News: 11/14/05

It was pretty simple. Win or the season was finished.

The Lions knew what they faced Sunday afternoon at Ford Field against the lousy Arizona Cardinals.

Thankfully for them, the Lions won. It would have been embarrassing had they lost.

Their 29-21 victory might not have righted their season gone awry, but it was a much-needed start to the second half.

Still, the magnitude of this victory won't be realized until after next Sunday's game in Dallas.

If the Lions can follow up with a road victory over the Cowboys, some fans just might believe that the Lions aren't totally out of the NFC North title hunt after all.

For sure, at 4-5 they still have a lot of work to do in order to catch the division-leading Chicago Bears (6-3).

But this league, more than any other, is about stringing together victories and building confidence in the process.

"It could give us momentum ... to really, really give us an honest push to get back in the hunt to win this division and get into the playoffs," said defensive end James Hall about the idea of winning in Dallas.

A quick fix

So much had gone wrong for the Lions the past two weeks when they lost games many believed they should have been able to win. The Cardinals were just what the doctor ordered.

They came in with a dreadful 2-6 record. They had not recorded a rushing touchdown all season. Plus, coach Steve Mariucci and quarterback Joey Harrington had never lost to the Cards.

The Lions -- looking like a real offense for a change -- will gladly accept the victory. But they know it won't mean a thing if they can't beat a good team. All four of their victories have come against sub-.500 teams.

"It's a win, which is what we most definitely needed," Hall said. "It's important that we get a win against a winning team, a productive team to see where we're at."

Only the playoffs will do

Getting to .500 isn't enough. The Lions came into this season with huge expectations. The Lions were convinced that they had enough talent to make the playoffs.

When Matt Millen took over this franchise five years ago, it made the postseason with some regularity. His goal was to strip it down and build it up to a higher level -- championship-caliber.

The only way this season can be salvaged is if the Lions make the playoffs, something they haven't done since 1999.

If not, you could look at all the work that has been done the past five seasons as meaningless, especially since all those top draft picks the haven't panned out in Detroit.

It won't be easy. The Lions have a brutal schedule ahead of them, including three of their final four games on the road. Two of their three remaining home games are against teams that appeared headed for the postseason (Atlanta and Cincinnati).

The Lions are going to need a winning record in the second half of the season. Sadly for the Lions, they haven't had a winning second half since 1997. Sunday was a first step.

"This was big game for us," receiver Scottie Vines said. "It was a game we needed and wanted to win."

It was a season-saver. Next week will probably tell you if it was worth saving.

RECAP:

Fun.

The Lions didn't have much the first half of the season, with the offense struggling, the team losing, teammates squabbling and controversy swirling.

But they had some Sunday at Ford Field, with wide receiver Roy Williams helping lighten the mood and open up the offense in a 29-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Williams played a joke on coach Steve Mariucci in warm-ups, pretending he wouldn't be able to play, then caught three touchdown passes.

After one TD, Williams struck a pose in the end zone, lying on his side like a bikini model at the beach.

"Just having fun out there, and I think that's what we haven't been doing," Williams said. "I think we've been trying too hard. Let's just relax and play ball and have fun."

There was no reason to get carried away. The Lions rose to 4-5 by beating a team that fell to 2-7 -- a team they had beaten handily the past two years, too. They didn't improve their position in the NFC North.

Still, heading into tougher games at Dallas next week and against Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day, there were reasons to smile. It was a great afternoon for the offense by many measures.

The Lions had 383 total yards, a season high.

Williams became the first Lion to catch three touchdown passes in a game since Herman Moore did it against Green Bay on Oct. 29, 1995. This, after Lions wide receivers had caught only two TDs all season -- none since the second game.

Quarterback Joey Harrington went 22-for-32 for 231 yards. His 120.7 passer rating was the second-highest of his career.

Running back Kevin Jones busted a 36-yard run -- more than doubling his season high -- and finished with 81 yards on 14 carries. The Lions rushed for 157 yards.

"There's something to be said for having Roy back in there," Harrington said. "He makes defenders pay attention to him. If you can't come up and stack the box because Roy is in there, that means there is something down the middle of the field, and we'll take it. It's just good having him back."

Williams missed three games with a strained quadriceps, and teammates questioned his toughness. Then came last week's game at Minnesota -- and confusion.

During warm-ups, Williams met with the team brass on the field, and they decided he would try to play 20-30 snaps. When wide receiver Mike Williams suffered a foot injury, Mariucci asked Roy if he could play the rest of the game. He said no, that he could abide by the original plan. He played only three snaps.

