either of those kicks is a few inches to the right or left, respectively, the narrative changes dramatically. Yes, if Houston had scored once in the second half, they would have likely have won anyway. But, that's kind of a nonsense game to play. I mean, if Goff throws three fewer interceptions, the Lions could have won. That logic cuts both ways.

The Lions aren't a two win team, they're an eight win team. They have relied on their offense for the last couple of seasons and their defense finally came up big and held Houston scoreless in the second half, which shows that they can win games in different ways.

Yes, a lot the talk is overblown. That's the nature of the 24/7 sports news cycle and the need to feed the content machine. The narrative after the Packers game was how great the Lions were because they are so well coached and never make mistakes - they don't turn the ball over, they don't take a ton of penalties, they are a clean, solid team. Obviously, after the Houston game that narrative doesn't hold up all that well.

The Lions are a really good team. I think the Chiefs, Ravens, Bills and maybe Eagles are as good or better. As a fan of this team since 1980, I totally understand how difficult it is to hear them discussed as being a "great team" and a "Super Bowl team." It simply does not compute.