DETROIT – This is not a Same Old Lions column.
But let's face it, the Lions keep doing the same thing.
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It wasn't unthinkable that the Lions could go to Arizona and lose to the Cardinals. After all, the Cards have the best record in the NFL. Plus, they have an impressive, play-making defense.
But if the Lions wanted to change the script, they have to win a game like this one.
The Lions must start beating good teams before they can be considered legit.
They just can't be the bad teams - sometimes in lucky fashion - and expect a parade.
On Sunday the Lions did what most fans, deep down, knew they would. They lost, 14-6.
Worse, the Lions (7-3) didn't get a touchdown in a game for the first time in five years.
Detroit has lost eight straight in Arizona, last winning there in 1993.
To make matters worse, the Cards (9-1) were without starting QB Carson Palmer. Many Lions fans believed their team would benefit from backup QB Drew Stanton, the former Lion taking Arizona's snaps.
Nope.
Stanton threw for a career-high 306 yards and converted eight of 14 third downs against the NFL's top-ranked defense.
Stanton drove the Cardinals down the field with ease on the first two possessions. Arizona scored on drives of 80 yards and 77 yards. It was 14-0. Ballgame.
The Lions are now 7-3. However, the Lions don't look as good as their record, especially if you watch their entire games, not just a game-winning highlight from the previous three games.
That's not to discount their winning at all.
It's just hard to look at some of their wins, especially the previous last three games and not wonder if this team has been more lucky than good.
Winning cures all and covers up a lot. No cares about how poorly your offense played for three-plus quarters, all the dumb penalties you committed, or the bad turnovers if you pull out a victory in the end.
The Lions couldn't get lucky again this week and lost after just 262 yards of offense, their second-lowest total of the season.
"We didn't help ourselves," Lions QB Matthew Stafford said to the media after the game. "We had too many penalties and too many mental errors. If you do that against a good team, you're not going to win."
For sure, no one expects a team to be perfect, even great teams have flaws.
But aside from their defense - ranked No. 1 - the team's statistics look pretty ordinary.
The Lions could have easily lost their previous three games as they did Sunday.
The Lions' offense has sputtered all season. Stafford may have made miracle plays late, but he hasn't had the type of season expected of him, given the Lions offensive weapons.
Stafford has a QB rating of just 85. He has 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. By comparison, Cleveland's Brian Hoyer has an 86 rating with 11 TDs and five picks.
The difference is that Stafford has been able to make a play late to win largely because the Lions defense has kept game close, even when the offense can't get anything going.
Despite the Lions' record, it's hard not to think about the great starts gone bad in the past. Last year, they were 6-3 after nine games and didn't make it to the playoffs.
They head to New England next—another predictable loss.