By: Mike from Pittsburgh

It’s come to my attention that this blog has been flooded with Lions content since it launched earlier this year. No offense to the Polish Prince, but if I wanted to watch large cats get neutered every Sunday I’d visit my local animal shelter.
 
Speaking of neutered cats, yesterday Carolina Panther’s quarterback Cam Newton stated he no longer feels safe during games and that unflagged hits were taking the fun out of the game for him. Cam Newton plays a sport were 220-350 pound men are paid to hit him. He also plays a position where he holds the game's most important object, thus subjecting him to a hit, almost every play he’s on the field. He doesn’t slide when he runs past the line of scrimmage, nor does he get rid of the ball quickly when big men with bad intentions are disregarding Newton’s safety.

Cam Newton’s job is to move the ball towards the goal line. There are eleven men whose job it is to prevent Newton from moving forward by any means necessary. Newton’s criticism of the officials failing to protect him is also unfounded when you consider he has benefited from more roughing the passer penalties since 2013 than Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady.

The NFL also tracks the number of missed roughing the passer penalties per game and since 2013, the refs have failed to protect Newton three times. Eleven other quarterbacks have had more missed roughing the passer calls against them, but I don’t expect you’ll be hearing Geno Smith or Andrew Luck requesting a meeting with Roger Goodell to discuss how the commissioner can make football more fun for them.
 
Cam Newton is a selfish whiner. This is a guy who didn’t dive after his own fumble during the most important game of his career.

Now, leading a 2-5 Carolina Panthers team, Newton’s not enjoying himself. Of course that couldn't possibly be due to the fact that he has the lowest completion percentage and quarterback rating of his career, or that his team is in a better position for the #1 overall pick in the draft as opposed to the #1 seed in the NFC.

Cam Newton had an incredible 2015 season behind one of the best offensive lines in football, with a terrifying defense to match. This year things haven’t come so easy for Cam and the rest of the Panthers. Newton’s complaints about not having fun or feeling safe aren’t the words of leadership you’d expect from the face of a franchise. Cam wants to get back to celebrating and giving footballs out to kids. It turns out it’s not as fun being a losing quarterback. Remember how much he enjoyed "dabbing" last year? Opposing defenses sure do.

EDITORS NOTE: "Mike from Pittsburgh, I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don't have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of blogging skills. Skills I have acquired over a very short career. Skills that make me a not very intimidating presence for people like you. If you stop going for my seat on the blogging throne now that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you."- The Polish Prince

By: The Polish Prince

​This was the annual “What the hell was that?” game. How do I know? Because I said, “What the hell was that” probably 20 times. Whether it be the defense not stopping the run, an errant pass or dropped ball, coaching decisions, or officiating. All around it was a sloppy game that the Lions should have won. Its not the fact that they lose these games but the way that they lose them is so frustrating.  They never just flat out lose a game. They always string the fan base along for 60 minutes and make the same mistakes that they made is previous loses. The sick part of this game was that I fully expected for Matt Stafford to get the ball with less than two minutes and march the team down the field for the game tying score.
 
The Good:

• Not Available

 
The Bad:

• Matt Stafford: This game really cooled off the MVP talk and brought out the critics. He wasn’t his usual sharp self, 27/41, and he missed a lot of easy throws. He had one really bad interception in the first half on a wheel route where he didn’t even see the safety coverage over top. It looked like he just turned and threw it. Need sharper play out of Matt. This team goes as he goes.
• Special Teams: They had a block in the back penalty called that negated a huge return (even if it was a bad call, it was called none the less) and they missed a field goal. They did have a nice return on the Lions final drive but that missed field goal was too bad to think that this unit played up to standards. Anything inside 50 yards needs to be automatic.

