Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers: The Good, the Bad, and Yes, Even the Ugly

Well, at least it started off well.

The Detroit Lions returned home today to face off against the new-look San Francisco 49ers and defend their 5-0 record. The 49ers came in at 4-1, and it was a homecoming of sorts for University of Michigan alum and 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. It was a tale of two Jims in this game, but we'll get to that in just a second. So here's the good, the bad, and yes, even the ugly from today's Lions-49ers game:

The good--Calvin Johnson, as usual. Six catches and 156 yards receiving today certainly doesn't make for bad theater. Up next we have the Lions secondary--yes folks, I said the secondary--they were good today. Not great, but good. Chris Houston made a couple of key stops and Amari Spivey came up with a key interception from the safety position. Also good, as usual, was Jason Hanson. Sure he missed one field goal, but let's get serious folks, it was a 54-yard attempt, and he hooked it left for his first miss in what seems like twenty years.

The bad--Unfortunately, there's a long list, so I am only going to name a few to save time and space and not bore all of you to death. I know all of you want to blame Matt Stafford for this, but realistically speaking, this loss was not entirely his fault.

First, we have the Lions offensive line. Without question, they essentially handed quarterback Matt Stafford his death sentence today. They couldn't block anyone, and just ask any NFL quarterback, it's not easy throwing passes when you're lying on your back.

The next bad is the Lions defensive line. I didn't think I would ever say this. Ndamukong Suh had a couple of tackles, but they could not stop 49ers running back Frank Gore. That killed the Lions today. Their linebacker corps didn't really help much either--in that respect, losing Justin Durant hurts.

Next up on the bad list was 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh--Lions head coach Jim Schwartz attempted to shake his hand at the end of the game, and Harbaugh blew him off with an obscenity, according to Schwartz, which led to a bit of a post-game scuffle. That's not something you do in today's NFL. It's just uncalled for.

Also, at the end of a game, with a minute left, when you have the ball, you tell your quarterback, especially one as--well, I guess 'decent' is an okay word to use--like Alex Smith, to take a knee. Harbaugh instead attempted to run up the score.

Finally, speaking of the end of the game, the next bad thing that happened was the Lions not showing ANY sense of urgency at the end of the game, when they looked lost, slow, and like they didn't want to win by walking to the line of scrimmage and letting the clock run down.

Have no worry, however, Lions fans. We are still 5-1, and we are still having a great season. We will bounce back and continue to restore the roar.