MichiganCardinal

Once you’re in the playoffs it’s not about who the best team is, it’s about who can win three or four games in a row.

Minnesota’s not dead yet.

I guess I haven’t seen those as admonishments that go to a lack of work ethic so much as I have seen them as boiler plate coach talk. He’s been asked about Jamo as much as any other player despite the lack of playing time, he’s got to say something.

I'm not sure if this is fair. The problems with Jamo haven't been character, they've been just talent, and probably more accurately chemistry with Goff and the greater offense. I don't think the six-to-four-to-should-have-been-two-game suspension was a character issue so much as a young player recovering from injury who didn't know the rules. It's still on him to own, but it's very different from driving recklessly in a situation which led to a teammate's death.

There was a report before their game against the Bears that Jimmy G would be back against the Lions, but McDaniels today said publicly that Garoppolo's status for Monday is "unclear". I don't think it matters all that much, neither Garoppolo, nor Hoyer, nor Aidan O'Connell are exactly world beaters. Though Hoyer hasn't won a game since week four of 2016 and has still managed to make nearly $24 million over the course of six contracts since that win, so I kind of respect that. And yes, that 2016 win was over the Lions, because of course it was.

We'll likely never know about Moseley, but CJGJ sure seems like really bad luck more so than being a bad deal. I mean - a torn pec?? And I wouldn't put it past him to get back in time for the playoffs by the sound of it. He tore his pec like John Cena did when I was a kid, maybe he can run out of the Ford Field tunnel for the divisional round like Cena appeared for the Royal Rumble. And by reports, it sure seems like Holmes wanted to address the secondary in the first round and got sniped both at 6 and at 18. He wanted Witherspoon at 6, he went at 5. He wanted Gonzalez at 18, he went at 17. Sometimes that's just the way the cookie crumbles, and he got a pretty good consolation prize with Branch in the second round.

I maintain that this is just part of the Dan Campbell package. His run through a wall, kneecap biting mentality, where the team gives it 110% can only work x number of times per season. Sometimes your talent is enough to win ugly anyway, but there will be some number of games per season where the energy and the will to win just isn’t there and the other team pounds you to embarrassment. You hope you don’t get injured in the process and then on Tuesday you get back to work. Some games lend themselves to being easier to rile the troops. A 1pm road game at 5-1 where you’re in contention for #1 in the power rankings and the other team is gunning for you, no. Monday Night at home against a lesser opponent after getting your ass kicked, yes. I expect a relatively easy win. FWIW, Dan Campbell’s Lions are 6-2 against the spread after a loss by 14+. The only two losses ATS came in a row around this time last year, to Dallas and then Miami. They will bounce back.

I think we needed to execute better (for lack of a better term) to not completely embarrass ourselves. Actually winning is a different story, and it's impossible to see how close we could have been to winning without having first not completely embarrassed ourselves. To quote a famed Detroit roller coaster, "sometimes you're the windshield and sometimes you're the bug"... Yesterday, we were the bug.

Postmortem, I don’t know if any substantial conclusions can be made from this game. It was such a dud from beginning to end and was unlike any game we’ve played this season. Credit where credit is due, the Ravens came to play, but sheesh were the Lions bad. Charles Harris was a healthy scratch, which I thought was very interesting. We heard all off-season about how they trusted him, how he was their guy, and then he came out week one as a captain. He’s done next to nothing since, and is now a healthy scratch by week seven. I would like to get Maxx Crosby if he can be had. He’s such a cultural fit, a hometown guy, and his contract is such that it wouldn’t impact our ability to sign our homegrown core. I think he could be the James Houston addition we got last year that totally reinvented our defense. I don’t really want to give up a 1st, but with where it’s projected to be, I could live with giving one away for someone who would perform immediately like Crosby. I don’t think it’s realistic to get a top defensive back too. I’m also not sure it’s necessary. The defense has been strong, notwithstanding Baltimore. Maybe grab some unexciting depth, so Will Harris is not put into a position where he’s starting, but can rotate with someone else at most. But otherwise I think we are okay. To Lions: EDGE Maxx Crosby, DB Amik Robertson To Raiders: EDGE Julian Okwara, 2024 1st, 2024 4th, 2025 4th

vs. Setting: 10/30/2023 8:15pm on ABC and ESPN Site: Ford Field in Detroit, MI Weather: Climate Controlled Opening Spread: Lions -7.5 All-Time Series Record: Raiders lead, 7-6 Last Meeting: 11/03/2019, Raiders won 31-24 Las Vegas Raiders (3-4) Head Coach: Josh McDaniels (4th Season: 20-32) Projected Starting QB: Jimmy Garoppolo (10th Season: 43-19) Last Week: 30-12 L @ Chicago Bears (2-5) Looking Ahead to Week #9: Sunday v. New York Giants (2-5) Your Detroit Lions (5-2) Head Coach: Dan Campbell (3rd Season: 17-23-1) Projected Starting QB: Jared Goff (8th Season: 59-47-1) Last Week: 38-6 L @ Baltimore Ravens (5-2) Looking Ahead to Week #9: BYE Elsewhere in the NFL Primetime: Buccaneers @ Bills (TNF), Bears @ Chargers (SNF) 1:00pm: Texans @ Panthers, Vikings @ Packers, Rams @ Cowboys, Saints @ Colts, Patriots @ Dolphins, Jets @ Giants, Jaguars @ Steelers, Falcons @ Titans, Eagles @ Commanders 4:05/4:25pm: Browns @ Seahawks, Ravens @ Cardinals, Chiefs @ Broncos, Bengals @ 49ers

I don't really compare them against the Packers as much as I do the 49ers and Eagles. Hopefully that doesn't come back to bite me as we watch the North devolve into a **** throwing contest.

It's hard to make any conclusions from a performance like that. It was so bad on so many levels. If they play like that, they will lose to any of the 31 teams they play. No one or two additions will fix that. I would seriously consider it a wash when evaluating anyone but coaching (and that analysis needs to be done on a meta level, not in a vacuum).

That’s reassuring. I actually just went outside and it is a beautiful day, if anyone needed to know.

On the bright side, we aren’t the Bears

Me? Or TP? I was pissed for the first quarter or so but I’m sufficiently intoxicated now.

I fully believe this is a coaching loss. There is just a pattern at this point for a game every now and then where the team just does not show up. It sucks, but I would take this for 14-15 games a year where they give it 110% and win more often than not.

Lions should donate some funds to the poor fans who spent money to travel and attend this game.

Wouldn’t it be cool if we had a kicker who could make this

I was expecting this to be honest

If the Colts came back from 33-0 we can come back from 28-0. *ducks

Maybe it would be better if he didn’t have to come back to catch it

Just pull all the starters. Seriously. Take this loss on the chin, the final score doesn’t matter.

The four-yard route on 3rd and 12 will forever be an enigma

See what happens when we pass on 2nd down