 
The Ugly:

• The Defense: When you look at the scoreboard it doesn’t look like too bad of a day, but don’t let it fool ya. In the first half, Teryl Austin & Co. elected not to cover tight ends. While a very bold strategy, fortune did not favor it. While the Houston TEs were eating up the secondary, at least the run game was being held in check, right? Whelp, after half-time, the defense decided to not stop the run either. Alas, in what looked like a desperate attempt to get fortune to favor the bold, the decision to not stop the run ultimately did the Lions in. The D had a great opportunity to redeem themselves and get a 3-and-out after the onside kick but they got Alfred Blue jammed right down their throat.
• Coaching Staff: This team looked like the same team that lost three in a row. Uninspired, unfocused, and unprepared. Offense was lackluster to say the least. Defense didn’t get any stops when they needed too, outside of the interception towards the end of the half.
• Jim Caldwell: What the hell man? Why don’t you challenge that Hopkins catch/fumble? You have to realize that the NFL officials suck at replay and that your defense stinks. I thought it was a fumble, others said it wasn’t, but I thought it was worth the risk. Ok, so not challenging that says you trust your defense to get stops. Why in world would you onside kick it with 3 minutes left? You blatantly said you trusted your defense by not challenging the Hopkins call then later on you don’t trust them at all? Come on man. There’s a time to be aggressive and there is a time to be stupid, this week Caldwell was stupid when he should have been aggressive and aggressive when shouldn’t have. This game makes me think he wants to get fired. I want to like this guy so much but I cant because of his constant coaching gaffes/ inconsistent team play. Unless there is a playoff victory, I fully expect Bob Quinn to get his guy in there next year.
• Officials: I hate them. Always have, always will. They are the bane of my existence. Them and Wall Street Fat Cats.

 
This was a winnable game on the road and the Lions just couldn’t get it done. It’s the same song and dance that my father did, my father’s father did, and my fathers’ father ‘s father did. 4-4 at the halfway point in the season and they aren’t finished yet because the NFL is shit across the board.
 
Obligatory clip for this blog: 

By: Tim Barnum & Dalton Potocki

By Will Yang

MSU’s offense also has a power running identity. LJ Scott is the feature back in this offense. Scott is a big physical runner and does most of his work between the tackles. Michigan’s front 7 should be able to contain him. This puts pressure on the MSU quarterback, whoever it may be; Dantonio hasn’t released whether it will be Brian Lewerke, Tyler O’Connor or Damion Terry. Whoever it is, it is not Connor Cook. Cook was a huge reason for the Spartan’s success for the past few years. He is the winningest quarterback in Michigan State history. All three of the aforementioned successors have struggled this year. MSU has some talented receivers. RJ Shelton is fast and has a lot of experience in MSU’s offense. Freshman Donnie Corley is a big physical asset, too, and tight end Josiah Price is a dangerous big play and redzone threat. The question will be whether the QB can get the ball to any of these pass catchers. The offensive line misses Jack Conklin from last year at left tackle. Center Benny McGowan and Guard Brian Allen are very good and they should be able to battle Ryan Glasgow and Maurice Hurst on the interior. On the edge, I expect Taco Charlton and Chris Wormley to have a field day. On passing downs they will make life absolute hell for whoever starts at QB for MSU.
              Jabrill Peppers will be the best player on the field; he will dominate on offense, defense, and special teams. The Spartans have a superior kicker in Michael Geiger. Kenny Allen has been struggling this year but Harbaugh seems to trust him, so expect to see him out there for field goal duties.
            Dantonio will have the Spartans coming out hangry (hungry and angry). I don’t care that the Spartans are 2-5 and the Wolverines are 7-0. This is the freaking Super Bowl for Michigan State. Dantonio’s success as a coach has come from his ability to motivate his players and encourage them to play with aggression. This alone will keep MSU in the game. But Jim Harbaugh is on a whole different level as a coach, and his creativity will be the difference in this game. MSU will play with brute force, while Michigan will have the tactical and talent advantage.  
Any Michigan fans that still say this isn’t a rivalry are wrong. The hate is surely mutual. This game is going to be an absolute bloodbath. Mark Dantonio will scowl 50,000 times. And there will be a lot of disrespect. Final Score: Michigan 27 - MSU 23.



