The euphoria of the Detroit Lions playing on Monday Night Football and winning was still palpable as one walked through the many tailgates Sunday afternoon.
However, as is the case with professional football, in comes an equally surprising San Francisco 49ers squad and the joyfulness of the moment is dissipated into the reality of now.
At the beginning of the NFL 2011 season not many would have predicted the Lions and 49ers matchup would be the national game of the week. Both the 49ers and Lions were coming off a 6-10 season and were afterthoughts in the grand point of view of the NFL’s national pundits.
The Lions entered the contest as one of the NFL’s two remaining undefeated teams, but after the 25-19 last second lost to San Francisco, the Green Bay Packers remain the last one. The Lions were 1-4 at this point last year so this one loss dropping the team to 5-1 should not misdirect their 2011 projection.
“We’re not going to go 16-0,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said.”We didn’t play our best in any of the three phases: offense, defense or special teams. (It) still came down to one play at the end on defense and we fell just short.”
The Lions induced 15 49ers’ penalties and had a several forays into San Fran’s territory but left with short field goal attempts.
By letting San Francisco stay around, they eventually overcame the Lions’ defense, as Alex Smith tossed a go-ahead 6-yard scoring pass to Delanie Walker on fourth down for San Francisco with 1:51 left, and the 49ers added a field goal less than a minute later for the final margin. Detroit (5-1) lost for the first time in 10 regular-season games dating to last year. The Lions also won all four of their preseason games.
“I was really frustrated because a couple plays before that, I think a couple guys, we got kind of flustered,” linebacker DeAndre Levy said. “Guys were lining up late, getting the calls late, kind of got rattled. Despite all that, we had them at 4th and 6 and still had a chance to stop them. We usually rise to the occasion. We’ve got to be able to do that consistently.”
Lions defensive tackle Nadamukong Sug said, “We didn’t capitalize in the Red Zone as we normally do. On the defensive side of the ball, we didn’t hold them. It is definitely a team effort of what we didn’t do and there is no reason to point fingers to anybody. It was a collective failing.”
Coaches Jim Harbaugh and Schwartz have helped turn San Francisco and Detroit into contenders, earning plenty of attention for the energy and attitude they bring to the sidelines. Both are fiery and full of get-up-and-go, and, have taken their team beyond early season projections. Unfortunately, that fire spilled over after the game into an ugly pushing contest.
Harbaugh ran across the field and gave his Detroit counterpart an exuberant handshake and then a slap on the back. Schwartz took exception and chased Harbaugh back toward the tunnel, but the two were kept separated. Players gathered and appeared to restore order.
“I went to congratulate Coach Harbaugh and got shoved out of the way,” Schwartz said. “I didn’t expect an obscenity at that point. Obviously, when you win a game like that, you are excited, but there is a protocol.”
Said Harbaugh: “I was just really revved up and it’s totally on me. I shook his hand too hard. I mean, I really went in and it was a strong kind of slap, grab handshake. So, that was on me — little too hard of a handshake there.”
The 49ers and Lions contest and the post-game coaches’ shenanigans had all of the NFL watchers hoping that they find a way to meet again in the playoffs.
Leland Stein can be reached at lelstein3@aol.com or at Twitter @lelandsteinIII.
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