Monday open thread: Do you feel better, worse or the same after the Lions’ win over the Panthers?

Just when you thought you were done with the Detroit Lions, they pull you back in. Three straight blowout losses and you figured not only were this team’s playoff chances gone forever, but their competitive spirit was likely dormant until 2019 OTAs.

And while the Lions’ playoff chances still remain a very long shot, Detroit came out and competed in a serious manner against a 6-3 Carolina Panthers team. And Sunday wouldn’t end with a moral victory, it would end with a real one. Sure, it took a little bit of goal post luck and Cam Newton inaccuracy to seal the deal, but Detroit made just enough plays to win the game.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

Do you feel better, worse or the same after the Lions’ win over the Panthers?

My answer: It’s almost impossible for me to feel any worse after last week’s ugly loss to the Bears, but there’s actually some reason to be happy this Monday morning. The Lions’ running game made its triumphant return against the Panthers, and it helped Detroit’s offense control the tempo of the game.

The defense, while it was off to an extremely rough start and had an equally ugly finish, made enough plays in the middle of the game to hold a good Panthers offense to just 19 points. You can’t say enough about how drastic the Lions’ run defense has changed since adding Damon Harrison Sr., and that should have you excited for the next two seasons with “Snacks.”

That being said, it’s hard to get too amped about this win. The Lions’ pass defense is still a trainwreck, and Detroit’s offense could not finish drives to put the game away late. Throw on Kerryon Johnson’s injury to the heap, and my expectations for the 2018 season remain relatively low.

Still, it’s impressive to see this team compete and fight against very talented opponents. We haven’t really seen that in some time.

Your turn.