​

By: The Polish Prince

MVP! MVP! MVP! Matt Stafford, you Dawg (see what I did there?). This guy has been excellent. I don’t think there has been a guy that was always solid but super polarizing quite like Stafford. Now he is in MVP talks, yea I don’t think its crazy. I haven’t seen such a large sweeping love for one thing since the Weekend Wednesday movement of 2014. Its been said a lot but the Lions win maybe, MAYBE, one game if Stafford isn’t the QB this year. I love him, I love his fire, and I love his poise in crunch time. He is putting up elite like numbers. He has the most game winning drives since 2011 and has the most yards and completions in his first 100 games than any other QB in NFL history. The hype is real this year, until it aint. I realize that doesn’t really mean anything but what I’m trying to say is there is no reason to believe that Stafford won’t engineer a game winning drive when he needs to. He is that good right now.
 
The Good:

• Matt Stafford: (see above) and 266 yards, 1 td, 0 int, and a 103.5 passer rating.
• Receivers: Golden Tate- 6 receptions for 93 yards, Marvin- 4 receptions for 94 yards and a huge 52 yard bomb in the 3rd quarter, Anquan Boldin- 3 receptions for 28 yards and a massive touchdown. The top three targets were great and shout out to Andre Roberts for having that impressive snag on the game winning drive. Still a couple of drops on the day. They really need to clean that up but they got the job done when it mattered.
• JBC: Offense looked good, not great. But the play calling in the final minute was creative, efficient, and overall perfect. He has brought out the absolute best in Stafford since he took the OC position.

 
The Bad:

• The Defense: They need to be clutch, not good. Been saying it for weeks now. Despite holding a hot Redskins team to only 17 points, they gave up back to back touchdown drives on the final two Washington drives of the game. Pass rush looked there through out the game though. If Slay is out for an extended period of time, they are in some big, big trouble *Billy Madison voice*
• Special Teams: The field goal unit missed a relatively easy kick early on. It was a high snap that changed the timing just a little bit. Blaming all of it on Prater would be wrong.
• Jim Caldwell: Still not sure he can manage the clock but luckily it worked out, kind of. If Stanton didn’t run that ball in when he did, the Lions could have been in a lot deeper hole because of poor clock management.

 
The Ugly

• Matt Jones: Doesn’t play for the Lions but what the f, man? Hold on to the damn ball.

 
Another come from behind game that was decided by 7 points or less. This team may not be great but they are right in the thick of it. No reason to think they couldn’t grab a Wild Card spot. The rest of the league, outside of the Pats, is pretty mediocre. Just wish we could have won that Tennessee game. The eternal song of Lions fans, “if only”. 

​Bonus: R.I.P Drew Sharp. From what everyone said he is a great guy. I didn’t know him personally and I didn’t really like how negative his articles always were but I know that’s the role he played. I have to respect a man that can elicit that much emotion from writing and he will be missed. Like Bill Laimbeer once said “Some one has to wear the black hat” and no one did that as well as Drew Sharp.
 
Double Bonus: Saw the Lions traded Van Noy today. He wasn’t doing anything for us and I think it’s a good trade. It will look like it backfired because he will almost inevitably be a Pro Bowler but that’s only because he went to the Pats. Any other team and this is a giant W for the Lions.

By: Tim Barnum & Dalton Potocki

Dalton: I think I have to start out by saying the obvious; The Lions obviously read this article. There is no other way to explain their recent success. We really lit a fire under their asses.
 
Dalton: Was this Caldwell’s best coached game?
 
Tim: Nah. Let me take you back to a magical time - the year 2014. It’s week six, and the Lions are playing the Falcons at Wembley Stadium in London. After falling behind 21-0 at halftime, the Lions rally to win 22-21. This was classic Caldwell. The Lions’ first points came via a Matt Prater field goal, and he ended up kicking two more, to go with two touchdowns passes by Stafford (one failed two-point conversion). I say this is classic Caldwell, because being down three scores, I have no doubt in my head that I was screaming and swearing at the TV as we continued to kick our way back into the game and eventually, to victory. It was a great job coach, never do it again.
 
Also, I came to this conclusion by doing a search on pro-football-reference.com. It’s really a great website, despite the “blah” display (do we really need hundreds of flash videos and ads, though?) and the damn hyphens in the URL. What’s that all about?
 
Dalton: Is Stafford making a case for MVP/Eliteness?
 
