Right before the 2009 St. Louis Rams faced the Lions in week eight of last season, there was a sense that the Lions were beginning to turn the corner. They were set to face an 0-7 team and the Stafford craze was still going at full throttle.
The result was a pathetic showing and a 17-10 loss that put the Lions at 1-6. In the weeks that followed, the Lions had only won a single game – a gritty win over the Browns late last season – and the sense was the Lions had flipped the script back to being a losing team. On Sunday, the Lions made a statement against a team that mirrors their own.
Matthew Stafford and Sam Bradford. Both highly touted collegiate quarterbacks that came to teams with desperate need of support behind the center. Both have also faced a series of significant injuries throughout their football careers. In an ideal situation, these two QBs would have faced off against each other on Sunday. Instead, Shaun Hill decided to have a fairly flawless game, leading the Lions to a 44-6 victory.
Can this team continue this success through the next few weeks?
The initial thought is ‘not likely’ with a trip to take on the Giants next weekend. Coming out of the bye week they will also have to rumble with the Jets and Redskins coming to town. If Stafford can come back and be in synch with the offense, the Lions might be able to catch one of those teams sleeping.