Detroit Lions fall apart in loss to Ravens; Stafford leaves with injury
By Matt Bosko
The Detroit Lions’ 44-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens all but ended the team’s postseason hopes, especially with Matthew Stafford exiting with an injury to his throwing hand.
Losing to the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving Day all but shut the door on the Detroit Lions winning the NFC North.
Losing to the Baltimore Ravens all but shut the door on the Detroit Lions’ season.
Oh, and Matthew Stafford is injured.
In a season riddled with ups and downs, the Lions officially hit rock bottom on Sunday.
Stafford was in the midst of a career-high streak of 20 straight completions while Lions trailed 30-20 midway through the fourth quarter. That streak, and perhaps the quarterback’s season, ended on one play.
As Stafford rolled out under pressure, his pass intended for Marvin Jones was intercepted. After he released the ball, Stafford was taken to the ground by two Ravens defenders, where he immediately favored his throwing hand.
The training staff examined the injury on the sidelines momentarily, and eventually escorted Stafford to the locker room. He did not return, but head coach Jim Caldwell stated after the game that his quarterback’s hand was bruised, but not broken.
Another Slow Start
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Lions found themselves facing an early deficit thanks to several miscues and a slow start.
Once again, the Lions seemed uninspired and unprepared in the early going.
The team failed to score on any of their six first-half drives, which included a missed field goal by Matt Prater and another fumble by Stafford.
The Ravens, on the other hand, took advantage of a porous Lions’ defense en route to a 20-0 halftime lead.
The team rallied with three touchdown drives in the second half, but Stafford’s injury and the defense’s inability to consistently stop the Ravens offense proved to be too much to overcome.
Where They Stand
The loss stymied a golden opportunity for the Lions to increase their NFC Wild Card standing, as the Atlanta Falcons lost to the Vikings. A win for the Lions would have improved their record to 7-5 and placed them in the thick of the playoff hunt.
Now, sitting at 6-6, a second straight playoff berth for the Lions is unlikely, even if they were to run the table. They do not own tiebreakers against any of the other teams vying for position.
To add insult to (Stafford’s) injury, the Packers, who improved to 6-6 on Sunday, just may get Aaron Rodgers back after all.
The Lions travel to Tampa Bay to take on Jameis Winston the Buccaneers next week.