As a way to look back on the 2010 NFL season, USA Today's Sean Leahy put together a list of the most memorable moments from the year. The list includes the best moments, as well as the worst moments, and the Detroit Lions appear once in each category.
In the "best" category, the Lions are honored for having the most outstanding late-season recovery.
Detroit won its final four games to finish 6-10 and provided hope to fans in the Motor City for the first time in a long time. The streak snapped a skid of five wins in the previous 52 games and ended historic streaks of 19 consecutive losses in the NFC North and 26 in a row on the road — an NFL record.
I don't think there's any doubt about how great the recovery was, just as I don't think there's any doubt that the choice for the worst ending to a game during the 2010 season was the right one.
Calvin Johnson's non-touchdown: The visiting Detroit Lions appeared to notch a go-ahead touchdown in Week 1 vs. the Chicago Bears with Johnson's apparent catch in the end zone with 24 seconds left. But officials, saying Johnson did not maintain possession of the ball after he and the ball hit the ground, quickly overruled the touchdown. The controversial call preserved a 24-19 win for the Bears.
Unlike past seasons where the Lions could have been part of a different category on the worst moments of the season list, at least this time it was only because of a controversial call that went against them. Being part of the list for having the worst coaching or making the worst free agent signing, for example, thankfully seems to be a thing of the past for the Lions.