Getty Alex Anzalone on the field for the Lions vs. the Bills.
The Detroit Lions lost a tough game on Thanksgiving Day against the Buffalo Bills, but it certainly wasn’t for lack of effort, and that was true on both sides of the football.
While the team’s defense has been pushed around a bit in recent weeks, veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone was impressed with how the team was able to stick together and play well against a quality opponent.
Speaking to the media after the game on Thursday, November 24, Anzalone explained that his team was able to battle and he was very impressed with the way plenty of players on defense stepped up.
“I mean, we fought. I feel like we’re gonna watch the film and we’re gonna see you guys competing and I could just say off the top of my head Mike (Hughes), Jerry (Jacobs) competing against some of the best receivers in the league and it’s encouraging to see and it’s aspiring to watch, too,” he said.
The Lions were able to fight a solid NFL team tooth and nail throughout the whole game which nearly culminated in a win. As part of that, lots of underrated players were able to step up and show out, which helped to benefit the Lions in the end. Most of those players were on defense.
Anzalone is right to give a shoutout to some players on the defense that played well, and if more underrated players continue to show up for the Lions, there’s no reason to think the team cannot get better on the field and find some more wins in the future.
Anzalone Made Major Interception for Lions
In terms of his own play, it can be said that Anzalone led the way for the Lions in a big way. The linebacker made one of the key plays of the day for the Detroit defense when he picked a Josh Allen pass in the red zone.
Anzalone took the tipped pass and snuffed out a promising Bills drive to net his own offense some major momentum. As he said, though, the play was one that he seemed to be in the right place in the right time for.
The rook tipped it, the vet picked it!
#BUFvsDET | 📺 CBS
“Malcolm (Rodriguez) got his hands on (it). I saw the ball and he had a good read and then I just saw them all grab it. (I) tried to get busy a little bit. Had to sell the second one too. I know I did a poor job. I knew right away (it hit the ground). I knew I hit the ground but I gotta do a better job (selling it),” Anzalone joked.
Selling it or not, Anzalone has been a defensive beast this season and deserves credit for stepping up and playing hard in crunch time.
fter Loss
Anzalone: Lions Sprits High
Regardless of what played out in the game, it’s clear that Anzalone isn’t going to be dwelling on the frustrating performance whatsoever. As he said, while the team may not have wanted another moral victory,
“No moral victories and we got to figure out a way to win those games. It seems like we’re in those situations a lot. In the past three weeks, we’ve been able to capitalize on our opportunities in those situations and that’s what led us to win,” he said. “Unfortunately we weren’t able to get it done (Thursday), but like I said, there’s lot to build on and spirits are high in here. We’re going to keep fighting and keep keep grinding away.”
That’s all the Lions could be expected to do, and given how hard they’ve played all season long, folks should come to expect nothing else from the team. Given how some key players played and how well the Lions showed up, the team should at least feel encouraged by what they’ve been able to do in the short term.