DETROIT — The Lions can stop playing pretend now. They can't run the ball, can't slug in the trenches with good teams, can't sustain anything. Win a game, lose a game. Gain a yard, lose a yard. They can pretend to contend all they wish, but this one was graphically revealing.
A two-game winning streak stirred possibilities, and then reality slugged them in the mouth. The Colts came to town with an elite defense, a savvy quarterback and real playoff hopes. The Lions came in with their standard combination — no margins for error and slim margins for success.
This is what you get in the third season under Matt Patricia, and it's stupefying. Every time they toy with the concept of legitimacy, they get toyed with and learn how far away they truly are. Indianapolis dominated early, weathered the Lions' predictable passing flurry, then finished off a 41-21 pounding at Ford Field Sunday.
Lions' Matthew Stafford and Marvin Jones Jr. head to the benches after turning over the ball on downs late in the fourth quarter.
It could've been the Lions' first three-game winning streak under Patricia, with another soft stretch of the schedule upcoming. Instead, they're 3-4 and no longer in position to fool themselves, or anyone else. Their defensive revitalization lasted all of two games against weak opponents. They can't sustain a running game, they can't sustain blocks to protect Matthew Stafford, they almost literally can't beat anybody of note.
This was the litmus test because the Colts were 4-2 and sound in all areas, spectacular in few. They could lean on their stellar offensive line, on aging but accurate quarterback Philip Rivers, on a solid batch of receivers and runners, and on a stout defense ranked second in the NFL.
The Lions? The only thing they've relied on is Stafford, and against an opponent like this, Stafford is unreliable, left bare without a running game. Then he starts making mistakes of aggression, and when that happens, it's over.
The Lions had cut their deficit to 20-14 when Stafford was sacked and gave up the team's first fumble of the season. The Colts immediately scored, and on the next possession, Stafford threw a 29-yard pick-six to Kenny Moore to make it 35-14.
