2019 Detroit Lions Awards: Game of the Year

The Detroit Lions’ 2019 season will mostly try to be forgotten. There weren’t a lot of games to remember, and the ones that are worthy of keeping were tucked away early in the season. An nine-game losing streak to end the year is a good way to forget all of the good times that came in September.

But let’s try to hold onto some of those memories, because nothing is ever as bad as it seems with the Detroit Lions... or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.

Here are your nominees for the 2019 Detroit Lions Game of the Year.

(See all other award nominations here)

Week 3 win over Eagles, 27-24

This game had a little bit of everything: a special teams touchdown, a furious comeback by the Eagles, a fullback leap, and a nail-biting finish for the Lions.

Perhaps most exciting of all, this game will go down as a rare win in Matthew Stafford’s ridiculous road-wins-over-a-team-with-a-winning-record category, as the Eagles finished 9-7 on the year.

Week 4 loss to Chiefs, 30-34

There may be no game more representative of the Detroit Lions than this one. You had all the makings of a typical game. You had the extremely unfortunate officiating controversy when Kerryon Johnson fumbled at the 1-yard line and it was returned 100 yards for a touchdown. You had Matthew Stafford playing his ass off, only for the defense to blow a huge upset in the final seconds. And you had Lions fans feeling relatively good following a loss. Hell, Anthony Hitchens was there to give Lions fans nightmarish flashbacks to that dreaded Cowboys playoff game, too.

But when you look back at it, it was a highly entertaining game against what would be the 2019 Super Bowl Champions.

Week 6 loss to the Packers, 22-23

Coming out of the bye at a fairly confident 2-1-1, the Lions had a huge opportunity to make a statement on “Monday Night Football,” taking on the 4-1 Packers. Through three quarters, the Lions did exactly that. Starting with a flea-flicker, the Lions asserted their dominance, jumping out to a convincing 13-0 lead halfway through the second quarter.

Green Bay quickly worked their way back, tying the game by the early third quarter, but Detroit continued to carry the play, earning three straight field goals and taking a nine-point lead into the final 10 minutes of the game.

The last moments of the game were marred by two illegal hands to the face penalties on Trey Flowers that had the entire nation screaming foul, and the rest of the Lions’ season seemed to die at Lambeau.

Week 17 loss to the Packers, 20-23

It what felt like a near identical game to the one in Lambeau, the Lions, again, jumped out to an early lead. The Lions, playing for nothing, were handling the Packers, who were in contention for a first-round bye in the playoffs.

But, again, the Lions couldn’t hold their lead, which grew to 17-3 at halftime. There was no controversy this time around to give fans something to cling to, but there was a pretty kickass trick play.