Lions vs. Falcons: What Just Happened

You want to know what just happened? Ill tell you what just happened. The NFL, once again, screwed the Detroit Lions. Not only that, they cheated football fans in Detroit and even in Atlanta. Another stupid rule that never comes into question 19 times out of 20. Not to mention, it’s not the Lions’ fault that the refs made the wrong call on the field. Which is why the call needed to be reviewed the way it was.

There’s nothing the NFL can say that will make me feel any different about it. They can talk about fairness all they want, but there’s nothing fair about ending a football game on the one-yard line with a ten second runoff. Especially when it comes in your biggest matchup of the week.

Bu congrats to the NFL. You managed to top yourselves every time. Process of the catch, The Jim Schwartz call on Thanksgiving, the phantom face mask call and the batted ball. Forgive me if I forgot any of them.

Sorry for the rant, but this league and its rules continue to be joke.

So anyways, the Lions lost 30-26. Here’s my thoughts and stuff.

Defense played well/Really bad

Somehow the Lions’ defense was able to give up two passing touchdowns , one rushing score and forced exactly one punt, yet still win this game in my heart. The Lions’ turnover streak continued as they picked off Matt Ryan three times, two by Darius Slay.

Do you see Slay now?

Speaking of Darius, he was masterful all day. He lined up across from one of the best receivers in the game, Julio Jones, and handled his business. Slay ended the day with five tackles, three passes defensed and two interceptions. This begs the question: When is the NFL and mainstream sports media going to start noticing this guy? I’d like to think tomorrow.

Run game is still bad

The Lions tried and tried all day to get their run game going, but to no avail. The Lions rushed for 71 yards on 19 carries. That’s also between three different players. That is not good. While the Lions won this game in a world where stupid rules don’t exist, they must improve upon this if they hope to keep competing in this league.

Everything else on offense was bad too?

It sucks to have to say this, but if the Lions would have handled businesses on offense all day, and not punted or stalled out for field goals so many times, they wouldn’t have had to worry about stupid rules like this.

The Lions offense was a mess. They looked nothing like the the team that performed so well the previous two weeks. Then again, the Falcons are a really good team.

They’ll be facing more good teams in 2017. They need to put offensive performances like this in their rear view mirror right away.

Matt Prater is not a human being

Now I was going to save this for another day. Perhaps not one where the NFL decided to throw the old screwgi at the lions, but we here at Pride of Detroit were able to get the tape of Matt Praters’ birth. It wasn’t easy, but here’s our exclusive footage.

Yes. Matt Prater was sent back by Skynet to murder field goals, and he did just that on Sunday. Money Matt hit 4-of-4, including two from 50+ yards. the Lions should thank their lucky stars they have him.

Oh yeah, this team is for real

Yeah, they didn't win, and yeah that sucks, but don’t let that fool you into forgetting that the Lions hung in there and technically beat one of the best teams in the NFL. We all came into this game wondering if the Lions could be a team that could contend for big things in 2017.

Detroit proved they were more than capable of doing so. They picked off the reigning MVP three times. They moved the ball down field when they needed to. They won this game. The results don’t show in the standings, but they will.

Not every game is going to end like this, but if the Lions keep playing the way they’re playing, you’d better brace yourself for a very fun season.

Protests

Okay, I’m going to end today’s piece by talking about the protests that happened early in the day. The Lions, along with Martha Ford and her daughters, protested racial inequality and President Trump’s comments on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

It truly was a powerful moment in time, and a moment that made me proud to be a fan of this team. I won’t ask you to change your world view. I cannot do that. But what I will ask you to do is have your own world view.

Do not let narratives about the flag and our troops distract you from what this is really about. Do not let something like a player’s salary make you think that they are exempt from being marginalized from racial injustice.

I ask you to open your mind and step out of your comfort zone. Strike up a conversation with somebody that doesn’t look like you or hold your same beliefs. Try to understand that the world is a big place and not everyone feels the same, and, more importantly, not everyone has to feel the same.

That’s all I have to say about that. After the way this weekend has gone and after the way the NFL screwed the Lions, there is no better day for a song like this one.