While watching yesterday's Lions game, I had to pinch myself. The Lions, who I had expected to get beat convincingly by New England, were actually winning a tight game. The Lions have lost several close games this season, during the fourth quarter, by committing an inexcusably high frequency of turnovers that when combined with numerous costly penalties are the lethal cocktail that prevents them from being able to find victory .
The Lions outplayed the Patriots for most of the game. The Patriots played poor enough that they seemed willing to let a victory unexpectedly fall into the Lions lap's. Instead, the Lions were allowed the game to get away from them at it's most crucial juncture. The Lions assumed a 21-13 lead and kicked off to the Patriots. During that kickoff, Lions LB Donte Curry, a special teams ace, committed a late hit penalty near the sidelines. From that point on, I knew that the Lions were going to allow the game to unravel. The Patriots marched efficiently down the field, nearly at will, and gained a quick score. Many "couch coaches" would have expected the Patriots to kick a PAT, and be glad to kickoff to the Lions down a point with nearly 5 minutes left. The Pats opted to go for a two point conversion attempting to tie the game, which they converted with ease.
The Lions received the ball with game tied 21-21 and were unable to move the ball. The Patriots took possession of the ball and Tom Brady threw a costly interception. The Lions, rather than seizing the opportunity they had been given, turned the ball back over immediately after the Patriots had. Jon Kitna dropped back to pass during that possession and was immediately engulfed by a Patriots pass rush. Patriots LB Roosevelt Colvin was able to create the game-changing turnover by slapping the ball from Kitna's hands. The Patriots were able to score quickly and essentially put the game out of reach.
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.
