I’ll be honest, even I’m caught off guard with how okay this loss felt for the Detroit Lions. I’m not much of a believer in moral victories, and I’m certainly not of the belief that a team should prioritize losing down the stretch of a playoff-less season to maximize draft pick value.
But there was something about the Lions’ 20-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons that felt perfectly acceptable, even somewhat promising. And that’s with the concession that the Falcons are not a very good team. The Lions just looked... competent. Sure, there were penalties, and yes, a horrible interception when the game was in their hands was frustrating.