Lions still looking for first victory
By David Scott
dscott@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008
DETROIT LIONS (0-9). Sunday: Lost to Jacksonville, 38-14.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/panthers/story/319879.html
What went right
Rookie tailback Kevin Smith ran for a career-high 96 yards and a touchdown.
Rookie quarterback Drew Stanton threw his first career touchdown pass to sixth-year tight end John Owens, his first career touchdown reception.
What went wrong
The Lions were out of this one quickly, falling behind 24-7 at halftime.
Detroit's defense allowed the Jaguars to run at will, with Fred Taylor gaining 80 yards and Maurice Jones-Drew 70.
Stanton was sacked five times after coming in for Daunte Culpepper briefly in the first quarter and again in the fourth quarter.
3 players to watch
Quarterback Daunte Culpepper: Signed last week after a brief retirement. He started against the Jaguars and the rust showed, going 5-for-10 for 104 yards and an interception. Culpepper, once a star in Minnesota, had struggled to recover from a knee injury he suffered in a Vikings-Panthers game at Bank of America Stadium in 2005.
Receiver Calvin Johnson: ACC fans will remember Johnson from his dominating days at Georgia Tech. He's the Lions' go-to guy now, especially after Roy Williams was traded to Dallas earlier this season. Johnson has caught 39 passes for 774 yards and six touchdowns.
Defensive end DeWayne White: He's got 5.5 sacks, an interception and has forced three fumbles. He hurt his calf in the first quarter against the Jaguars, however, and didn't return. His status for the Panthers game is uncertain.
By the numbers
9:20 Time, in minutes and seconds, Lions defense was on field for one Jaguars scoring drive.
31-90 Record since 2001, worst in the NFL.
51 Yard pass from Culpepper to Johnson against the Jaguars.
Observations
There is a lot of talk that the Lions have a solid chance of going 0-16. Their remaining schedule indicates that could happen: Five opponents (Carolina, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Minnesota and Indianapolis) have winning records. The other two (Green Bay and New Orleans) are 4-5.
With former team president Matt Millen out of the picture, it will be interesting to see if he was completely responsible for running this franchise into the ground or if there's just something bad in the Lions' DNA.
The Lions are one of six teams to never have played in the Super Bowl, along with Cleveland, Houston, Jacksonville, New Orleans and Arizona.
The series
The Panthers lead 3-1. In 2005, Carolina backup quarterback Chris Weinke – playing for the first time since 2002 – drove the Panthers 50 yards and threw a game-winning 3-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl with 32 seconds left in a 21-20 victory. Jake Delhomme had been knocked out of the game when he was hit in the head by the Lions' Kenoy Kennedy.
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