Lions: 10 Jets: 7

Well...on a day that was muddy, cold, and rainy, in a game that the Lions were supposed to lose and get knocked out of the playoff race, where Charlie Batch had his second straight horrible day, (8/18, 1 int), and the Lions were away in the Meadowlands, against a Jets team that needed to win, the Lions somehow, someway, pulled it out, literally and figuratively.

The offensive star of the game was undoubtedly James Stewart, who earned that $5 million paycheck by rushing for 164+ yards on 37, 37? carries...37 carries man, that's a lot of carries. And although he got stuffed inside the 10 numerous times, and actually fumbled on the goalline into the endzone, IT DIDN'T MATTER, 'cuz the other offensive star of the game JEFF HARTINGS RECOVERED THE BALL, BEATING A LINEBACKER TO IT AND SCORING A TOUCHDOWN. SCORING A TOUCHDOWN? JEFF HARTINGS? WHAT????? WOW...it was really a pure hustle play.

I was sitting there, going "James Stewart's got the ball, he's going over the top! FUMBLE!!!" My thoughts were "typical Lions...shoot!" And with that ball bouncing in the endzone, I saw the Lions playoff hopes just bouncing away. bounce...all those blowout loses...bounce...all those sacks...bounce...all those penalties...bounce...all those injuries...but suddenly! A big white blob on the screen appears, ball disappears, Hartings? TOUCHDOWN!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it. Can you tell? And then, to top the gifts off, John Hall shanks a potential game tying field goal way way way wide left, and the Lions win. Lions win? Twice at the Meadowlands? What? In bad weather? What? Just like we expected. What? Let me explain.

I was talking to Andy Park before the game, and we both agreed that this is a game that the Lions would win. Here's our reason. They've got their backs against the wall, and nobody expects them to win. It's the same old Lions...oh well, at least they won.

The defense played great football. They really looked like they belonged out there in the mud, as they gritted it out, stopping Curtis Martin on 3rd and 1, hitting Testaverde, intercepting Testaverde, Stephen Boyd made that play, and that was the play of the game...he caught better than some of our receivers caught. AND he recovered a huge fumble, can anyone question this guy's Pro Bowl status? Or his heart? And the defensive secondary, who had no Kurt Schulz, and of course no Bryant Westbrook, no Corwin Brown, and lost Ron Rice for a few plays, STILL played well. James Jones finally kinda showed up...and put the Lions in a position to win.

So...we look to next week, in another must-win, and everyone expects the Lions to win...so I ask everyone to be cautious. It may be a little harder than expected, especially if the crowd gets on Batch early. He needs to start having a little confidence in somebody, I don't know who.

Are the Lions for real? Are you kidding me? NO!!! Will they make the playoffs? Probably. And if it rains or snows on that day, they might, just might get to the second round...as long as Jeff Hartings is around the ball.

ak sports