Detroit -- If you've run out of words to explain how the Lions have robbed you of your last shred of belief in their credibility, you're forgiven.
If your emotions are as spent and raw as a teenager who's seen that first great love holding hands with another, take comfort in knowing that there's more to come.
And if you've run out of hope that the Lions will turn the corner and be the team you've dreamed of them becoming, you are entitled to feel like a wounded realist today.
The Lions lost a game, a franchise quarterback and the best kicker in franchise history in Sunday's 23-20 overtime defeat to the New York Jets at Ford Field.
It was a losing trifecta. And the ugly payoff was losing the last glint of hope that they could get into playoff contention and make something of this season.
In the short term, they have to put the pieces together before next Sunday's game at Buffalo to avoid the ignominy of being the first team to be beaten by the winless Bills (0-8). And that won't be easy.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford went out late in the fourth quarter with a second injury to his right shoulder. A person close to the situation called it a "re-injury" of the separation Stafford sustained in the opening game at Chicago. Stafford missed five starts with the initial injury.
Kicker Jason Hanson went out in the third quarter with an injury to his right (kicking) knee when he was hit making a field goal. Hanson returned to kick an extra point, but he did not kick off, and he was not available for long field goals.
In Hanson's absence, rookie defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh -- who has a soccer background -- attempted an extra point. He missed, hitting the right upright.
Coach Jim Schwartz likely will choose between Drew Stanton and Shaun Hill as the starting quarterback for Buffalo. And the Lions probably will go shopping for a kicker to replace Hanson.
The early reports, and Schwartz's demeanor in discussing Hanson and Stafford were not encouraging for a quick return. But overriding that, at least on Sunday, was how the Lions lost to the Jets.
It was the Lions' most soul-numbing loss since their defeat to the Cowboys on a last-minute TD late in the 2007 season.
"It's going to eat me all night long," center Dominic Raiola said.
It might keep eating him until Thanksgiving.
The Lions took a 20-10 lead with 11:51 left on Stafford's 2-yard floater to Nate Burleson in the end zone.
With a sellout crowd rocking, Ford Field had become that special environment that has been lacking for far too often. The stadium was soaked with fan frenzy and belief that the Lions had turned the corner -- that they, indeed, would put the clamps on the game to make their record 3-5 and climb into position to make a run at their first playoff berth since 1999.
And that's when the old Lions showed up -- along with some of their old luck, and the old bad decisions, by coaches and players alike. Bit by bit, play by play, credibility turned into an incredible defeat.
First Stafford went out when he was tackled from behind while scrambling out of his own end zone with 5:19 left. Drew Stanton replaced Stafford and would be involved in one of the most controversial plays in recent memory.
Before the injury, Stafford had won the personal battle with Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. Stafford had thrown two TD passes and displayed the composure and field presence necessary to lead a team. From then on, the Lions unraveled.
The defense gave up a six-play, 56-yard TD drive that required only 1 minute, 40 seconds. That made it 20-17 with 2:46 left.
Next, Stanton tried a pass on an option roll-out to his right that was incomplete, stopping the clock. It was a gift to the Jets, who were out of timeouts.
"He just did us a huge favor," said Jets offensive lineman Damien Woody, a former Lion.
The Jets got the ball at their 22 on a punt, with 1:40 left. Had Stanton not thrown the ball, there would have been one minute left at the most.
Schwartz tried to take the blame for the play, but Stanton clearly should have not thrown the ball because of the risk.
"It's not about gaining yards," Woody said. "It's about eating the clock. It's about time management."
The Jets drove steadily -- with the help of a 15-yard penalty against Julian Peterson for a late hit -- to set up Nick Folk for the game-tying field goal as time ran out in regulation.
The Jets won the coin toss, and Folk hit the game-winning field goal on the first possession of overtime.
Minutes earlier, it would have been an unreal ending -- except we've seen it before.
Nov. 7, 2010
