Lions lose to Rams, erase any and all goodwill

November 1, 6:44 PMDetroit Lions ExaminerChris Morgan

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Get used to losing, Coach Schwartz. (AP Photo)

I think it is fairly safe to say that Lions fans are, for the most part, a patient and forgiving bunch. After all, we still root for this team after years of lousy play, including an 0-16 season. I love the Lions, and it takes quite a bit to really disappoint me, especially right now. I've been saying that as long as the Lions show progress I'll be happy. Well, losing 17-10 at home to the winless and awful St. Louis Rams isn't progress, it's regress. It's the same old Lions, and it has me quite irritated.

This game wasn't on television and maybe that was for the best. It would have been a horrible waste of time to watch the game. Watching the Bears demolish the Browns was more enjoyable. Speaking of the Browns, they come to town in a few weeks and I'm going to predict the Lions lose to them too. In fact, I'm not going to predict another Lions win for the rest of the season. This team is too terrible to have any faith in.

I know Calvin Johnson was out. That's no excuse for how bad the offense played. Only getting 10 points against the Rams horrible defense is not tolerable. It wasn't your usual 10 points either, they only scored one offensive touchdown and then needed a two point conversion after getting a safety. A safety which, if I am deciphering the blox score properly, came after Matthew Stafford was intercepted and then the defensive player ran into his endzone and was tackled by Kevin Smith for a safety. It's nice for Smith to actually contribute something to this team.

I saw that because once again he ran horribly and I am beginning to worry he isn't a long term answer at running back. His only saving grace is he's a pretty good pass catcher. He caught four balls for 49 yards in this game, but he only gained 45 yards on 16 carries. He was outperformed by Maurice Morris! Are all the carries last year and from his senior year in college catching up to him? The Lions really need to consider replacing him, and they have so many holes on top of that. This team never seems to run out of issues.

Stafford was healthy, but he might as well not have been. He went 14-for-33 for 168 yards and an interception. He ran in a 4-yard touchdown but that doesn't cut it. Could Daunte Culpepper have done any better? Well, I doubt he could have done worse.

The only reason this game was any close is because the Rams truly are terrible. The game was tied at 10 until late in the fourth quarter when Stephen Jackson busted out for a 25-yard touchdown run. He finished with 149 yards on 22 carries. See, Kevin Smith, that's how you play running back. Close games are only encouraging for the Lions when they play good teams. This game shouldn't have been close. The Lions should have won fairly easily. If they were any good, that is.

Of course, the Lions aren't any good. They are almost as bad as last year. If not for the Browns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Lions would be a lock for the first overall pick. Instead, they might not even have the fortune of getting that again. The Lions disappointed me immensely on Sunday, and my expectations for them are so low that takes some doing. I could easily see this team going 1-15. They might have more holes than I thought entering the season, and I thought they had several issues. This team is still a mess, and any hopes of them showing progress this season are out the window as far as I am concerned. They are a slightly better team with an easier schedule and nothing more. The loss at home to the Rams pretty much proves that.

However, I'm not going to give up on the Lions. I've already gone through so many horrible seasons, what's another one? Or two. Or five. The fact of the matter is the Lions have been a terrible team for years and this game shows that there are no signs of that ending anytime soon. It was an absolutely awful loss, and I'm glad we weren't subjected to it being on television.