Monday open thread: Do you feel better, worse or the same after the Lions’ loss to the Seahawks?

You’d think after watching the NFL for decades now, you’d get used to seeing a letdown performance. “Any Given Sunday” is a popular slogan of the league for a reason. You constantly have to prove your worth every week of the season, and one down day can ruin the progress you’ve made in past weeks.

But as the Lions entered Week 8 on a two-game winning streak, it’s hard not to feel at least a little devastated from their performance against the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle dominated Detroit in all three phases of the game, and just when it seemed like the Lions may work their way back into the game, Bad Stafford showed up and ruined everything.

It’s just one week, and based on how this season has gone so far, we may see the Lions come out and dominate the Vikings next week, but, for now, today’s Question of the Day is:

Do you feel better, worse or the same after the Lions’ loss to the Seahawks?

My answer: A little worse.

If there’s anything I’ve learned from this season—and something we really should’ve known anyway—it’s to not overreact to one week.

Admittedly, this game felt like a litmus test, and it was one the Lions thoroughly failed. But it was one performance, and the team’s identity is not defined by a single game.

Are there some consistent issues to this team? Absolutely. The defense is still very bad and has been in almost every game this season. Detroit’s pass defense is statistically one of the worst in the league, and there doesn’t appear to be any relief on the way... unless you’re hoping Ziggy walks through that door and immediately returns to his 2015 self. There is still reason for optimism the run defense improves, as “Snacks” already looks like the real deal. As soon as he’s ready for full-time snaps, Detroit should see at least minor improvement.

And while the Lions schedule looks absolutely daunting, we’ve seen them pull off some surprising upsets, and they’re just a game out of first place in the division. Unfortunately, with some of the teams they’ve lost to, I believe winning the NFC North is their only realistic path to the postseason, but I’m not counting that out yet.

Your turn.