The Lions and Chiefs squared off in a battle of undefeated teams in Week 4, but someone’s “0” had to go (boxing fans? anyone? [crickets]). Unfortunately for the Lions, their three-day reign atop the NFC North jungle has come to an end. Here are the Week 4 observations.

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My first watch of this one came from Ford Field, which was boomin’. I fully expected to have more complaints about the officiating after watching the broadcast. Now that the emotions have died down, and I have rehydrated after crying all the water from my system, I can say that the Lions’ massive self-inflicted wounds are most to blame. Let’s review some of the most impactful.

“Ball don’t lie” is a lie

Or maybe it only works for Rasheed Wallace.

One play following Kenny Golladay’s overturned TD in the 3rd quarter, Matthew Stafford fumbles the ball at the 5-yard line while trying to scramble. The Golladay catch was probably ruled correctly by the letter of the law, but who the hell knows what a catch is anyway? Stafford fumbling on the very next play, from deep in the red zone, simply cannot happen. Particularly not in a game with as little margin for error as this one. 

You’d like to see some good karma for the team that comes out on the wrong end of a judgment call (time, after time, after time…), but the Lions seem to be resistant to gifts from the football gods.

If ‘Sheed was in attendance, the play after the Golladay non-TD would have been a Chiefs missed free-throw.

The Kerryon goal-line fumble

Why do things always have to be so bizarre with this team? I am more certain that this one was called correctly when all was said and done, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. You often hear people refer to a turnover that leads to a score as a “___ point swing”. This is usually an over-simplification based on a lot of assumptions and theoreticals. If there was ever a time to use “14-point swing” accurately, this would be it. 

You can bleed-out from the damage of this self-inflicted wound. It directly impacted the score in the wrong direction, just as the Lions were about to punch KC in the mouth. Losing 99.5 yards of field position, on a largely unforced fumble, and having to watch Beshaud Breelund run back an uncontested touchdown, is just tough to overcome. Outside of the initial run stop, Kansas City really didn’t have to do much to earn this gift of a touchdown. Kerryon Johnson knows it too.  

The best (worst?) of the rest

Here’s some quick hitters to finish up the section of impactful/controversial plays that led to the Lions’ demise:

• Mike Ford taking Mecole Hardman to suplex city in the 2nd quarter. Looks cool, but not worth the flag.

• Frank Ragnow false start on a 4th & 1 attempt, thus forcing a field goal. What could have been?
• Roughing the passer in the 3rd quarter, a drive that ends in a go-ahead KC touchdown in 4th. This one looked pretty sketchy, but hurt nonetheless.
• Kerryon Johnson PI no call in end-zone. While this one is gaining traction as the next great Detroit screw-job, I relegate it to bulletpoint status, as the Lions worked their way down to the goal line shortly after. But we’ll make a mental note.

• No PI call on final play hail mary. Feels like we’re begging here, but could this have been called? Absolutely. Would I have been shocked if it was? Absolutely. Don’t the Lions have some good final play hail mary karma coming their way? THE BALL LIES, RASHEED!

That’s enough venting for one column. It’s time to pivot to just how well the Lions played in this one, despite the outcome. 

Studs = Next men up

You could field a quality squad with all of the players who missed this game or were lost to injury during it: Slay-Hand-Amendola-Daniels, a combined game lost for Diggs and Hockenson, plus several other rotational players. In their absence, the guys who were thrust into action stepped up and showed out. 

Filling in for Danny Amendola, Marvin Hall goes from Bears castaway, to Lions practice squad, to clutch 4th quarter playmaker in the span of a month. Mike Ford and Will Harris held down the fort admirably for Slay and Diggs. No Chiefs WR had more than four catches, and all were held to less than 55 yards. Logan Thomas’ number isn’t called often, but he delivers when needed, and is matching the season production of Jesse James.  

If any Lions position group was thought to have the depth to withstand injuries, you would have guessed it would be the defensive line. The way this game, and this season, have gone, this has the look of a deep and talented team all-around. 

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Gunslinger: Matthew Stafford

This man was the best quarterback on the field in this game. The bounce-back campaign continues for Stafford, who played a near-flawless game, outside of the 3rd quarter fumble (which, admittedly, was big). He just looks dialed in this season, and is playing the best football of his career as a whole. 

The numbers speak for themselves, and the eye test does too. But with Stafford, you always need extra ammo to keep the “SOL” horde at bay. According to The Athletic, Stafford was the most aggressive quarterback in the NFL in week 4, with 32% of his attempts coming with a defender within 1 yard of his intended receiver. Slingin’ it!

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Stafford has been criticized for his aggressiveness in the past, particularly in the Calvin Johnson era, where he seemed to be forcing the big play. I never fully agreed with this criticism, as throwing a 50-yard bomb that gets picked off isn’t appreciably worse than a punt, particularly if they come in “& long” situations. Stafford’s only two interceptions this season (vs. LAC) have equated to 100 yards of field position (49 and 51 yards, respectively). I’m big into risk/reward management, and generally won’t fault a guy for trying to make a big play, particularly when you factor in the chance for pass interference. 

If you are a Stafford critic when his aggressiveness backfires, you have to give him credit when it works, as it has this entire season. In his advanced age, Stafford is finding a marriage between aggressiveness and efficiency, which is what you want when you are trying to build a balanced offense. 

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Built Ford tough

This team is showing some physical and mental toughness that we haven’t seen…well…maybe ever where this franchise is concerned.

Bad hip and all, Matthew Stafford shed two tacklers and then lowered his shoulder into a third for a short gain. He capped it off with a staredown and a Nature Boy “Woo” to set Ford Field ablaze.

Isn’t that another Stafford criticism? That he isn’t a leader, or doesn’t show enough fire or all that other garbage that “SOL” people regurgitate all over themselves.

On the mental side, this team could have easily folded after their two back-breaking fumbles in the 3rd, but instead followed those possessions with two scoring drives (10 pts) to keep pace with Kansas City. The Lions are becoming the anti-Michigan, who rolls over at the first sign of adversity. 

Punch-Out!!

I’m loving the Lions’ new punch-out move , which seems to be their unofficial finishing maneuver this season. The whole team is getting in on the act, but Justin Coleman in particular has been on point. He even allowed Sammy Watkins to get up after a catch, just so he could attempt the punch-out (which worked). I can recall at least four of these in Sunday’s game, and Detroit now leads the NFL with six fumble recoveries this season. 

Final takeaway: Things are looking up

It’s hard to detach your perspective from the final score, but this team deserves better than “good teams find a way to win”. The Lions actually had fewer turnovers and penalty yards than Kansas City, but the narrative will be that the Lions’ mistakes cost them this game. The magnitude of the Lions’ mistakes was just so much greater. They need to own this and find a way to correct it, because beating a team like the Chiefs is hard enough on its own. They don’t need your help. 

That being said, the Lions look good. They look deep. They look well-coached. No one will be overlooking this team the rest of the way. The Lions were supposed to be the doormat of a loaded division. Do you know what happens when you lift up a doormat?

Sometimes you find a key.

I don’t know what that means. There’s no key under my doormat either, so don’t bother looking. 

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