The Detroit Lions lost their 5th straight game to the Dallas Cowboys yesterday by a score of 28 - 27. The Lions outplayed the Dallas Cowboys in this game, but have nothing to show for it. The game was theirs for the taking many times, but they failed to capitalize.

The Red Zone offense continued to plague the team. Three times they ventured into the Red Zone and did not score touchdowns. The offense was able to move the ball all day long against the Cowboys. While they did score three touchdowns, those other three failures were costly. On two of those drives, they actually go inside the 10 yard line. On the Red Zone drive where they didn’t score, Jason Hanson, normally the rock solid guy on the team, missed a chip shot 35 yarder in the fourth quarter that turned out to be the difference in the game.

There were numerous blunders in this game that cost em big time and several chances to win the game:

• TE McHugh failed to come down with a touchdown pass in the end zone on one Red Zone drive. While the pass was above his head, it went right through his hand. The Lions had to settle for a field goal.
• Jason Hanson’s missed 35 yard field goal. This was bound to happen with our failures this year in the Red Zone. Even the best kickers miss once in a while, but this one was the difference in the game.
• Late in the fourth quarter, the Lions stripped the ball from the Cowboys while they were driving for the win. With the ball on the ground, Paris Lenon bent over to try to scoop up the ball and instead kicked it right to a Cowboys player. The drive was kept alive. I still don’t understand why guys in the NFL don’t get one of the simplest concepts in football - fall on a loose ball, don’t try to pick it up and run. If Lenon just falls on the ball, the drive is dead and the Lions likely go on to win.
• Two blatant pass interference calls on the Cowboys that went uncalled. One on Cowboys Roy Williams that went uncalled in the End Zone John Owens would have resulted in 1st and goal at the one. Instead, they Lions had to settle for a field goal. Terrible no call. On the other one, the Lions were driving and Cowboys defender Patrick Watkins leveled Calvin Johnson well before the ball got there. It ended the drive. Both of these were obviously blown calls and hurt the Lions. I usually stick by officials as they have a tough job, but across the league this year, the refs have struggled with consistency. Still, the Lions had many other chances to win the game (see above) and shouldn’t get too hung up on these very bad calls. I hope the league at least mentions them, but they won’t.

So, for all the heart and good game play the Lions brought into this game, they got nothing out of it. Their losing streak was extended to five games. Kitna’s preseason proclamation of 10 wins cannot happen. It was a great job by the guys to put on the performance that they did. Frankly, I hadn’t expected it. Can they do it two weeks in a row and have a chance against San Diego?

About the only consolation is that the Arizona Cardinals also lost, so the Lions remain one game out of the playoff hunt. Minnesota has a better record than the Lions by one game, but we currently hold the tie breaker against them. We have the same record as the Cardinals, but they hold the tiebreaker against us. We are going to need to need some additional help along the way, plus a couple of wins.

I have a couple of game balls for the game this week:

• The offensive line gets one. They played their best game of the season. They opened some huge holes for Jones and Duckett. In addition, they generally gave Kitna the time he needed in the pocket. For the day, Kitna was not sacked once.
• Speaking of Kevin Jones and TJ Duckett, they get to share one. They combined for a total of 164 yards rushing. This is the one - two punch we had hoped for all year.
• The last game ball is for Greg Blue. Who? That’s right, Greg Blue, the 2nd year safety out of Georgia. He game into the game when Kennoy Kennedy hurt his knee and his impact was felt immediately. On the first play, Cowboy Marion Barber headed for the end zone, but Blue met him and knocked him backwards with a great hit. Same thing on the next play. On another key play, as the Cowboys were preparing to score, Blue was involved on the hit of Whitten when he fumbled at the goal line. Blue recovered the fumble. Here’s to hoping we see more of Greg Blue.

Next week, we play San Diego. At a minimum, to have any shot at the playoffs we have to win 2 of the last three. We need another performance like the one against the Cowboys, except they need to finish it off.

Kitna has been talking a lot this week that Sundays game is the start of the playoffs for the Lions. I believe he is correct. By losing to Arizona last week, the Lions have put themselves in a tough spot. They have a tough schedule the rest of the way and may need to win 10 games to make the playoffs.

One of the teams that is also in that hunt is the New York Giants. This week, the Giants travel to Ford Field to play the Lions. They, like the Lions, are 6 - 3 on the year. Also like the Lions, they trail their division leader (Packers and Cowboys), both of whom only have one loss this year. Last week, the Giants lost their divisional game to the Cowboys by a score of 31 - 20. Thus, this is a really big game for both teams.

This is going to be a tough game for the Lions. I don’t think they match up that well against the Giants. They have a very formidable pass rush and will put severe pressure on Kitna. Toss in the numerous blitz packages used by the Giants and it could be a long day for Kitna with much time spent on the turf. The Lions have struggled with teams that generate a good pass rush.

The Lions, on the other hand, have struggled with inconsistency on the pass rush. Last week was a very poor performance by the entire defensive squad except for Ernie Sims. They have played well this year, leading the league in take aways, but must regroup and be ready for Giants team that has plenty of weapons. It almost seems that the Lions fortunes go the way of the front defensive four. When they play well, they Lions win. When they play poorly, the Lions lose. Unfortunately, Dewayne White is still injured, hasn’t practiced again this week and is unlikely to play this week. He has been a terror on the end for the Lions. He will be missed again this week.

This being a home game for the Lions may bode well. They are 4 - 0 at Ford Field this year. I hope the fans turnout strong once again and get behind the team. You cannot underestimate the value of the 12th man. If the Lions can come out hot and get a lead early, the home crowd may be enough to propel the Lions to victory.

On offense, we have to run the ball more. Even if we can’t do it effectively, we have to run it more. Only running the ball 8 times last week was crazy especially since the game was close for 2 1/2 quarters. They must establish some semblance or a running game or the Giants rush is just gonna rare back and come gunning for Kitna. Since Jones didn’t see much action last week, he should be fresh and ready for the game. I would like to see Duckett get 6 or 8 carries to just to give the Giants defense a different look. If the run game isn’t there, it could be another long day.

Last week, Kitna turned the ball over 4 times on 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles. The last few games prior to last week, he had been making a lot of smart decisions. Against Arizona, he looked very uncomfortable in the pocket, missed reads and was very sloppy with the ball. He has been the rock of the Lions this year and I don’t expect many repeats of last week from him. The Giants rush will get to him this week. The key for Kitna will be to feel the rush and either throw the ball away or tuck it and take the sack. He must not turn the ball over when the rush comes.

This is a tough game to call. Both teams sport good records and were flying high on win streaks before being brought back to Earth last week. Both teams consider this a must win week to improve their playoff chances. The Lions are at home where they haven’t lost. Unfortunately, I am not sure that the Lions will have an answer to the Giants pass rush. I also fear a couple of big plays between Manning and his receivers. The Lions will hang tough, but I must go with the Giants in a close game, 30 - 27.

Being the eternal optimist and Lions fan, I hope I am wrong…