Stafford Limps Away From Second Consecutive Defeat
What looked to be a relative breather for the Lions -- a quick trip to Denver before a bye week -- suddenly looms as a pivotal test.
After losing for the second straight week at home, 23-16 to the Falcons, the Lions now face a Broncos team that's seemingly received a spark from newly appointed starting quarterback Tim Tebow.
"We were 5-0 and had a good start; now we've had a rough spot," Detroit coach Jim Schwartz said. "The last two games, we haven't been us. We haven't been our personality. Our personality is scoring points and getting stops and playing good special teams. We have to get back to that."
What the Lions will see when they dissect and inspect the loss to the Falcons is a lot of self-inflicted wounds and one potentially serious wound inflicted by Atlanta linebacker Curtis Lofton.
On the Lions' final offensive play -- fourth-and-10 from the Atlanta 41-yard line -- Lofton rolled up on Matthew Stafford's legs after the quarterback threw a harried, off-balance incompletion. Stafford limped off the field, favoring his right foot.
He was limping noticeably long afterward, as well.
"The guy fell on me a little bit awkward," Stafford said. "I'm moving around OK right now, so we'll see. To tell the truth, I can't really tell right now (if it's the knee or the ankle). I am sure I will be getting X-rays at some point."
It was a painful day all the way around for Detroit's passing game. Stafford completed just 15 of 32 passes for 183 yards. He was sacked three times.
"We have not hit our stride on offense the last two weeks," Schwartz said.
That is an understatement. The Lions also have a lot to clean up on the defensive side (penalties, big plays) and special teams.
"It doesn't seem like we're the same team we were at the beginning of the season," defensive tackle Corey Williams said.
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