Getty Taylor Decker runs on the field for Lions vs. Commanders in 2022.
The Detroit Lions have been close to breaking through this season, but haven’t quite been able to get over the hump. Even though that has been frustrating, it hasn’t been demoralizing to the players on the team.
While the Lions were not able to beat the Buffalo Bills in a major showdown game, the team was still able to show well and have one of the best games of the Thanksgiving holiday.
While there might not be any moral victories in the NFL, this would certainly qualify as one for the Lions. Offensive tackle Taylor Decker had a strong opinion about that speaking after his team was defeated on the field 28-25.
As Decker said to the media afterward on Thursday, November 24, he still sees the Lions taking multiple steps forward, especially in terms of the team’s ability to stay in the game and compete against a very good foe. Decker didn’t even feel as if his team was that far behind the Bills.
“I guess the positive would be we didn’t take a step back I don’t think. Ultimately, winning is the only thing that matters and I think the big thing is, we went out there and we played confidently. We can see a team that’s regarded as one of the best in the NFL (and) a Super Bowl contender. Truthfully, I didn’t feel like we were outmatched at all. I felt like we had the advantage in multiple phases,” he said.
In spite of that, though, Decker knows the Lions have to clean things up and find a way to execute more in crunch time. Only doing that will help the team over the top in games such as this against good opponents.
“There at the end of the game, we give ourselves a chance to win the game and we just gotta do it. I mean we just needed to put another drive together. So, just gotta make some more plays,” he said.
While many would say the Lions lost again in frustrating fashion, Decker clearly was not upset about the effort. That was a common theme for the team coming out of Thanksgiving weekend.
Analysts Praised Lions for Tough Fight
Decker isn’t the only one who seemed confident in what the Lions were able to do. Others in the media seemed very impressed by the way the Lions were able to step up and play well under the bright lights.
Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd watched the Lions again, and as he has said so many times in the past, he is impressed with the entertainment that the Lions provide and how solid of an effort they give every week.
One of the more entertaining Lions teams I can recall. Strong effort almost every week.
“One of the more entertaining Lions teams I can recall. Strong effort almost every week,” Cowherd tweeted.
CBS Sports analyst Tony Romo took that thought a step further. As he said in the middle of the game following a score, the Lions are a team he considers as “for real” now, even though they ended up losing a very close game.
“THE DETROIT LIONS ARE FOR REAL”
Add it up and the Lions seem to be turning a corner with folks who watch the game and understand where the team is trending.
Taylor Decker: Lions Will Keep Fighting
In terms of their future, Decker sent an important message to the fans, media, players and most everybody else after the game. While some would be tempted to call the defeat a case of “same old Lions,” Decker disagreed.
Emphatically, Decker said the team has turned the corner, and will be ready to take the next step soon. As he said, the loss was painful because the Lions should have won. Even such, the team isn’t about to be getting depressed about the defeat.
“I mean, it hurts even more because we were right there. Like, this isn’t the same old f***** Lions. We’re gonna go out there and we’re gonna get our respect and we’re going to earn that respect,” Decker said. “We came up short (Thursday), but you know, week in and week out, we know we’re gonna go out there and we’re gonna bring it and we’re not gonna get down and we’re gonna keep fighting. Those will turn into wins against those sorts of teams, those high caliber teams. I think we’re still trending up. I really do.”
Lions fans hope Decker is right, and in watching the team play, there’s a good reason to believe he is telling the truth. The only thing left to watch is how strongly the underrated Lions may finish the season.