During warm-ups this time, Mariucci came up to Williams, and their conversation went something like this:

"How you doing?"

"Not good," Williams said.

"What?"

"I can't go."

Then Williams laughed.

"I'm just playing," Williams said.

Williams smiled about it afterward.

"That was a good one," Williams said.

Mariucci smiled, too.

"He got me," Mariucci said. "Now he's a comic."

The Lions scored a first-drive touchdown for the first time this season when Jones busted his 36-yarder -- on fourth-and-one -- and Williams caught a seven-yard TD pass.

After defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson nailed fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo in the end zone for a safety later in the first quarter, and Williams caught a 21-yard TD pass in the second, the Lions led, 16-0.

Arizona's Neil Rackers kicked a 51-yard field goal, Detroit's Jason Hanson kicked a 26-yarder, and the Lions had a 19-3 halftime lead.

The Cardinals opened the second half with a one-yard touchdown run by running back J.J. Arrington and a two-point conversion run by Ayanbadejo.

Williams responded with a 29-yard TD catch, then played sparingly.

"As the game wore on, it wore on, too," Williams said. "Once the game almost got out of hand, I asked them, 'Take me out unless something drastic happens.' "

Said Mariucci: "I don't think in watching Roy that he was really exploding or really quick or back to himself. I think he was still dragging it a little bit. I think as he continues to get back practicing and healthier -- I hope we didn't set it back at all today -- I think he's going to be better and better."

The Lions weren't happy with the fourth quarter. Rackers kicked a 28-yard field goal. Hanson kicked a 20-yarder when a drive stalled at the 2. Then quarterback Kurt Warner (29-for-45, 359 yards) threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (nine catches, 141 yards), cutting the Lions' lead to eight with 2:24 left.

After surviving an onside kick, the Lions went three-and-out, gave the ball back to the Cardinals with 1:01 to go and had to stop them to secure the victory.

"We still found a way to make it close," center Dominic Raiola said. "We can't do that when we have a team down. We have to step on their neck when they're down like that."

That said, the Lions left feeling good again.

"It gets a little stressful when you're losing and you're not winning," Jones said. "It probably would have been a little bit more stressful if we had lost today. But I was having fun. I hope everybody else was."

Scott's Game Commentary:

Don't be fooled by this victory - the Lions beat one of the worst teams in the NFL. Joey Harrington hooked up with Roy Williams for three touchdowns and had his best game of the year. The truth is any NFL quarterback would of had a great game. Still, it was nice to Harrington and the Offense not have to rely on the Defense for a victory. Charles Rogers is still in the dog house as he had one catch and was a non-factor. The running back by committee of Jones, Bryson and Pinner did a good job moving the ball. Jones's longest run of the game came on 4th and 1 on the first drive that led to the Lions first touchdown. The Defense played alright, bend but don't break for the most part. Still, they held the Cardinals in check when it mattered most. All in all, it was an easy victory, but that much is expected given the Lions have dominated the Cardinals the last three years at home.

Grades:

Offense: --- B. For the first time all year Harrington and Roy Williams showed up for a game. It was Harrington's best game of the year and Roy's best game as a pro. But, it came against if not the worst defense in the NFL. Still, it was nice to see a bright spot from an Offense that has been so pathetic. The offensive line held up nicely as well. Lets see what the Offense does next week in Dallas - my thinking is they'll be lucky to score 14 points.

Defense: --- B-. The Defense gave up a lot of yardage but for the most part held Warner and the Cardinals in check. Big Daddy Wilkenson's safety early in the game gave the Lions a 9-0 cushion which lasted the entire game. Next week they will have their hands full with Drew Bledsoe and company and will need to play better.

Special Teams: --- B. Hanson made both his field goals and Harris had decent punts. Drummond had a good runback, but so far has been a disappointment. Coverage was good for a change.

Coaching: --- C-. Maricucci finally opened up the offense in the 1st quarter and it paid off. I still do not understand why Rogers hardly plays and he doesn't give the ball more to Kevin Jones - a pure mystery to me.

Overall: --- B. If the Lions would have lost to the Cardinals, it would have been devastating. They beat a team they had to. At 4-5, they have two very tough games ahead starting with a trip to Dallas. I would say they have no chance at winning, but after watching the Vikings and Packers pull of stunners on Sunday, anything is possible. Still, a loss is almost certain heading into the Thanksgiving Day game against Vick and the Falcons. If by some miracle they win both those games, they'll be at 6-5 and a slim chance of making the playoffs. My guess is they will get killed in Dallas and beat an overrated Falcons team.

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