44-6!!

My 13yo stepdaughter has never seen a score where the Lions blow out another team. I'm old enough to remember the Lions playing in the conference title game, but she sure isn't. Granted, she's only been following sports for a few years. But there is a whole generation of fans who have never been exposed to the idea that the Lions could be dominant.

“It's only the Rams,” you say. Sure. But I happen to believe the stuff FO writes about how “Great teams are generally defined by their ability to easily win games over inferior teams.” The linked essay goes on to point out, “When a team blows out its opponent, one unlucky bounce or missed kick isn't going to change the result. A lopsided win provides pretty good proof that the winner is a better team than the loser.”

44-6 is a very big number.

It is hard to be 5 touchdowns and a field goal better than another NFL team, even a bad team. And the Rams came into this game with a .500 record! Maybe a mirage of a record, but still .500. I'm not sure it's possible to be 5 TDs and a FG better than another team, and still be a bad team.

I mean, I'm not ready to put the Lions back in the conference title game just yet. But maybe football fans better get ready for the idea that the Lions are good. And sooner rather than later. Next time you hear a Lions fan say “Maybe next year,” you might want to take them seriously.