postgame reaction – Syndication Server

Tracking the outrage over the controversial 2-pt. conversion call that decided the Lions loss

Tracking the outrage over the crazy 2-pt. conversion that decided the Lions loss on an apparent blown call

The Detroit Lions had a 21-20 win in Dallas over the Cowboys all but in the books. However, referee Brad Allen controversially decided that something that clearly happened did not.

Allen incorrectly ruled that left tackle Taylor Decker did not report as eligible before catching a brilliant 2-pt. conversion pass. Video evidence clearly indicates otherwise, as did postgame comments from Decker and many others.

The Lions subsequently failed on a last attempt to score the two points, eschewing chances to kick a game-tying extra point and going for the win.

Cue the outrage from pretty much everyone. And it’s warranted…

Taylor Decker ‘couldn’t be happier’ for winning NFC North for Detroit fans

Decker fought back tears talking about how happy he was to finally win the NFC North and how much he knows it means to Lions fans

As the longest-tenured member of the Detroit Lions, left tackle Taylor Decker has been through some things. A starter since he was the team’s first-round pick back in the 2016 NFL draft, Decker has earned a ton of respect for his spirited play and leadership, even in the face of some truly bad football.

Winning the division in Week 16 is something special to everyone, but especially for Decker. He was driven to tears right after the game, releasing years of frustration in tears of jubilant emotion.

Even a few minutes later, an emotional Decker teared up while giving an interview with ESPN’s Eric Woodyard. Decker was barely able to keep himself together while talking about how much the NFC North title meant to him and the Lions organization.

“It’s emotional, man,” Decker said after brushing aside a tear. “We’ve been through a lot of battles. It’s been a long time coming and it feels great.”

Decker continued,

“It feels great to just dig ourselves out of that hole that we were in and to become a team that people respect. It’s just cool to play meaningful games in December. All of our goals and everything, it’s right in front of us. I couldn’t be happier. I love this group. I love these coaches, the whole organization and the city of Detroit. They deserve it.”

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Quick takeaways from the Lions dominant win over Denver in Week 15

Lions takeaways on being the aggressor, rookies stepping up, defensive changes that worked and more from Week 15

A drama-free Lions win was atop many holiday wishlists, and Detroit delivered. Boy did they!

The Lions destroyed the visiting Denver Broncos, 42-17, in front of a raucous Ford Field crowd on Saturday night. The Lions dictated the terms in which the game would be played from the start and never relented in being the hunter and not the hunted.

They wore the mindset change well after struggling in recent weeks. This Week 15 victory was never really in doubt after Jared Goff hit his third touchdown pass of the first half to send the teams to the locker room with a 21-0 Detroit lead.

Here are some initial takeaways from watching Saturday night’s game as it played out.

Quick takeaways from the out-of-tune Lions in their loss to the Bears

Quick takeaways from a bad Detroit Lions loss in Chicago in Week 14

The Detroit Lions made some awful music in Week 14. Given a chance to dance to a potential division title as road favorites in Chicago, the Lions instead played out of tune and got run off the stage.

Cue the Limp Bizkit.

“It’s just one of those days”…

It certainly was one of those days when the Detroit Lions made their fans want to break stuff. A sloppy, discordant Lions team froze on the chilly stage in Soldier Field, falling 28-13 to the Chicago Bears in a game that strikes a troubling tune for Dan Campbell’s team.

Rollin’ the takeaways…

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Lions lose to the Packers: What they’re saying about Detroit’s Week 12 loss

Lions lose to the Packers: What they’re saying about Detroit’s Week 12 loss on Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving table was set so nicely for the Detroit Lions. The 8-2 Lions were off to their best start in 61 years and welcomed a beaten-up Packers team with a losing record into Ford Field. Instead of feasting, the Lions laid a turkey egg of a game on national television.

Here’s what folks are saying about the Lions’ 29-22 loss to the Packers on Thanksgiving.

Best social media reactions from the Lions preseason win over the Giants

The Lions came out looking fierce to kickoff the preseason and made some splash plays along the way that social media loved

The Detroit Lions kicked off what is expected to be a big season for the franchise on Friday. The offense flashed, lots of playtime for Jameson Williams, and the defense looked good from top to bottom. Overall it was about as successful a preseason game as any coach and team could hope for.

Of course with any NFL game, preseason or non, social media tends to get buzzing on any big plays made.

For the Lions, special teams, defense, and offense all ended up contributing their fair share. The stars of the night however may have been the fans of the environment they created. Coach Dan Campbell talked about it last year and through training camp, the fans mean so much towards the success this team can have.

Here are the social media posts that stood out most against the Giants.

Overmatched, undermanned Lions hammered in Seattle in Week 17 blowout

Overmatched, undermanned Detroit Lions team gets hammered in Seattle in a Week 17 blowout

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Sunday’s trip to Seattle to face the Seahawks felt a lot more like a preseason game than a Week 17 contest.