Tim: Look, if I’ve learned anything from @PFTcommenter, it’s that winning a Super Bowl is what finally put Flacco on the level of elite. So I don’t think Stafford is elite. There’s no rule that you have to be elite to be the MVP, though.
 
Dalton: Will Washington ever change their name?
 
Tim: Oh boy, open a window it’s about to get all political up in here!
Here’s the thing. It’d be really easy for me to just say, “Oh my God, I’m so sick of all these PC babies and their safe spaces!” or “I never even thought of it as a racial term until they started saying it was!” or some other statement poo-pooing the complaints of Native Americans who find the term offensive. But honestly, I think there is a difference between “Redskins” and “Chiefs” or “Seminoles” or several other nicknames. I once explained it like this. If you were to watch a western movie, and a posse of gunslingers left town in pursuit of notorious outlaws, but ran into members of the Sioux tribe with bad intentions, they’d likely retreat and return to town and say, “We got ambushed by a bunch of damn REDSKINS (savages, etc.)!” If the same posse was ambushed by the outlaws, but rescued by Sioux tribesmen, they’d likely return to town and say, “The kind Natives helped us in our time of need.” I don’t know if any of this makes sense or not, but both scenarios sound like compelling plot points to a movie!
 
Anyway, what I’m getting at is Daniel Snyder, the Redskins owner, is an asshole. You can change the nickname, but you can’t change that.
 
Here are my inquiries for you this week.
 
Tim: I’m not looking up any stats, but the Washington football team is 4-2. Is Kirk Cousins actually going to be a long-term answer for them at QB? And if so, does he continue rocking that middle school haircut?
 
Dalton: Kirk Cameron Cousins is not having a great year. He is still having some growing pains despite getting that contract extension. BOOM! If that's not the funniest joke you've heard all day then you live a life of A+ comedy. But in all seriousness, Cousins isn't having a great year despite his team winning 4 in a row. The defense have been winning the games and that's how they can beat the Lions this week. He is not the long term answer but he will get the job done for now. And of course he will rock the middle school hair cut. You wanna know how to make that big contract money last? Have your mom still cut your hair.
 
Tim: Will the Lions win or lose a game by more than seven points this year? Which game?
 
Dalton: They will win 2 games by more than 7 points. At home to the Jags and at home to the Bears. They will lose 3 games by more than 7. Both Minnesota games and at Dallas. But other than those each game will be a must watch till the end.
 
Tim: Now that the Lions are 3-3, what do you think their record will be at the midway point of the season? How about the end?
 
Dalton: At the midway point, they will be 4-4. I think they lose this week to the Redskins and then go on the road to Houston and get a W. The end of the season is much harder to predict given the potential of injuries or guys getting hot. That being said, give me 8-8. L,W,L,W,L,L,W,W,L,W.
 
Predictions:
 
Dalton: I think that the Lions play tough but ultimately lose in the end. Both the Redskins and Lions are hot and this is a game that the Lions should win so we all know what that means.  A loss. 28-24 Redskins.
 
Tim: So far the Lions are 1-1 against “They are who we thought they were” quarterbacks, losing to Brian Hoyer, but beating Case Keenum. Neither of these guys are ever going to sustain their highest or lowest levels of play. I think Kirk Cousins is one of these guys, too. Lions win at home again, 28-24 (see what I did there?) and improve to 2-1 against these types of QBs.

By: The Polish Prince

I did get to watch the entire game this week because I was at the game. That being said, don’t ever, and I mean ever use the ticket site FanXchange. I found them through Seat Geek and I’ve used SG before and there were no problems. But FanXchange is the absolute worst ticket site I have ever used. I ordered the tickets on a Monday, didn’t have them on Wednesday so I called them. I was on hold for 15 minutes before I hung up. Called them on Thursday and I was on hold for 15 minutes again before I hung up. Now its Friday and I still didn’t have the tickets so I said “screw it, I’m going to sit on hold for as long as it takes”. I sat on hold for 38 MINUTES before someone picked up. I asked him where my tickets were and they just “forgot” to send them to me. I am thoroughly convinced that if I didn’t call they wouldn’t have sent me the tickets. Also, I sent an email everyday trying to check the status of my tickets. Once again, DO NOT use FanXchange. They are a trash company. Now, onto some football.
 
