A Sense of Doubt blog post #3623 - The Detroit Lions - An Historic Season
This post is a cheat. I usually don't do something like this. I am posting this entry backwards in time to before the game and yet including the recap of the game that started seven some hours after the publication time of this blog entry.
And then, I decided to go ahead with this post with the game report and the tears. As well as the historic records if this season. The best season in Detroit Lions history.
And after spending my whole life expecting them to lose, because that's what they usually do, when I start expecting them to win that trend can only last so long.
I am sad, but I did not invest emotionally like I did with the Pistons in 2005 or the Tigers in 1987. I have learned to distance my feelings.
Dan Campbell's Detroit Lions upset by Washington Commanders
Eric Woodyard, ESPN
DETROIT -- It was a somber scene inside the Detroit Lions locker room Saturday night as players left Ford Field disappointed.
After a magical regular-season run, the top-seeded Lions suffered a 45-31 upset loss to the Washington Commanders behind a five-turnover performance in the NFC divisional round matchup.
Coach Dan Campbell got emotional afterward while trying to discuss what the record-setting 15-win season and the players meant to him following the Lions' playoff elimination.
It was difficult for him to put the loss into words. The Lions became the first team in NFL history to lose a playoff game when having 300-plus pass and 200-plus rushing yards.
"We just didn't play great, and I mentioned we didn't complement each other and that's the same thing. At the end of the day, I didn't have them ready," Campbell said. "It's hard to look at it."
After Lions All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown completed his postgame interviews, veteran quarterback Jared Goff sat beside him at his locker before putting his face in his hands.
Goff also received a hug from safety Kerby Joseph. His teammates supported him after a tough game where he threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. He finished 23-for-40 for 313 yards with a touchdown, but also briefly exited the game in the second quarter to be evaluated for a concussion after absorbing a big hit during Commanders safety Quan Martin's pick-six.
"I'm still kind of processing this. I'm going to have some hard nights coming up unfortunately. It's hard. I wish I could give you guys a better answer right now," Goff said. "It's disappointing. It's hard. We had everything we wanted. Home field advantage, the fans were incredible and unfortunately, we just let it slip out of our hands."
In a back-and-forth first-half battle, the Lions trailed by 10 at halftime. With 52 points combined, it matched the highest scoring first half in any game since the 2019 divisional playoffs between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, according to ESPN Research.
Campbell described the beginning of the game as being "odd" as the Lions struggled to find a groove. On the defense's second play, starting cornerback Amik Robertson left the contest and wouldn't return after breaking his arm. He will undergo surgery Sunday, according to Campbell.
Robertson joined a long line of injuries, notably on defense, as Detroit was playing with 16 players on the injured reserve list. Still, Campbell refused to make any excuses and said the loss didn't hurt any extra, based upon their No. 1 seeding.
"No. It just hurts to lose, man, and I don't care if you're the seven seed, six seed, five seed, one seed, because I've lost at all of them damn near and it stings," Campbell said. "And it hurts ... it hurts."
After missing the past three regular-season games with an MCL injury, running back David Montgomery returned with seven carries for 28 yards. However, Detroit's other running back, Jahmyr Gibbs, continued to establish himself as a bona fide star with two touchdowns. Gibbs' 22 scrimmage touchdowns this season tied NFL great Gale Sayers (1965) for the most in a season by a player 22 years old or younger.
The Lions led the league in scoring (33.2 points per game) during the regular season. They won the NFC North for the second year in a row.
Detroit also captured every road game for the first time in a season while winning 11 straight contests, but as great a campaign it was for the organization, it was too soon for Campbell to reflect on those achievements following the crushing defeat to the Commanders.
"No. I just think it's just not the time, man. It's hard when you lose, and you lose these games, man," Campbell said as he fought back tears. "It's like the players, what they put into it. A lot of people don't know what they go through. You have to get up, body's beat to s---, mentally stay locked in and do those things, so long season."
Before the Lions get underway in the in the most anticipated playoff run in a generation, let’s take a moment to stop and consider what this team just accomplished.
In its 15-2 season that saw it earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Lions set a host of franchise and even NFL records in a variety of categories. From team offense to individual offense to even punting, the Lions put their names all over the record book in 2024.
Here’s a sampling:
2: Consecutive division titles, a first in franchise history
1: The Lions' playoff seed in the NFC, also a first
15: Wins, the most ever for a Lions team. The Lions are the ninth team to record 15 or more wins in a season.
8-0: The Lions’ road record as they became the 11th team in NFL history to go undefeated on the road.
564: Points scored, a franchise record and the fourth-most in a season in NFL history. The Lions' 70 touchdowns is also tied for fourth-most ever and Detroit led the NFL at 33.3 points per game.
+222: The Lions’ point differential, the best in the NFL. The Lions hadn’t led the league in point differential since 1952.
10: Games with 30-plus points, a franchise record
6,962: Total yards, a franchise record and sixth-most in NFL history. The 410 first downs is the fifth-most in a season in league history.
46.2: Jack Fox’s net punting average, an NFL single-season record
20: Total touchdowns for Jahmyr Gibbs, a franchise record. Jamaal Williams and Barry Sanders held the previous record of 17.
5: 100-yard rushing games for Gibbs, the most in a season by a Lions player since Barry Sanders in 1997
4: Consecutive games by Gibbs of at least 100 scrimmage yards and a touchdown, tied for the longest streak in franchise history
1,900, 16, 4: Scrimmage yards, rushing touchdowns and receiving touchdowns for Jahmyr Gibbs. He’s the first NFL player to hit those three marks in a season since David Johnson in 2016.
3,000, 30: The number of scrimmage yards and touchdowns for the Lions’ running backs. The last backfield to hit both of those numbers was the 2006 Chargers.
9: Games in 2024 in which Jared Goff completed 75 percent of his passes. He passed Tom Brady for the most in a single season in NFL history
72.4: Goff’s completion percentage, the fourth-highest in NFL history.
3: Seasons that Goff has recorded 4,500 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns. Only five other quarterbacks have accomplished that feat: Patrick Mahomes, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Dan Fouts
142: Points by kicker Jake Bates, most in franchise history; Bates made 26 of 29 fields goals and 64 of 67 extra points.
413: Punt return yards for Kalif Raymond, tops in the NFL
146: Career receptions for Sam LaPorta, the most by a tight end through two seasons in NFL history
Latest Detroit Lions news:
- Lions All-Pro center bummed about loss, but ‘healthier than ever’ for offseason
- What’s next for Aaron Glenn after Lions’ defense lit up by Commanders?
- Report: Lions CB underwent surgery, expected back for offseason program
- Dungeon of Doom: Lions are 1-and-done after crushing playoff loss to Commanders
- Jared Goff’s turnovers doom Lions in shocking playoff loss: ‘I wish I could have played better’
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- Days ago: MOM = 3487 days ago & DAD = 143 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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