Is this really the one for the Lions?
This is the week, supposedly. This is when it finally, mercifully ends, right? The Lions are 0-2 and have lost 19 straight, but hey, at least they can score a few points!
The Redskins come to town with a 1-1 record, a coach (Jim Zorn) with a bulls-eye on his back and an offense that eked out a 9-7 win over St. Louis last Sunday. And many people, locally and nationally, think this is the week the Lions' losing streak ends.
And that's the problem, right there. Because of their infamy, the Lions have been robbed of the one intangible they possessed -- the ability to be overlooked, to sneak up on an unsuspecting foe. And that's why the upset mania is self-defeating, and the Lions' streak likely will continue.
All week in Washington, the talk has been about Zorn's job security, and Jason Campbell's worth as a quarterback, and that anemic offense, and how the Redskins have to beat the sadsack Lions or daffy owner Daniel Snyder might kick everyone out and change the locks on the doors.
The Lions are a tortured lot, obviously, with a rookie quarterback, Matthew Stafford, trying to find his way under horrible circumstances. But the Redskins also are a tortured group, and they happen to have a very good defense capable of alleviating (and inflicting) pain. They're waiting for prized defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to make an impact, and you know he will, soon.
The Lions need several breaks to win, and unfortunately for them, Campbell isn't the type of quarterback to hand over breaks. He has a low interception percentage, not that the Lions are remotely adept at picking off passes anyway. And if you think the Redskins are already beaten down after two games, please.
The Lions are the get-well card for the rest of the NFL. If opponents come in with diminished focus -- as the Vikings seemed to while digging a 10-0 deficit before outscoring the Lions 27-3 -- it's off-set by the growing incentive not to be The One.
I've felt all along the Lions had a shot to beat the Redskins, but now I wonder. Washington still has offensive weapons -- Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley, Santana Moss -- and surely senses the danger.
Fear of embarrassment will sharpen anyone's focus, and the Redskins have been slapped alert by fear. Sorry to say, not good news for the Lions.
