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Detroit Lions photo
It's funny how doom and gloom can suddenly turn to unbridled optimism during the course of a Lions' season.
After Monday night's convincing Lions' 30-17 victory over the Packers, Detroit News sports columnist Bob Wojnowski writes:
This was Stafford at his sharpest, in control from the opening drive, and receivers Golden Tate and Marvin Jones were at their big-play finest. This was the Lions taking care of business with punishing proficiency, and making certain they weren’t gonna lose to a backup quarterback, Brett Hundley.
The Lions stopped their three-game slide with a 30-17 victory over the Packers, and now have a chance to start a rise. They’re 4-4 with their schedule lightening — including a visit from the winless Browns on Sunday — and the task won’t change much. They have to take advantage of weakened opponents, and the guy to do it is Stafford, the Last Quarterback Standing in the NFC North. He took the Monday night spotlight and pulled his receivers in with him.
Were the Packers considerably easier pickings without Rodgers? Well, of course. The Lions generated decent pressure on Hundley, sacking him three times, and he was overmatched. It’s hard to picture Green Bay (4-4) sticking around in the division race with this young quarterback.
But before you chalk it up to good fortune, remember the Lions had lost 24 of their past 25 games in Wisconsin, so they don’t take any visit to Lambeau Field for granted. They were efficient from the start, and while there’s no such thing as a flawless performance, consider this: They didn’t punt in a game for the first time since 1971.
