Three and out: Lions' ability to calibrate faces new test, replacing latest injuries and fresh eyes on onside try

Here are three observations after a second viewing and a night to ponder the Detroit Lions’ 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Silver lining calibration

In each of the four years under coach Dan Campbell, the Lions have delivered a dud that's trumped the season’s other defeats in scale.

In 2021, at the beginning of the rebuild and in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were several ugly outings, particularly when quarterback Jared Goff was sidelined for a few late in the year. But none were as embarrassing as a 44-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Halloween, which resulted in first-year defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn symbolically burying the game tape before the team’s bye.

The following year, the Lions got shut out by the New England Patriots, 29-0. What made that loss so much worse was former Lions coach and local pariah Matt Patricia miscast as the Patriots' offensive coordinator, and he was leaning on a fourth-round rookie QB making his second start.

And in 2023, the Baltimore Ravens jumped out to a 35-0 lead and cruised to a 38-6 victory. That result also had Lions fans questioning whether their team was more pretender than contender, despite coming into the matchup with a 5-1 record.

The history lesson isn’t designed to be a magic elixir for your Monday morning hangover, but sets up a reminder of how the Lions responded to each of those shortcomings.

In 2021, after the Eagles debacle, the Lions allowed just 43 points the next three games, before finally breaking through for their first win of that trying season a month later. In 2022, it took a couple more weeks to stop the season-starting slide, but after falling to 1-6, they finished 9-7, barely missing the postseason. And after getting throttled by the Ravens, the Lions steadied the ship with three consecutive wins en route to the franchise’s first division title in three decades.