Are the Detroit Lions turning into a resilient football team?

Embed from Getty Images The Detroit Lions have started the 2019-20 NFL season 2-0-1. For decades the Lions have been a punching bag for well, everyone.  Sunday afternoon the Detroit Lions showed something that has never been associated with the franchise, resilience. No really.

Missing for decades, the Detroit Lions showed a new side in Philadelphia of all places. The Lions won a game they did not come close to playing at the teams best. That is resilience.

The Lions made enough plays and overcoming the mistakes they made along the way. Playing in front of a bunch of loud and crazy fans, against the team that won the Super Bowl two seasons ago. The Lions on a day when quarterback Matthew Stafford was not as sharp as he had been completed 18 of 32 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown. Not great numbers for sure. But when the game was uncertain, Stafford did what he does best, lead the team on a touchdown drive that turned out to be the game winner.

“Just really proud of our players,” Lions coach Matt Patricia said. “It’s really hard to win on the road, especially in this place. It’s a hostile environment, it’s loud, their fans are great, they’re screaming and yelling.”

So what went right for the Detroit Lions? Let’s start with the offensive line, for the second straight week, they didn’t give up a sack.  J.D. McKissic, whom the Lions claimed off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks,  ripped off a 44 yard run. It was the Detroit Lions, who overcame a blocked field goal late in the fourth quarter and found a way to win. While the Detroit defensive line continued to struggle to find a pass rush.

Through three games, the Lions are unbeaten. For for just the fourth time since the AFL-NFL merger. Kick returner Jamal Agnew who was benched one week ago took an Eagles kickoff to the endzone. “He was in and grinding all week,” Patricia said. “When players do that and they grind and they work and they practice, your confidence is as high as ever and you trust them. I just had a feeling that something good was going to happen with everything he did and what he does and his approach.”

Maybe, this sums up this Lions team. Grinding. And working. And getting better. Resilient.