Lions vs. Saints: Despite Loss to New Orleans, Detroit Has Much to Be Proud of

The Detroit Lions may have been soundly beaten 45-28 by the New Orleans Saints in their first postseason game since 1999, but the city of Detroit should rejoice.

This may not have been their year, but the Lions are in line to contend for many years to come.

For much of the game the Lions were right there, and they even led for essentially the entire first half.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson were sublime just like they were all season long. It was the defense that failed them, however.

While Detroit's defense was a mess against the Saints and in the final week of the regular season against the Green Bay Packers and backup quarterback Matt Flynn, they have pieces to build around.

Cliff Avril and Ndamukong Suh bring plenty to the defensive line, while Stephen Tulloch is a playmaker in the middle.

There is clearly work to done as far as the defensive backfield goes, but I'm not sure that anybody can slow down the Saints at this point.

Quarterback Drew Brees shattered Dan Marino's single-season passing yardage mark in the regular season and after 466 yards against the Lions, he isn't showing any signs of slowing down.

The more important thing is that Lions fans should be excited with the pieces they have on offense.

Stafford is undoubtedly an elite quarterback after throwing for more than 5,000 yards and 41 touchdowns in the regular season.

This is a quarterback-driven league, so Stafford will give them a chance to win for years to come.

On top of that, Johnson proved that he is unquestionably the best receiver in the league.

Even though the Saints committed two and even three defenders to him on each and every play, Johnson somehow still managed to rack up 12 catches for 211 yards and two touchdowns.

Lost in the greatness of Stafford and Johnson are other solid complementary weapons like receivers Nate Burleson and Titus Young, and tight end Brandon Pettigrew.

Also, the offensive line is quite underrated and the return of running back Jahvid Best next season will give Detroit an embarrassment of riches.

I understand that getting throttled in the first round of the playoffs wasn't what Lions fans envisioned when they thought of their return to the postseason, but there should only be positives taken away from this season.

It's a given that defensive issues need to be addressed, but seeing as the Lions seem to finally have a competent front office in place, fans should be confident that it will happen.

The NFL is more of an offensive league than it ever has been, though, and the Lions have one of the best and youngest offenses in football.

If the Lions were a veteran-laden team then I could understand frustration, but it is very clear that they have an incredibly bright future.

No matter what Saturday's result may suggest, these aren't the same old Lions.

The Lions are here to stay and it certainly won't be another decade-plus before their next playoff berth.