Two weeks ago, the Lions were in first place in the NFC North and had the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL. Now the Lions have lost back-to-back games against teams with losing records.
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford threw four interceptions as the Buccaneers came to Detroit and beat the Lions, 24-21. The last interception wasn’t Stafford’s fault, as he hit Calvin Johnson in the hands deep in Buccaneers territory with less than a minute to play, but the ball was jarred out of Johnson’s hands and intercepted, sealing the win for Tampa Bay.
The Lions were a mess all day, and they were lucky that they were still in it late in the fourth quarter: Buccaneers kicker Rian Lindell missed two fourth-quarter field goals that, if he had hit them, would have sealed the game. Stafford’s four interceptions and a bizarre fumble by Detroit’s Kris Durham were huge mistakes that the Lions couldn’t overcome.
Give the Buccaneers credit: After so much talk that they had quit on coach Greg Schiano, they’ve now won three in a row to improve their record to 3-8.
And give the Lions a lot of blame: With the division on the line, they’ve turned in two bad performances in a row. If Jim Schwartz doesn’t get his team turned around in a hurry, he may not be able to save his job.