Twice this season, the Lions have lost on last-minute field goals.
The first time was to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7. The Bengals got the ball back with 26 seconds left, leading to kicker Mike Nugent successfully nailing a 54-yard field goal for the win. The final score was 27-24.
Even more troubling for the Lions' playoff hopes was yesterday's game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Ravens kicker Justin Tucker was the star of the night, scoring all 18 of Baltimore's points.
Stafford threw Detroit's last touchdown to Joseph Fauria, but the intended 2-point conversion to Calvin Johnson was no good, giving the Ravens a chance. Joe Flacco got the ball back with a little over two minutes left in the game, and Justin Tucker was given his sixth field goal attempt of the night. He made the game winning 61-yarder, ending up 6/6 on the night.
Let's take another look at the kick that beat the Lions:
[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaX9RvFGGrw[/embed]
18-16 was the final score. Stafford couldn't close the game with 36 seconds left, and threw an interception that sealed the loss. Ultimately, this could end the Lion's season and ruin their chances of a playoff appearance.
Lions fans have seen this before, and it's nothing new. Teams lose on gut-wrenching field goals all the time, but for the Lions this ending brought a new kind of disappointment. Will the Lions see the playoffs, or will they end up 61 yards too short?
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