Detroit Lions Week 11 Song of the Game: “messy” by serpentwithfeet

In the fallout of Week 11’s matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Carolina Panthers, almost every conversation I’ve had with fans has led with the same sentiment: “The Panthers lost that game.”

Whether it be Riverboat Ron’s fault for going for two after Carolina scored a touchdown late, or Cam Newton’s indecisiveness in that critical moment, the Panthers are shouldering the load of the blame for dropping this game.

And well, frankly, who has time to care about this game when a date with the NFC-North leading Chicago Bears is just two sun and moon exchanges away?

Lions-Panthers Week 11 Song of the Game: “messy” by serpentwithfeet

I’ve been sitting alone for hours
Waiting for you to bring your ugliest parts to me

After dropping three straight games, the Lions season looked to be spiraling into a messy mess the likes of which we haven’t witnessed since 2012. But then, as befitting Matt Patricia’s 2018 Detroit Lions, they won a game against a team with a winning record no one was anticipating them winning.

So with this, a theme emerges: Detroit’s wins over teams with former MVP quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Cam Newton will serve as nothing more than a footnote to history after the team has dropped games to teams led by Sam Darnold, Dak Prescott, and Mitch Trubisky.

Each time you deny my mess
You’ll find yourself closer to me, closer to me

Be that as it may, Detroit is 4-6; the playoffs are nothing more than a mirage, but so long as you arrive each Sunday with that understanding understood, you’ll be good. These games are this year’s iteration of Lions football, and as you put out those expectations you might have had back in August, you’ll better find yourself enjoying gameday. You’re all set.

When you’re burnt down and you’re praying for rain
Can I wish for flood? Is that OK?

Plenty of Lions Twitter were resigned before Week 11, ready for the team to #PlayDeadForEd or #BOFA4BOSA. The season was a lost cause at 3-6, and not much has changed with a single victory over Carolina—especially with the loss of Kerryon Johnson for the foreseeable future.

It’s entirely fine if you want the Lions to turn around their franchise with a good draft in 2019, but nothing about the way this team finishes in the standings is going to keep Bob Quinn and company from drafting well other than themselves. The defense needs a lot of new and different pieces, the offense needs to add depth, and the Lions have nine draft picks to help make that happen. Tanking for a better draft position doesn’t guarantee you anything but a chance to pick before other teams.

But tanking? Super not fun to root for each gameday, y’know? Especially when there are things like this to watch and enjoy:

Each week, we’ll use a song to describe our feeling or the Lions’ performance from the previous game. At the end of the year, we’ll have a complete Spotify playlist telling the story of the Lions’ 2018 season. You can check out the 2017 playlist here, and our explanations for our choices here. This year’s selections are in the Spotify list below.