Detroit Lions 2018 Pride of Detroit awards: Game of the Year

Unlike their wins in the past, the Detroit Lions victories in 2018 were not filled with thrilling finishes or outstanding comebacks. The Cardiac Cats hibernated for the year, and that was a little disappointing for a team that provided so much entertainment for the past five years or so.

That being said, their wins were of a completely different variety and one Lions fans aren’t very accustomed to: they straight up dominated the play and rode their way to a fairly easy wins. So it’s time to vote on the Detroit Lions 2018 Game of the Year.

Week 3: Lions 26, Patriots 10

The Matt Patricia era got off to a rough start. After downright awful performances against the 49ers and Jets, it looked like things were only going to get worse. Hosting the New England Patriots on national television looked like another opportunity to get embarrassed in front of a huge audience after the Monday night debacle a couple weeks prior.

But the Lions looked like a completely different team that Sunday night. They held Tom Brady to just 133 yards and a passer rating of 65.1—both figures would end up being Brady’s second-lowest output for the year.

But the real headlining news was Kerryon Johnson, who became the first Lions running back to hit 100 rushing yards in a game since Reggie Bush. The game also resulted in the best GIF of the year:

Week 7: Lions 32, Dolphins 21

Speaking of Kerryon Johnson, this game was his breakout week. Johnson would finish the first half with over 100 rushing yards and end with 158 rushing yards and a whopping 8.3 yards per carry.

The Lions offense was absolutely phenomenal all game, and we saw what Matthew Stafford was capable of with an actual running game. Stafford finished 18-of-22 for 217 yards, 2 touchdowns and a season-high 138.1 passer rating.

For the first—and only—time in 2018, we saw what the Lions’ offense was supposed to look like. The win also pushed the Lions to 3-3, and gave some real optimism that Detroit could compete in 2018.

Week 17: Lions 31, Packers 0

Well, it turned out the Lions weren’t going to be competitive in 2018, but the last week of the season provided Detroit the rare opportunity to sweep the Packers in back-to-back years. Though many were hoping the team would tank to land a top-five pick in the NFL Draft, it’s hard to ignore just how fun it was to shutout the Packers, the team’s first zeroing of an opponent in 22 years.

The game had just about everything: a swarming defense, another excellent performance from Stafford, a big rushing day from... Zach Zenner, and a trick play for the ages:

It’s always fun to beat the Packers, but it’s even better blowing them out.

VOTE: