The playoffs are anything but a guarantee in the National Football League.
32 teams start the race. 12 are awarded a berth in the sport’s post season tournament.
To be in that exclusive 37.5% that compete for the Lombardi Trophy, a multitude of things need to go right.
Teams need to stay healthy. A blown out knee to the All-Pro wide receiver or ruptured Achilles for a top defender can sink the ship almost immediately.
Teams need to be talented. The NFL is a quarterback-driven league, more so now than ever. If you don’t have an elite passer and a quality set of targets, you’re likely playing 16 games and no more.
And last but not least, you have to defeat the inferior opponents when they are put in front of you. The Lions have such a game this weekend.
The NFL schedule is a vortex of potential slip-ups. You might catch a hot team one week, playing their best ball of the year. Next, you might visit Pittsburgh or Cleveland and get hit with a wave of unruly weather. It is unrelenting, a new opponent served up every seven days ready to exploit the slightest of weaknesses. But when that opportunity comes along to battle a weaker foe in pristine conditions, you must take advantage.
Off to Glendale
The Lions travel to Glendale to tussle with the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The Cardinals are not a very good team. Last year’s version bolted out of the gate, winning their first four. They proceeded to drop 11 of their final 12, culminating in a week 14 beat down to Seattle by a 58-0 tally. But Lions’ fans don’t need to be reminded of what transpired in the week to follow.
The Cardinals returned home, fresh off one of the worst losses in league history, and dismantled the hapless Leos by four touchdowns. So if a trip to the desert seems like a ripe opportunity for a 2-0 start, remember that recent history would strongly disagree (more on this to come).
But the Lions sure looked solid in the opener. Aside from early mistakes that kept the game closer than it should have been, this looked like a legitimate playoff squad. Matthew Stafford got rid of the ball quickly and efficiently, never took a sack, and racked up over 350 yards.
Reggie Bush had an electric introduction to the city, capping his performance with a breathtaking TD where he blew through the Viking defense as if shot out of a cannon. The defense collected four turnovers and held strong on 8 of 10 third downs.
The Cardinals spent their opener dropping a winnable game to the Rams. They amassed an 11-point lead heading into the final quarter, only to be blitzed 14-0 and lose by three. And while not the worst of the 32 NFL teams, the Cardinals are most definitely not a contender by anyone’s estimation.
Cardinals Have a New Quarterback
They have a new head coach (Bruce Arians) and a new quarterback (Carson Palmer). The franchise has made three playoff appearances in the last 30 years; the 70’s Steelers they are not.
But sometimes, defying logic or any tangible explanation, one team simply has your number in their stadium. Toss out the records, forget about specific personnel. There is an invisible force at work that prevents one team from winning in a particular setting.
Take the Pistons, for example. They have traveled to Salt Lake City 33 times to meet the Jazz. On just four of those occasions have the Stones boarded the planes with smiles. It doesn’t much matter what the roster is like for either team at tipoff. Whether it’s John Stockton or John Crotty running the point for the home team, the Pistons aren’t leaving the state of Utah with a W.
The Lions and Cardinals have a similar arrangement working.
Not So Lucky in the Past
In 1993, the Lions went into Phoenix and emerged with a victory. A seven-point triumph while missing an injured Barry Sanders. They have been back six times since; and lost every one of ‘em.
They’ve come in all shapes and sizes, too.
There was the “Bobby Ross Game” in ’99 when he opted to go for two, down by four, in the last quarter. Gus Frerotte navigated the Lions inside the ten in the final seconds, but due to the four-point margin, a game-tying field goal was never an option.
They had high hopes for the 2008 affair, taking on a 1-8 squad coached by Denny Green and quarterbacked by Matt Leinart. No such luck. They were kept out of the end zone for the first 56 minutes and fell short once again.
Then there was the aforementioned 38-10 shellacking from last season.
Golden Opportunity To Make a Statement
And so, we look ahead to late Sunday afternoon, where the Lions will have a golden opportunity to make a statement; that this year’s group is different, and that four to five wins will not be deemed acceptable.
They have the offensive firepower. They have an improved defense. And as for special teams, Stefan Logan is no longer in uniform; for that we are all grateful.
But is the Arizona desert a cactus maze that this franchise cannot solve?
Keep in mind, this is not like the Lions’ current string of 22 defeats up in frigid Green Bay. The Packers have been Super Bowl champions.
They went from one hall of fame QB to another. The Cardinals are a different animal. This is a sad-sack franchise. They’re like the Cleveland Indians of the NFL. Lose to them every once in a while, no big deal. Make it a habit and now you’ve got real problems.
It may only be week two of a grueling four month season, but with a tricky trio of games to follow (at. WAS, vs. CHI, at GB), this one carries a little more meaning.
Unfortunately, this scribe sees history repeating itself. The Cards by a TD.
Arizona 31, Detroit 24
