Coach Matt Patricia was disappointed, but proud of the team.
Detroit Lions fans can be incrediblly critical. They can also be pretty generous when they see the team give it its all.
On Sunday at Ford Field, fans saw the team stand up to the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the best teams in the NFL, and nearly pull off a victory.
Which lead Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News to write:
It was all there, tantalizingly, agonizingly close. The Lions got as close as they possibly could to a signature victory, a narrative-changer, a season-turner. They didn’t get the momentous prize in a momentous game, but they did pick up something else.
The Lions gained credibility, on a day of incredible play. There were as many crazy swings as ever in Ford Field, so many staggering twists and comebacks that when it finally ended, players on both teams sort of milled about, as if unsure it was really over.
Matthew Stafford’s final Hail Mary heave fell short and the Lions took a crunching slug to the gut against one of the best teams in the NFL. The Chiefs showed why they’re 4-0 and a Super Bowl favorite, as reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes marched them for the winning touchdown with 20 seconds left to pull out a 34-30 thriller
Mike O'Hara of Lions.com weighed in:
If the Lions proved anything, it’s that they can play with good teams – and the Chiefs are one of the NFL’s best – and they have no shortage of grit and determination. They demonstrated that again Sunday, as they did in the first three games.
But they also proved that they can’t give the ball away like they did twice in the third quarter. They lost one fumble with the ball at the Chiefs’ five-yard line, and another with the ball at their one.
Those are game-killers, and the Lions shot down their chances with those two giant giveaways. It was a valiant effort by the Lions, but they couldn’t finish off the Chiefs, who ended a 79-yard drive with the winning TD with 20 seconds left.
