Lions lose, 21-34, to Falcons in opener
Let me briefly qualify this blog post: I have been watching Detroit Lions football every Sunday since I was a little girl. I love football (not as much as hockey) and usually watch 1-3 NFL games a week depending on my schedule. I am sadly a Lions fan and cheer for them with every solid pass or tackle and yell at the TV with every interception, missed tackle, or fumble like any other NFL fan.
As a Lions fan, you have learned to expect mediocrity and possibly flashes of brilliance that are ruined by stupidity. After being a Lions fan for the past 15 years or so (I’m currently 21), I no longer hold high expectations for this team. As silly as it may sound, it hurts too much to get one’s hopes up only to have the team find a new way to disappoint you. Last season, I bought a jersey and tickets to the last regular season game when the Lions were 6-2. They finished 7-9. I now refuse to pay for tickets to a game or support the team financially until Matt Millen is gone (or by some miracle, the team makes the playoffs), but I will still watch the team play every week on TV.
So when I say that I’m not surprised the Lions lost their opening game, I truly mean it. Sure many of the pundits predicted a Lions win over the Atlanta Falcons and this was certainly a more winnable game for the Lions, but their loss and lacking of grabbing any lead during the game doesn’t surprise me any more. I refuse to predict a winning season for this organization any more because I don’t believe it will happen yet. Every year, we find ways to bring in some talented players via the draft, but struggle to put the talented pieces together in the puzzle called the NFL season.
Anyways, the Lions went 4-0 in the preseason (the only NFL team to go undefeated). Their first game of the regular season came against the Atlanta Falcons, who had quite a tumultuous season last year with the indictment of quarterback Michael Vick and their head coach Bobby Petrino quitting during the season. You could view this as a season of rebuilding in Atlanta making this game certainly doable for the Lions team.
However, the Lions defense, in particular, had other plans. In the first quarter, the Lions defense allowed three touchdowns. Our defense seemed to really struggle against Atlanta’s rushing game, particularly running back Michael Turner who ran for 220 yards in the game (a franchise single game record) including two touchdowns on 22 carries. Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan went 9/13, threw 161 yards, and threw a 62-yard touchdown pass on his first throw in the NFL. Ryan is only the eighth rookie quarterback to win his opening game since the merger in 1970. Atlanta fans should be pleased by the play of both Ryan and Turner today.
I’m a big fan of Jon Kitna, as a person. I’ve seen him speak to a group of U-M athletes and was impressed by his demeanor and fiery passion for the game, his family, and his faith. However, today was just not his day. I missed the first quarter so I can’t speak for any of his errors then. In the second, he missed a chance to easily run in for a TD and instead chose to attempt a pass to a teammate in the end zone resulting in an incompletion. As I told my dad over the phone, I could have crutched into the end zone with the amount of room Kitna had there. He then threw an interception in the next series (I believe). Then he runs the ball and slides too early missing the first down line. Had he taken one more step (which was certainly doable), Kitna would’ve had the first down. Instead, the Lions had to punt. In the fourth, he fumbled the ball (and then recovered it). On the next play, he rolled out to the left (instead of the more open right) facing a rushing defensive end John Abraham, who easily sacked him.
During the second quarter, Kitna was shown visibly upset and yelling on the sidelines. It sounded like he was angry with the lack of passing as the team is trying to focus its running game. Obviously that’s important to develop, but when you’re down by three touchdowns at the end of the first, it’s important to go with what works and that’s not running. With the size differential between Roy Williams (6′3″) and Calvin Johnson (6′5″) to the Falcons corners (who were 5′10″ and 5′11″ or so), they should have been easy targets but that too was difficult for this Lions team.
All in all, it was a frustrating loss albeit an unsurprising one for Lions fans.
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2 Responses to “Lions lose, 21-34, to Falcons in opener”
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September 7th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I’ve been a fan of the sad-sack Lions since childhood as well (recalling the days when they drafted Billy Sims), and the thing is, it could have all been so different. In 1984, they had a shot at beating the 49ers in San Francisco, but the sloppy Candlestick Park turf gave way as Eddie Murray attempted a 43 yarder, and as Monte Clarke’s head hung in misery, the Lions descended into a decades-long spiral of suck.
If that FG had gone through, the 49er’s dynasty might well have been nipped in the bud, and the mojo would have gone to the mighty Lions.
September 8th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I fear that admitting to being Lions fan is the ultimate in preparing for the worst. As you might expect, I too have been a Lions fan for many years. At least with the Lions there is no illusion that the glass is half full. Optimists have been becoming pessimists one by one since 1957. A dose of Lions football is an effective prescription for even the most difficult cases of positive thoughts.