Through that prism, the blowout 51-29 loss is a little more palatable. If the focus of the game was to see what the bottom-of-the-roster and practice squad players thrust into starting roles all over the Lions lineup could do, we did get some answers there. And not all of them were negatives, though there were a lot more nays than yeas.

In terms of an actual competitive football game, the Lions had no chance. Starting seven rookies overall and without over a dozen regulars from even six weeks ago, the undermanned Lions had no real chance. Tim Boyle at QB throwing to KhaDarel Hodge as the top outside receiver, with Tommy Kraemer starting at right guard and a tight end, Jared Pinkney, who was on the Rams practice squad on Monday, yeah … it went exactly as you might expect.

And that meager offense was handily the better of Detroit’s two units in Seattle. Demoted safety Will Harris was the Lions’ top cornerback and played exactly as you’d expect a player often tabbed as the NFL’s worst coverage safety might while trying to cover talented Seahawks WR DK Metcalf. Metcalf scored three touchdowns — one versus the other Lions starting CB, rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu, who would normally be 6th on the depth chart. It didn’t help that the pass rush, prominently featuring backups Austin Bryant and Julian Okwara, did very little to impact QB Russell Wilson all day.

The coverage was unacceptable, even for practice squad refugees. The tackling was even worse, and that was a problem for the few regulars (LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin, DT John Penisini, DE Levi Onwuzurike, S Dean Marlowe) who were in the lineup too.

Dan Campbell’s team did not pack it in. True to their head coach’s character, they fought hard. There just wasn’t any juice to squeeze out of the lemon of a roster the dilapidated Lions took with them to Seattle. It wasn’t unexpected given the myriad injuries, but it was still little consolation to see random guys in Lions uniforms getting so thoroughly outclassed by the worst Seahawks team since Matt Millen was running the Lions.

There were bright spots for Detroit. Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to look like a legit weapon without having any real help at all at wide receiver. Left tackle Taylor Decker caught a touchdown pass. The play designs and playcalling continue to look better than they did earlier in the season, showing more aggression and creativity. D’Andre Swift returned to the lineup and didn’t get hurt again.

That’s the feel of the final preseason game. It’s not a good feeling in January.

Plucky, undermanned Lions fall to Falcons despite a strong effort

The Lions lost in Atlanta but kept it close despite playing backups all over the lineup

Sometimes when the Detroit Lions lose a game in the way they dropped Sunday’s 20-16 bummer in Atlanta, it can be infuriating. Tim Boyle’s maddeningly awful decision that snuffed out the chance to secure the comeback win might see some projectiles launched and obscenities screamed.

Not today. Not with the injury-depleted, wildly inexperienced roster the Lions trotted out against the Falcons and how close they came to pulling off the improbable upset on the road.

Yes, the loss stings. It was, despite the dilapidated roster on both sides of the ball, a winnable game. And Detroit nearly pulled it off with Tim Boyle throwing to Tom Kennedy and Craig Reynolds toting the rock on the final drive to try and win the game. None of those guys ever sniff the field if the Lions are healthy, not even the underwhelming roster in Detroit this year. But they were on the spot in Atlanta and darn near pulled it off.

Coach Dan Campbell had what’s left of his team ready to play and dialed up a game plan that worked, by and large. They were aggressive when they needed to be, including a brilliant fake punt and smart choices on two other fourth-down conversions. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn brought pressure to help greenhorn corners Ifeatu Melifownu and Will Harris in coverage. They made life difficult for Falcons QB Matt Ryan and superb rookie TE/WR Kyle Pitts.

Asking the set of practice squad refugees and undrafted free agents littering the Lions roster to stay close in this game was tough. But they did just that. Detroit had a chance to win the game without:

QB Jared Goff, RB D’Andre Swift, TE T.J. Hockenson, the top 4 projected CBs, top LB Alex Anzalone, starting pass rushers Romeo Okwara and Trey Flowers, and still too many others to list. During the game they lost fullback Jason Cabinda and tight end Shane Zylstra, who is a great example of the depths of the roster. Zylstra is an undrafted rookie signed from the practice squad. Oh a healthy Lions roster, he’s no higher than sixth on the depth chart at a position where the team typically plays just two. But there he was getting significant reps and acquitting himself nicely.

Did they make dumb mistakes and get exposed at times for just not being that talented? Of course they did. They also made a lot of plays, more than the scant crowd in Atlanta expected. More than a lot of Lions fans expected. It’s cliche to be proud of the underdog in a good effort that falls short, but it’s hard to summon any other emotion than pride in what the Lions did in the loss in Atlanta.

Teams of lesser character would have been blown away (see: Carolina Panthers or New York Giants). Not these Lions. In a game nobody expected them to win, they came within 10 yards and one bad play from pulling it off.