I wonder how much went in to letting the Detroit Lions not only play in a premier game, but host a divisional game on Monday night.  Was it the fact that they won 4 games and showed that they could win, was it the fact that they were in every game they played last year? Calvin Johnson, Ndamukong Suh, Jahvid Best and Matthew Stafford? They won games with 3 different QB's? I'm not really sure, but I have a theory outside of the obvious of just improvement.

Maybe letting the Vikings and Giants play in Detroit on Monday night and the buzz it created had something to do with it? 

You have to think how much relief that was to the commissioner to be able to throw a Monday night game together that fast in the successful way that it was orchestrated.  It was a very cool thing that the Lions organiztion did and it bailed the league out so to speak. All of the money that the NFL would've lost wouldn't have been a good thing. Ford I'm sure didnt make a killing from one Monday night game either, but it was a classy move nonetheless.

Don't get me wrong, the Lions are much more improved than they were the last time they played in a Monday night game, a 35-0 blowout against the Rams with the incumbent leaders Mornhinweg and Millen . They have an all-pro DT, a pro-bowler WR, a slew of pro-bowl caliber talent, a quarterback when healthy has the potential to be elite, a smart coach with a solid staff for three straight seasons, and a GM with a plan. Playing the Chicago Bears who got lucky in both games last year with the "process" game in Chicago and the bogus uneccessary roughness call against Suh on Cuntler.

This Monday night game will be exciting and well worth the Monday night slot, but I ask you what's the real reason for the Monday night game?