The Lions, as they so often do, made some early mistakes on Saturday night. And the Falcons, as they so often do, capitalized when given an opportunity to take a lead.
The biggest mistake for Detroit was a fumble by running back Mikel Leshoure one play after a Calvin Johnson 49-yard catch-and-run had the Lions rolling. The Falcons recovered, and on their ensuing possession, Matt Ryan hit Roddy White deep down the sideline for a 44-yard touchdown.
Lions cornerback Chris Houston, who said this week that he’s looking forward to testing the free agency market, was the cornerback who got burned by White on the play. Houston might want to stop talking about how he’s looking to cash in on a new contract after the season and start focusing on doing his job during the final two games of the season.
Other mistakes for the Lions included an offside penalty on Ndamukong Suh, and having to use their first timeout after their first offensive play.
Johnson is, as usual, having a great game, and he’s closing in on Jerry Rice’s all-time single-season receiving record. But the rest of the Lions are having a miserable game, and the Falcons have taken an early 7-3 lead.