The Good:

• Matt Stafford: He was outstanding, to put it lightly. I am 100% ready to fire up the Top 10 QB argument. This week he was 23-31, 270 yards, 4 TDs, and was turnover free once again. He has a 7-2 TD to INT ration and a 106.0 QBR. Those numbers are good enough to be an elite quarterback. You can’t argue that. Stafford did what he had to do and made a spectacular throw on that 4th and 1 from the Rams’ 1-yard line. I don’t know how long this high level of play will last but we should just enjoy this for now. Another big week for Stafford means a big loss for the H8terz.
• Golden Tate: Finally becoming the receiver we all thought he would be this year. 165 yards and 1 TD on 8 receptions. Hell of a day and with out that performance the Lions don’t beat the Rams. Is he going to keep up this performance week in and week out? No, but it is nice to know that the Golden of last year is there when the Lions need him.
• The O-Line: For being as battered up and injured as they are, they did a great job of keeping Stafford clean. They only gave up one sack to a very good defensive front. They didn’t do a great job with the run game, but all things considered this was the best 60 minutes of football played by the O-Line this year.
• Jim Caldwell: The man is starting to coach like he wants to win some football games. Getting aggressive on a couple early 4th downs because he knows the defense isn’t that great is something we haven’t seen Caldwell of the past do.  He also challenged a catch that was worth getting a second look at. The call didn’t go in his favor but it was still worth it. He is trying to save his job and luckily for him it is showing, and working.
• Matt Prater: Made his extra points and the game winning field goal.

 
The Bad:

• The Defense: This is a tough “Bad” for me. They did an excellent job stopping Todd Gurley, 14 carries for 58 yards, but they made Case Keenum look like a stud. Forget the fact that he was 27 for 32 with 321 yards, the most telling stat is that at one point he completed 19 straight passes. A lot of those passes weren’t very tough either.  The D-Line couldn’t get any pressure and, for the most part, the secondary was Swiss cheese like. The secondary did get two big stops though. The Slay pass break up to get the Lions the ball back for the game winning drive and the Rafael Bush interception to close out the game. I said it at the beginning of the season and I’m sure I’ll say it again, this defense doesn’t have to be good but it has to be clutch. That’s what they were last Sunday and they were exactly that this Sunday.  

The Ugly:

• The Linebackers: This unit is straight garbage. They aren’t fast and they can’t tackle. Not a good combo for a position that consistently gets non-favorable matchups. DeAndre Levy needs to come back this year for this position group to be worth a damn. Literally can’t cover anyone.
• The D-Line: Absolutely no pressure. Even with Ziggy back, albeit right after his injury, the pass rush was nonexistent. That was the biggest reason as to why Keenum looked like a hall of fame QB. They did come up big on the 4th and goal at the end of the first half though.

 
This is the best game I have seen Caldwell coach. He was aggressive when he needed to be. This also happened to be the most complete game the Lions have played this year. The offense was there through out the game and when they needed stops they got them. I’m not sure how this team stacks up next week against the Redskins but if they can rip off 3 in a row then they are back in playoff talk.
 
Quote of the Week: “I don’t know what defense they are playing, but what ever it is, its shit.”- Guy sitting next to me at the game.

By: Tim Barnum & Dalton Potocki

​Tim: Dalton, before you answer my first question, I feel as though I must comment on it as well. What I’m wondering is, in your opinion, how much of the Lions’ win over the Eagles was due to the bulletin board material supplied in our blog last week? While I’m not a firm believer in the old-school hot-take-producing clichés “he plays with a chip on his shoulder,” I must confess the Lions looked like they were “out to prove their naysayers wrong.” And we naysayed mightily last week, taking jabs or at least expressing doubts about many on the roster and the coaching staff.
Without that bulletin board material, do they win? Which players or coaches read the blog? Who took it the most personally?
 
