When the Falcons lost in London to the Lions back in 2015, it was a crushing blow, one of the two or three losses that lost Mike Smith his job. That was a pretty mediocre Lions team delivering the defeat, of course, and it bears little resemblance to the one Atlanta is about to play.
The setting and the situation couldn’t be more different. Dan Quinn and company are in no danger of losing their jobs at the moment and have this 2-0 Falcons team positioned for another terrific season. Detroit, meanwhile, is protecting Matthew Stafford and playing quality defense, which has also brought them to a 2-0 record.