5 Other Legendary Detroit Lions Losses

In his first trip back to Ford Field since being fired from the Detroit head coaching job, Jim Schwartz was eager to beat his former team, and apparently make a big deal out of it. During practice the week of he told players he wanted to be carried off the field if they were to win in Detroit, we still don’t know if this was said tongue in cheek.

The outcome was a heartbreaking one. Alex Henery, brought in to replace Nate Freese misses all three of his field goal attempts in the game including a 50-yarder to break a 14-14 tie with 21 seconds left.

Instead of overtime, Kyle Orton went 20 yards in 17 seconds to set up a Dan Carpenter 58 yard field goal that clinched the game. He had previously hit from 50 in that contest.

The Lions after that game were 4-of-12 on field goal tries at that point in the season.

The Lions are up 17-16 in the game’s dying moments. Two seconds are left on the clock and the New Orleans Saints (1-5-1) are looking to drive to upset the 5-2 Detroit Lions.

With two seconds left in the game the Saints find their way to the Lions 46 yard line. They elect to try for what would amount to a record breaking field goal at the time of 63 yards. The kicker Tom Dempsey was born without toes on his right foot and no fingers on his right arm. He wore a modified shoe with a flattened and enlarged toe surface.

You’d have to see it to believe it, so here it is.

Chicago, the windy city, and on this November afternoon a very blustery day at that. With the score tied 17-17 and both teams sitting at dismal records, the Lions win the coin toss in overtime and elect to… defend with the wind at their backs?

Bears QB Jim Miller had this to say: “The wind was a factor. They wanted us to drive the length of the field, which is exactly what we did,” Miller said after Paul Edinger’s 40-yard field goal gave the Bears their first win since the second week of the season.

To get an idea of the tomfoolery that might have been going on on Detroit’s sidelines that year, here’s coach Mornhinwheg during that year buying a player’s story on the field.

In the case of a rule, that is a stupid rule, but still a rule. Calvin Johnson was the first unlucky fellow to have this one called in a crucial moment.

With the Lions looking to get off to a 1-0 start on the road against rival Chicago with 31 seconds left and 25 yards away from the end zone, Matthew Stafford lobs one up, the big man catches it, rolls on the ground and goes off to celebrate… but he never secured it, or he didn’t fully possess it?

It’s still referred to as “The Calvin Johnson rule” but again that’s only because he was the first person to have it utilized in a game changing scenario. Dez Bryant in last year’s playoffs and Tyler Eifert even this year have had the Calvin Johnson rule imposed on them to take away big moments in a game.

Will the rule get axed? Maybe someday soon, but until then the Calvin Johnson rule stings fresh in the minds of Lions fans.

Speaking of Dez Bryant and the playoffs, remember him running around like an idiot barking at officials and not getting flagged? And remember how the officials picked up a pass interference flag that would’ve given the Lions a first down? And instead the drive stalled and the Cowboys won and advanced to play Green Bay? Of course you do because it was only nine months ago.

In case you need reminding, here you go.