The Lions were getting trounced by the Eagles, 41-6, Sunday.
Jared Goff had just gotten popped hard after releasing a failed two-point conversion pass with about seven minutes remaining.
Yet, the Lions’ fight song resonated loudly throughout a nearly empty Ford Field. “Forward down the field…”
Has any fight song ever stood more for futility?
Pathetic? Yes. Unprecedented? Perhaps.
It is certainly possible the Lions will go 0-17 this season.
They have morphed from a bad football team that was somehow competitive in losses to the Ravens, Vikings and Rams to terrible in every way.
Poor Dan Campbell. The Lions head coach and his staff are so overwhelmed on game day that it is the theater of the absurd.
If Campbell goes for it on fourth-and-short in opposition territory, it doesn’t work. If he elects the field goal attempt, the kicker misses.
The Lions’ offense is hopelessly boring, dull and mistake-prone. Goff never, ever throws deep. The Lions’ running attack, at best, is spotty. The defense is laboring on all fronts.
The Lions aren’t tanking. They are genuinely inept. That should put them in a wonderful spot in the 2022 NFL Draft.
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Yet, it would be an absolutely devastating development if the 0-8 Lions end 0-17. Joined with their 0-16 record in 2008, it would come to symbolize a franchise which has been amazingly feeble for more than six decades.
While the root cause of the Lions’ current rot is the previous regime led by Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia, general manager Brad Holmes must understand that the same line of thinking will only enhance the team's demise.
Why did he restructure Goff’s contract so he is assuredly with the Lions next season? Why did he trade a draft pick, even a seventh rounder, for veteran defensive lineman Michael Brockers? What was the point of dealing fifth- and seventh-round selections to the Broncos for wide receiver Trinity Benson and a sixth-rounder?
Holmes should horde draft picks, even late ones, because it would increase the odds of hitting on a few of them. Keeping Goff around for another year is a waste of time for them and for him.
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It’s doubtful the Lions will draw much interest at Tuesday’s trade deadline, but if they can get any draft picks, Holmes by all means must sell.
The Lions were booed a lot Sunday. It’s understandable. Earlier this season, the fans appreciated the effort, if not the results.
This is a problem on all levels now. Maybe the Lions can beat the Bears and/or Vikings at home. They might have a shot against the Falcons, in Atlanta the day after Christmas. Denver isn’t very good. The Packers might have everything clinched by the season finale at Ford Field.
But time is quickly becoming the Lions’ enemy.