A lot of the good things the Lions did in 2011 to manufacture a renaissance season from the rubble of the worst decade in franchise history were on display on the first day of 2012.
Unfortunately for the Lions, so were some of the bad things.
They left Lambeau Field in Green Bay in a rebuilding mode after Sunday’s 45-41 loss to the Packers in the final game of the regular season.
On New Year’s Day, it was a disappointing end to a regular season that gave the Lions and their fans a lot to celebrate.
Matt Flynn was an unlikely choice to end the Lions’ three-game winning streak and spoil the party atmosphere as the Lions head into the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
They finished with a 10-6 record and play the Saints in New Orleans in the wild-card round (8 p.m. Saturday on NBC).
As a side note, the loss was the Lions’ 21st in a row on the road to the Packers, including playoffs.
The Packers finished with a league-best 15-1 record and had nothing to gain Sunday, having already qualified for a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Coach Mike McCarthy rested star quarterback Aaron Rodgers and some other significant starters, including Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews.
With Rodgers out, Flynn made the second start of his career — and looked like the second coming of Bart Starr, Brett Favre or Rodgers.
Take your pick of Packers icon. The Lions’ defense made Flynn look that good.
There's no word about a street being named after Flynn, or a statute. Maybe an ice carving is in order.
Flynn passed for 480 yards and six touchdowns. Both are franchise records. Flynn’s sixth TD pass was the game-winner — a 4-yard throw to Jermichael Finley with 1:10 left.
Lions coach Jim Schwartz was not in a cheery mood.
“We covered poorly, we tackled poorly, we played man-to-man poorly, we blitzed poorly, we played zone poorly,” Schwartz told reporters after the game.
Asked if he was disappointed in his team’s performance, Schwartz barked at the interviewer.
“I’m not disappointed,” he said. “I’m angry.”
Matthew Stafford, who brought the Lions from behind four times to take the lead, drove the Lions to Green Bay’s 37 with 33 seconds left and a first down, but an interception ended the drive and the game.
Stafford threw for 520 yards and five touchdowns, extending his franchise record to 41 for the season.
The Lions got another big game from Calvin Johnson, who lived up to his nickname of “Megatron” with mega—magnificent performance. He had 11 catches for 244 yards and a touchdown.
Stafford remarked about his last throw when he spoke to reporters.
“I should have thrown it to him on the last play, to give him a chance for 300 (yards),” Stafford said.
Stafford, who started all 16 games for the first time in his three seasons with the Lions, looked ahead to starting the playoffs in a rematch with the Saints.
“We’re going to try to take this tournament in the right light and go out there and get hot and play good football,” Stafford said.
Even with the lack of a consistent running threat, the Lions have few worries on offense as they head into the postseason.
They actually could have been more productive Sunday.
Titus Young had a clear touchdown catch in the second quarter that was ruled no catch by the officials. Schwartz had used both of his challenges on the play and could not challenge what ultimately was a no call by the officials.
The defense is another matter. It challenged no one all game.
Flynn picked the defense apart as though he were playing a controlled scrimmage, with quarterbacks off-limits to contact and no full-scale tackling.
Flynn targeted cornerback Alphonso Smith frequently, burning him twice for touchdown catches by Jordy Nelson.
At one point, Smith got into an argument on the sideline with defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham.
Smith wasn’t the only member of the defense who had a breakdown.
Ryan Grant got free on a screen pass to run 80 yards untouched for a second-quarter touchdown that gave the Packers their first lead at 17-16.
Stafford drove the Lions 93 yards on six plays to take a 41-38 lead with 2:39 left. Stafford threaded a 12-yard pass to Tony Scheffler in the end zone for the touchdown.
Finally, it looked like the Lions were about the shed the weight of another negative streak and beat the Packers on the road for the first time since 1991.
But the Packers and Flynn had other ideas, and the Lions’ defense helped them.
On third-and-3 at the Packers 43, Ndamukong Suh jumped offside, giving the Packers a gift first down.
Three plays later, it was third-and-4 at the Lions 46. James Jones got behind Chris Houston for a 40-yard catch down the right sideline.
On second down at the Lions 4, Flynn threw into the end zone to Finley. Amari Spieven, who was covering Finley, had his back to the play and never turned around to locate the ball.
The way Stafford has played and produced comebacks this season, nothing seems impossible. Three quick completions by Stafford made it first down at the Packers 37.
A deep pass over the middle meant for Nate Burleson was intercepted by Sam Shields at the 22.
On New Year’s Day, that’s where the comeback and magic fizzled.