Dalton: They absolutely read our blog. My sources around the league tell me that our blog is the quickest growing blog in NFL locker rooms. They do NOT win if we dont write that blog. Pen is mightier than the sword and this pen went in there and stabbed everyone in the ass. Jim Caldwell 100% reads the blog. Did you see that emotion on the sideline when Detroit recovered the fumble? That’s the reaction of a man who knows that the local media is calling for his job.
 
Tim: Also, how does the Lions defense continue to produce turnovers?
 
Dalton: This is the biggest enigma of the defense so far this year. Before Sunday, the Lions only had one take away. They can’t get any pressure on the QB, Nevin Lawson is a garbage defender (hopefully he reads this), and without Levy the linebacking corps is too slow to do anything. Somehow though, Darius Slay forced two turnovers at the end of that game against the Eagles. I’m not sure how this team will consistently produce turnovers but with the absence of Levy and Ansah, someone is going to have to step up.
 
Tim: Why do the Lions have stretches of the game where they simply do nothing on offense? Do you attribute it to the defense or Lions offense?
 
Dalton: I attribute it to the coaching staff. The first couple drives in a game are 80% planned out in the week’s preparation coming into the game. It is when those drives are over and coaching staffs start to make changes is where we see the Lions’ offense go stagnant. JBC has to get better at in-game adjustments and if he can’t get better at it, then Jim Caldwell needs to take over.
 
Dalton: Jeff Fisher is known as the ultimate .500 coach. The Lions are known for losing the most winnable of games. Are our brains about to explode with mediocrity?
 
Tim: This reeks of one of those classic 12-7 Lions wins where we’ll all be happy when it’s over and pissed that we sat through the snorefest. My brain hasn’t recovered from the last explosion, which occurred during HBO’s Hard Knocks when Will Hayes of the LA Rams kept insisting dinosaurs were fake, yet that he believed in mermaids. Maybe he was just playing it up for the cameras (my GOD I hate how players do this on Hard Knocks), but it was still dumb and annoying. Also, I feel like Jeff Fisher has not only been mediocre as a football coach, but as a mulleted man. Sir, I don’t care how much gel you use on the sides or how you coif the front, it’s a mullet. And if you’re rocking a mullet, rock it with pride.
 
Dalton: Laken Tomlinson has been trash. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. He is only in his second year though. How many more games does the coaching staff have to see him fail in order to search for a long term solution?
Tim: Look, being an offensive lineman sucks. One time I messed up and my coach exclaimed “BARNUM! You’re going to get someone killed!” It really upset me, but it also motivated me to be a better blocker. I feel Ron Prince should try yelling that to Tomlinson, and then if that doesn’t work, make sure he reads this blog. Then, if he still continues to be a problem, look elsewhere. I mean, truth be told, do we really need a “long term solution” at guard? Find a guy who works for a few years and I’ll be happy. You’re never going to have complete roster stability throughout the depth chart.
 
Dalton: If the Lions win this game, are they back in playoff talk?
 
Tim: You mean “When.” And no. Not from me, at least.
 
Tim: I’m also interested to hear your thoughts on Fisher’s hair. Is that a mullet?
           
Dalton: Absolutely not a mullet. Mike Gundy, certified man, has a mullet. Fisher is sticking with his .500 like ways and not fully committing to bad haircut or mullet.

By: Dalton Potocki

Disclaimer: I wasn’t able to catch the entire game, but I was able to watch/listen to a solid 80% of it, including the most important parts. I was busy getting back from the east coast and going to eat with my family.
 
With all above being said, THEY ARE BACK!* This win is such a Lions win that it hurts. The team was 1-3, playing with no urgency, and the undefeated Eagles were coming into town. They were supposed to get blown out in the first half and then their season would be over for good. Not so fast my friend! (Lee Corso voice) The game was won in first half, lost in the second half, and saved by a guy who has been pretty quiet this season. While I’m not quit sure how this team can be so bipolar, I am sure that the Lions vacuum cleaner has sucked me right back in!
*until next week
 
The Good:

