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Bumbling Lions Penalties, sacks, interceptions doom Detroit
Posted: Tuesday January 18, 2000 10:47 AM
LANDOVER, Md. (CNNSI.com) -- The Detroit Lions laid the blame for their 27-13 wild-card loss to the Washington Redskins squarely on themselves. They didn't blame a jinx or the absence of Barry Sanders. They didn't cite injuries or poor officiating, either. As they struggled out of their uniforms for the final time this season, the bumbling Lions pointed all fingers directly at the players in the mirror. "This game is all about which team makes the least amount of mistakes," said Detroit cornerback Bryant Westbrook, who made a critical error in the early going. "Today they didn't make too many mistakes, and we did." The Lions are 0-20 in Washington, including 0-3 in playoff games. Detroit ended an 18-game losing streak to the Redskins with a 33-17 victory at the Silverdome on Dec. 5, but the Lions didn't win another game after that. Detroit was penalized 12 times for 126 yards. Eight of those calls, totaling 96 yards, came in the pivotal first half. "That's been killing us all year. We've got the players, but just too many penalties," Westbrook said. "I had so many penalties this year, it was pathetic." The Lions' journey onto the path of self destruction began almost immediately. After Washington's first three plays failed to produce a first down, Clint Kriewaldt was called for running into the kicker to keep the drive alive. "We had a young kid who should have pulled off. There was no reason for him to rough the kicker," Detroit coach Bobby Ross said. Three plays later, a 41-yard pass interference penalty against Westbrook provided the Redskins a gift-wrapped touchdown. After a Detroit punt, Washington's Stephen Davis reeled off a 58-yard run to set up another touchdown and a 14-0 lead. "We had two people inside when both actually should have been outside," Ross said. Detroit was twice called for a false start on its third possession, which ended with a Gus Frerotte interception. Allen Aldridge was then called for roughing the passer on first down, setting up a Washington field goal and a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter. At that point, the Lions had to abandon the run and turn to Frerotte, who went 21-for-46 for 251 yards and two interceptions. The Lions finished with only 45 yards rushing, including 23 on seven carries by fullback-turned-halfback Cory Schlesinger. It's unlikely that Sanders, who retired before the season, would have made a difference. "A couple of things happened early to us that turned the game around," Ross said. "I thought Cory Schlesinger was running the ball pretty well, but the game got out of hand and we couldn't do it anymore. We can't be one-dimensional." By halftime, Detroit had nearly as much yardage in penalties as it did in offense (117 yards, including 58 on a Hail Mary). The Lions' problems continued in the third quarter. Down 27-0, Detroit moved to the Washington 14 before Juan Roque jumped offside on third-and-4. Frerotte then threw an incomplete short pass and a fourth-down lob that sailed out of the end zone. Frerotte, whose playing time this season was dictated by the health of starter Charlie Batch, said he expects to exercise his option to test the free agent market this offseason. "But I'm not going to close any doors with Detroit," he said. "I'll just go out and see what's going on for me. You want to be a starter. If it's not in Detroit, it will be somewhere else."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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