Game 7 2016 - Detroit Lions vs the Washington Redskins @ Home

For the Record.

The 4-3 Detroit Lions defeat the 4-3 Washington Redskins 20-17 in yet another come from behind victory. Of course, had the defense held off the scoring of the skins late in the 4th quarter the Lions wouldn't have fell behind and needed a touchdown to win. But they did and they did (did fall behind, did score the td to win). The Redskins were trying for their 5th win in a row after winning their previous 4 but failed to do so allowing the Lions their 3rd win in a row instead. Meanwhile, the Vikings lost their first game of the year putting the Lions one game behind in the divisional standings. It's early yet, I'm not advocating anything, just stating it for the record.

Matthew Stafford was 18 of 29 (62.07%) for 266 yards and a TD with no interceptions in a game that saw more drops (Lions rank 2nd in the league in drops) and some very inaccurate throws. However, there were some amazingly great plays mixed in as well, including yet another game winning series with under 2 minutes to go. Despite missing many of the quality players that would otherwise make up the Lions roster, Stafford was able to produce when it was needed the most. Not only that, but apparently he has set a new record, for most yards in his first 100 games. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/10/23/matthew-stafford-makes-100th-game-history/

Despite some issues with some throws, and injuries, and even the replacement of left guard Laken Tomlinson with this year's 3rd round pick Glasgow (a rookie center playing left guard) the offense is not really the problem with the team overall. The problem, and injuries are a part of it, is the defense. They allowed Cousins to go 30 of 39 (76.92%) for 301 yards and a TD with no INTs. In fact, the Redskins won every statistical category (or tied) except for punting average, including time of possession and penalty yards, yet due to the timely difference in when various aspects of the game happened, the Lions managed to end up victorious. I did note a number of effective blitzes (or the appearance/faking of the same) that in past games didn't happen, and i remain hopeful that more of that will be forthcoming.

The Lions remain 3rd in the division http://www.nfl.com/teams/profile?team=DET and yet are only 1 win behind the Vikings for a tie for the division lead. Next week, the Lions head to Texas to play Houston. I don't know if the defense has it in them to set the stage for the Lions to win this game, but I do believe the offense will make a game of it one way or another. I only hope it'll be enough to keep the pressure on the rest of the division, for as I've been preaching from my rather unattended stage, pressure is what wins (or loses) games. Just for the record.