• The First Half Offense: I can’t believe I have to give the first half offense a separate rankings but that’s been the story of the season thus far. Before Sunday, the Eagles had yet to give up a passing touchdown. On Sunday, the Lions offense tossed the ball for 6 on three separate occasions in the first half. Two touchdowns to Riddick (who I complimented nicely in my new article “Double Coverage”. Check it out) and a touchdown for Marvelous Marvin. The rushing attack looked strong and for the most part, the offensive line kept Stafford clean.
• Darius “Big Play” Slay: Earlier I said he has been quiet. I think that it is mostly in part because Nevin Lawson is straight garbage and teams keep targeting him. But, Slay forced the key fumble to give the Lions great field position at the end of the game and then, not even 90 seconds later, made the game sealing interception. Its finally nice to see him living up to his self-given nickname. He saved the game and what little hope there is for the remainder of the season.
• Golden Tate: 3 receptions for 39 yards and 3 carries for 6 yards. Not exactly eye-popping numbers but the role he played in this game was bigger than the first four games combined. His biggest play coming on the 27 yard catch-and-run to set up the game winning field goal. Not a huge day for Golden, but maybe the day he needs to get himself back on track.
• Matt Prater: Made his kicks. Earns a “good” ranking.

 
The Bad:

• Second Half Defense: They got absolutely shredded by Carson Wentz in the second half and they couldn’t seem to stop the Philly rushing attack. The only reason that they aren’t in the Ugly section is because they got the key stop at the end of the game. Even if Slay didn’t force the fumble, the defense still was going to force a punt. I’ve said it in previous blogs; this defense doesn’t have to be great, they just need to get stops when they need to. On Sunday, they got those stops.
• Matt Stafford: Wasn’t exactly good, wasn’t exactly bad but his performance is landing him in the bad section strictly because he turned it over in a key situation. How in the world did he just drop the ball? He was literally just running with it then, oops, the ball is on the ground. In the first half though, he looked as sharp as ever and then on the game winning drive his pass to Golden Tate was floated perfectly. As poor as his stat line looked (19/25, 180 yards, and 3 TDs) he played well enough to win and when he wins that means the Stafford H8erz lose.

 
The Ugly:

• Andre Roberts: HOW IS THIS GUY STILL RETURNING KICKS? He is straight trash. He always brings the ball out and he never gets past the 25, hell, he never gets past the 20. And do you know what the sickening part is? He probably wont lose his job because he has the 11th most return yards in the league. Wanna know why he has the 11th most? BECAUSE HE NEVER KNEELS IT. It is so infuriating when he takes it out to the 18 yard line when we could easily get to the 25 and not risk taking a penalty that would send us even further back.  He is slow and can’t read blocks. Sounds like a Lions returner to me!

 
The game was almost a mirror of their week 1 victory over Indy. Had a big lead early, blew it in the 2nd half, then snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. As much as it raises and lowers my blood pressure, all we can ask for is for the Lions to have a shot at the end and they have had that almost every game. I don’t know how bad this team is but they can be a lot of fun if they start clicking for 60 minutes at a time.

By: Dalton Potocki & Tim Barnum

This here is a nice little article out of the brains of Dalton Potocki (self-proclaimed journalist) and Tim Barnum (actual journalist). Each week we are going to ask each other questions about the Lions and we are going to respond. Give you folks (the readers) a little inside look at the complex questions we journalists ask each other. Also, this is just another forum for us to complain about how bad the Lions are.
 
Dalton: Will DeAndre Levy ever see the field as a Lion again?
Tim: In order to give a good answer, I did a little research on DeAndre Levy. What I learned is injuries really, really suck.
The last year Levy played a full season, 2014, he had 151 total tackles (this had to lead the team, right?), 2.5 sacks and a pick. One year before that, he had 119 combined tackles and six interceptions. Six!
DeAndre’s 29 now, which is younger than me. I’m in the best shape of my life. However, I have never played in the NFL - shocking, I know. I’ve been trying to do a yoga headstand as part of a year-long project I’m doing, and stacking up on my head, arms and neck has given me an odd, dull pain in my ribs and chest. Chances are, if I were 29 and suffered the injuries Levy has with the additional accumulated football wear and tear, I wouldn’t ever play another game.
His contract ends in 2019. I think it’s entirely possible he might retire before then. If not, I think he plays about eight or nine more games for the Lions over the remaining years of his contract. That’s too bad, because as I pointed out above, he was really good.
 
