Victory

At long last, the Detroit Lions were finally able to get rid of the "0" in the win column.

The Lions took down the Washington Redskins on Sunday afternoon, 19-14. Loyal fans in Ford Field cheered them on the whole way. The game was blacked out locally, but that didn't prevent some from tuning into it via radio.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw one touchdown and no interceptions. Overall the Lions looked a lot better on both sides of the ball. The game officially ended when linebacker Larry Foote tackled Redskins' running back Ladell Betts. I remember hearing Dan Miller, the Lions' play-by-play radio broadcaster, ending the whole thing dramatically:

"Game over! Losing streak over! NIGHTMARE OVER!"

And a feeling of great joy came to all of us Lions fans. It was big. It almost felt like winning a Super Bowl. Having lost so many games provided us with a fresh perspective on winning. A Lions victory was so wonderfully surprising, so greatly unexpected, so happily relieving, that it had us practically floating.

Maybe Coach Jim Schwartz really can dig us out of this hole. Maybe Matt Stafford really is the next Bobby Layne. Maybe...

Winning brings confidence and optimism. It can lift up an entire city or state. Michigan hasn't felt this good since the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup back in the summer of '08.

Now, that sure sounds like an odd statement. But different teams means different perspectives. We're used to seeing the Red Wings dominate the league, so the only real joy we can get from them is that which is universally uplifting: Winning a championship. The Lions, on the other hand, have been so indescribably bad that winning just one game sounds great.

Yes, sir, it was a fine day indeed, the day in which all the talk of repeating 0-16 disappeared completely.

Now, as Jason Hanson said, this doesn't mean that the Lions are going to the Super Bowl, but it is definitely a step forward. In the first two weeks, the Lions were beaten by strong teams. On Sunday they took down one of the weaker teams. Not great, but not terrible either.

Now that the streak is over, the Lions can concentrate on bigger things. The pressure is off of Stafford now, which is really big considering that the former Georgia QB's biggest weakness is often his tendency to push himself too far, thereby making mistakes.

The Lions have officially established themselves as competetors. They will still probably miss the playoffs, and more likely than not finish with a losing record, but at least they will compete.