Cam Newton and the Panthers Tame the Lions
By: Alex LaGrone
The Detroit Lions gave a lot of fans plenty of optimism last week when they dominated the New York Football Giants on Monday night. They showed just how good they can be. Fast forward six days later, and reality checked in.
The Lions were tamed by Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers 24-7 on the road. There were some bright spots for the Lions, like sacking Newton five times. The problem with the Lions was the turnovers. The Lions committed three costly turnovers to none for the Panthers.
"That's the name of the game, turnovers" said Lions guard Rob Sims. "We had too many turnovers, they didn't. It's that simple." The Lions failed to take advantage of their scoring opportunities in the first half, setting the tone for the game.
Rookie place kicker, Nate Freese, missed two field goals, running back Joique Bell fumbled and Calvin Johnson dropped a potential touchdown. When you don't take advantage of opportunities, you're not going to have a good day.
Newton, one of the most elusive QB's in the league was taking jabs at Lions defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh. Before the game Newton, called him "Donkey Kong Suh" which he later apologized for. Cam was pressured all game but he got the job done.
Over the long haul of a full season, the Lions might not be as good as they were against the G-Men, or as bad as they were when they became unglued in the loss to Carolina. They could be (as we all know) the same old Lions. Time will tell.
Up next for the Lions are division rival, Green Bay Packers led by QB Aaron Rogers and his dynamite duo of wide receivers, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. The Lions secondary will be tested all day with the Packers balanced air attack.