Opinion: Forget NFL draft order. Lions' win over Cardinals does more for their future.
Let 'em have it. They deserve it. Heck, you deserve it. And you should enjoy it, too.
Afternoons like this don’t come around often here. Not at Ford Field. Not on any field, truthfully — at least not on any field where the Detroit Lions play.
Sunday’s 30-12 win over the Arizona Cardinals wasn’t just the Lions’ best win of the year — yes, it was only win No. 2 — it was the team’s most electric performance, an end-to-end domination of one of the NFL's better squads.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. They ruined their draft position, especially if this win begins some kind of strange, late-season renaissance. (And it could, considering Atlanta and Seattle — neither of them world-beaters — are up next.) Plus, considering the gut-punch losses these Lions endured earlier this season, and the nature of karma ... well, why not?
But back to the draft position for a moment. It doesn’t matter if the Lions get the top spot or not. Or even the No. 2 spot. History tells us that since 1999, only three No. 1 overall picks have won a Super Bowl: Quarterbacks David Carr and Eli Manning and left tackle Eric Fisher.
That’s it. So don’t worry so much about where the Lions end up in the draft. Their pick will be high enough to get a talented player.
Just as they did a year ago when they selected Penei Sewell at No. 7. Sewell is already showing All-Pro potential while adding serious skill and nastiness to one of the better units in the league.
So, yeah, enjoy the win. Because the Lions sure will. And they should. They needed it. Coach Dan Campbell needed it. He’s trying to build something here, and it helps to get a win every once in awhile.
“That was fun," he said. "So proud of our guys. The minute it felt like something may go the wrong way, we were able to tilt it back into our favor.”
This wasn’t an ordinary win. The Lions played as if they were competing for home-field advantage from the first snap. Which is funny, because that’s what the Cardinals were playing for.
But Campbell has had this team competing for stretches all season. Just last week, after the Lions got back into the game in the second quarter against Denver, they were driving early in the third quarter, with a shot at really changing momentum.
A Godwin Igwebuike fumble stopped that. The Broncos scored. The game got ugly from there.
Campbell was reluctant to even mention the moment in his postgame press conference. He knows how it sounds. He doesn’t want to complain or make excuses. He also knows what kind of locker room he has, and what kind of roster, and that while it may not have enough playmakers, it has plenty of players desperate to make plays, eager to show resiliency.
"I mean, that’s what we’re trying to build around here, and I do think that those guys have bought into it," Campbell said. "I felt like they bought into it all year, it’s just been, what gets us over the edge? What’s going to get us to that point where we start figuring it out and we can keep the momentum in our favor? And so we did it today."
Sunday’s effort showed this.
From linebacker Charles Harris’s 1½ sacks to cornerback Amani Oruwariye’s diving interception to running back Craig Reynolds’ blasts into the line of scrimmage. Reynolds helped the Lions get back into the game last Sunday in Denver.
Today, he helped keep them in control. He ran for 112 yards on 26 carries, beating the Cardinals to the edge, finding creases up the middle, spinning from trouble and moving the chains.
You could say the same of Jared Goff, who played as well as he has all year, taking the checkdown when he needed to, taking chances when his team needed him to. He was so efficient that when he took a roughing-the-passer penalty late in the first half and had to sit out a play because he hurt his leg, the crowd was unsettled.
For once, no one wanted to see the backup. And when Goff returned the next play, he drew the loudest cheers of his time here.
It had to feel good.
Losing is hard, especially for quarterbacks, who get the bulk of fans' wrath and disappointment. Goff may not be the long-term answer for what Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes are building, but he’s shown character and grit this season.
Against Arizona, he threw three touchdown passes. He went 21-for-26 for 216 yards. This may not sound like much, but he completed passes when he had to and kept drives going.
Defensively, the Lions kept Arizona’s Kyler Murray from going much of anywhere. He escaped a few times and completed a few downfield throws, especially to tight end Zach Ertz. Mostly, though, the Lions chased him from the pocket and pressured him, sacking him twice.
The effort was startling, and when the Cardinals kicked a field goal early in the third quarter to cut the lead to 17-3, and Igwebuike fumbled on the next possession, everyone was thinking the same thing: Here we go.
But not Oruwariye, who dove in front of Murray’s pass toward A.J. Green, extended, intercepted it, rolled to the turf, got up untouched and sprinted down the sideline for 50 yards.
"I like winning," said Oruwariye. "I came from college winning. We won a little in high school. But the feeling of winning like we had in that locker room was unreal. So any plays I can make to get a win, I’m happy about.”
On the next play, Goff tossed a six-yard pass to Jason Cabinda for a touchdown, pushing the lead to 24-3.
That was the game, basically. It was an odd feeling, to be honest. Watching a 1-11-1 team so completely outclass a Super Bowl contender. Yet here we are, and there they were: The Lions, competing as if they were heading for something grand this season. No wonder they got serenaded: “Let’s go, Lions! … Let’s go, Lions!”
The crowd was shocked. Then delirious.
"You know we've had spurts ... " said offensive lineman Taylor Decker.
But this?
It’s been awhile. And winning matters. A lot more than draft position.
Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.