Dalton: Is Stafford actually good?
Tim: This frickin’ guy, man.
I’ve said before that Stafford is the best Lions QB of my lifetime, but sadly, I don’t think it’s good enough to take us to the promised land.
Is he good? Most of the time. He threw for more than 4,000 yards five years in a row, with one of those eclipsing 5,000 (another one missing it by less than 50 yards).
When he’s not, though, oh boy.
Talent-wise, Stafford has always had it. But he’s never stopped throwing those stupid sidearm throws that ALWAYS get picked off. I’m getting mad just thinking about it.
The Lions coaching carousel, whether it’s a new head coach or OC every few years, has definitely not done him any favors, either. I just wish one of them would’ve made his stop throwing like Pat Neshek. Speaking of coaches...
 
Dalton: What does Caldwell need to do to keep his job?
Tim: Be alive at the end of the season? I don’t know. I didn’t want him to begin with.
I’m so sick of the whole “calming influence” BS. It was crap when they hired him and it’s crap now. The pundits acted like he was going to turn Ndamukong Suh from a petulant crotch-stomper to a model of sportsmanship, because he seems perpetually moments away from a bout of narcolepsy.
Give me Jim Harbaugh’s milk-chugging antics. Give me Mike Tomlin’s sideline interference. Who was the old coach who punched a player from the other team? (Just kidding I know it’s your homeboy Woody).
I don’t actually care what a coach’s demeanor is. I just want to win. If Caldwell gets to the playoffs, fine. I guess I’ll be OK with him staying (yet will continue to call for his job at the slightest sign of poor performance by the Lions). I’m sure Martha will keep him if the Lions manage to salvage an 8-8 season.
 
I have some questions, too.
 
Tim: The Lions offense has been stagnant the last two weeks, is the honeymoon over for Cooter?
Dalton: JBC was a change that was much needed last year. Lombardi was absolute garbage. When comparing Cooter’s offense vs Lombardi’s, the honeymoon isn't over. But if you compare the first four games of this season this year vs the last six games of last year then there is cause for concern. I’m not going to bail on JBC quite yet though. The offensive line is still very bad, the receiving corps have been below average (sans Marvin Jones), and I think the coaching problems start with Caldwell. What JBC has gotten away from was his simplicity in the passing game. At the end of last year, the offense was a lot of quick and simple reads for Stafford. This allowed the offense to gain small chunks of yardage and have long, fruitful drives. This year, I haven't seen the simplicity, the quick hitting routes, or the zone blocking schemes that made the offense move just months before.  So to make a long answer short, the honeymoon phase is over but, when push comes to shove, I think JBC is still an NFL level coordinator.
 
Tim: Is Theo Riddick a good running back or just a competent receiving threat?
Dalton: Last year Riddick eclipsed 80 receptions and avoided would-be tacklers. This year he is on pace for another 80 reception season and is still shakin’-n-bakin’. He’s more than competent out of the backfield as a receiving threat. Between the tackles is where the biggest gains of offseason workouts can be seen. Last year, Riddick was only a receiving threat. This year he has gotten good enough to become a back that I can confidently say would play a major role on any team in the NFL. I don't know the last time the Lions have had a back like that, maybe Reggie Bush for a half a season? I will award the title of “good” to Theo for now and, hell, I'll even say he has the potential to be a great running back in this league (he won't be unless he gets traded away from this God forsaken team).
 
Tim: How good will Carson Wentz look against us Sunday?
Dalton: Easy question, short answer. Very. The rookie has been absolutely sensational for the Birds this year. 5 TDs and 0 INTs. That doesn’t fare well for a Lions defense that only has one take-away to their name. There isn’t a whole lot to question here unless the pass rush of Detroit can finally show up for a game. Expect Wentz to find a new favorite target this week and his name is Zach Ertz. The big TE is coming back from injury and the Lions can't cover a tight end (anybody) to save their lives. Wentz would be an A+ start for any fantasy league or DFS line-up this week. There is your free big money tip of the weekend. Prediction for Wentz: 350 Yards, 4 TD, 1 Int.