Football Futility: Lions First 0-16 Team

(AP)  The Detroit Lions own a distinction no team wants: worst in NFL history.

Facing one last chance to avoid their dubious destiny, the Lions lost Sunday's season finale to the Green Bay Packers 31-21 to complete the league's first 0-16 season. The 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14) were the last NFL team to complete a season without a victory.

It didn't come without a fight. After falling behind 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Kevin Smith's 9-yard touchdown run put Detroit back within a field goal.

But Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers responded with a 71-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver and the Lions' Dan Orlovsky threw an interception on fourth-and-27 with 3 minutes left, dooming Detroit to futility of historic proportion.

Orlovsky was 22-of-42 for 225 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Lions, whose bid to stay out of the record book came undone in large part due to a pair of ill-advised penalties.

Rodgers was 21-of-31 for 308 yards and three touchdowns for the Packers (6-10), and Ryan Grant rushed for 106 yards.

Trailing 14-7 early in the third quarter, Lions punter Nick Harris pinned the Packers at their 10-yard line. Safety Kalvin Pearson then put a hard hit on Grant to cause a fumble, and recovered the ball at the Packers 11.

Calvin Johnson caught a pass from Orlovsky in the flat and broke three tackling attempts to score a tying 14-yard touchdown with 10:20 left in the third quarter.

But the Packers put together a 12-play, 62-yard drive for a 36-yard field goal by Mason Crosby. After a three-and-out by Detroit's offense, Lions linebacker Ernie Sims' penalty for a late hit out of bounds on Grant played a key role on a drive that ended with a 5-yard pass from Rodgers to fullback John Kuhn.

The Lions weren't finished, as Orlovsky used two long completions to John Standeford to set up Smith's touchdown with 8:34 left. After the ensuing kickoff, Rodgers reared back and threw deep to Driver, who blew past Lions cornerback Leigh Bodden and ran in for a touchdown.

Orlovsky led the Lions back into Packers territory, but a taunting penalty on Smith moved the Lions back near midfield and Orlovsky threw an interception to Nick Collins.

Detroit fell behind 14-0 as Orlovsky managed a measly 9 yards passing in the first quarter. But the Lions' defense showed some fight early on before allowing backup running back DeShawn Wynn to score on a 73-yard touchdown.

Rodgers also threw a fade to rookie tight end Jermichael Finley in the end zone for a 14-0 lead.

Detroit scored early in the second quarter, a 9-yard touchdown from Orlovsky to Johnson on third-and-goal.

[you_fools]

Ford didn''t go down.. just the other two..

You know one of them.. Built like a rock.. CRACK ROCK..

[docpeter1953]

Geeze, Detroit can''t seem to get a break lately. The Big-3 going down the toilet, the Lions goin down the toilet. Now all they need is for the Pistons and Red wings to repeat the Lions victory season and they have lost it all. Where is ms_premise or whatever name she is goin by this week to tell us that it must be all the sinners in detroit?

[jaykay3141]

Next season they''ll be called the Detroit Kittens.

[you_fools]

In the words of the libs... "It s all Bush''s fault.."

Bah haa ha..

Anything that goes wrong in their pathetic little lives they blame Bush..

[truthislife1]

The morale with automakers going bad did not help.

[platteman]

It was Bush''s fault just like everything else.

The trouble is the Lions were on TV every week or so it seemed. Like watching the crusifiction over and over. Once would be enough.

[ameroseas]

wvu7462 - I will regard your lack of noticing my obvious sarcasm as the unfortunate result of the time of your posting. I assume you live on the East Coast of the US where WVU is. Get a little more sleep and then read it again.

[petro49l]

William Clay Ford is an abject failure. His car company and football team cannot win. He should declare bankruptcy. The NFL does not need the Lions. Ford''s devotion to O.P.E.C. is paranoid and stupid.

[Mccarthyaw]

I smell a pinko liberal in here. Only a liberal would connect the Lions to the President.

Posted by wvu7462 at 04:45 AM : Dec 29, 2008

You obviously can''t detect sarcasm.

[pirmin3]

There''s always next season.