DETROIT (AP) -Calvin Johnson should have a lot to be happy about.
The Detroit Lions wide receiver has talent almost any football player on the planet would love to have and he’s making millions of dollars to play a game he loves.
The problem: Johnson’s mood is marred by playing for a franchise that has matched the second-longest losing streak in NFL history, dating to the 2007 season when he was a rookie.
“I can’t get used to losing 19 in a row,” Johnson said in front of his locker after a recent practice. “We have the utmost urgency to win now.”
Detroit might have its best chance to finally win a game Sunday at home against the struggling Washington Redskins.
The Redskins barely beat the St. Louis Rams, who appear to be as bad as the Lions, after falling behind 17-0 in their opener against the New York Giants and scoring a late touchdown to lose by six.
n the hot seat. Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, the Redskins’ prized free agent, took a shot at his team’s offense for failing to score much against St. Louis.
Cornerback DeAngelo Hall insisted the Lions have improved since last season, when they were very competitive against Washington, and says they probably think this is their week to get a win after watching the Skins struggle against St. Louis.
“If I’m them, I’m feeling pretty confident,” Hall said. “That’s why I think a lot of the guys on this team are so focused to have a great practice and prepare well because we know what can happen if we go up there half-stepping.”
Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache said his players didn’t need to be reminded the Lions are trying to end their infamous skid.
“They look at us as a team they can beat,” Blache said. “I mean, they’re looking forward to us. When we went to Detroit last year, if Santana (Moss) doesn’t take the punt back at the end of the game, they beat us. We stank the joint up there last year. If our players don’t recognize that, they’re not as smart as I think they are.”
The Lions say it was a wise decision to play quarterback Matthew Stafford, the No. 1 pick in the draft, right away even though some believe veteran Daunte Culpepper would have given them a better chance to win early in the year after enduring the NFL’s first 0-16 season.
First-year coach Jim Schwartz has consistently shot down any question that could lead to a QB controversy, saying Stafford’s job is safe.
“I guess it’s better than him saying something else,” Stafford said.
Stafford, who shares the league lead with five interceptions, threw his first of probably many TD passes to Johnson in last week’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Johnson has caught 13 passes for scores since the start of the 2008 season, trailing only Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald by one TD receiving, to validate Detroit’s decision to draft him No. 2 overall two years ago.
“He’s excellent,” Washington coach Jim Zorn said. “You can see why he was drafted where he was.”
Detroit, though, has drafted more busts than stars – or even contributors – this decade to turn a mediocre franchise into one inferior enough to have the worst eight-season stretch by an NFL team since World War II.
The Lions have only one player, linebacker Ernie Sims, on their active roster from the 2002-06 drafts, and he’s expected to miss a game for the first time in his four-year career with an injured right shoulder. That could make it more difficult to slow down Portis.
Portis has run for a mere 141 yards this season for the Redskins, who have only outscored the Rams and haven’t had a 30-point game in one-plus seasons under Zorn. But he is one of just five players to average 110-plus yards a game in an NFL career.
Quarterback Jason Campbell led Washington inside the St. Louis 10 four times last week and came away with three field goals. Campbell might not have the same problems against the Lions because they allowed him to have his best two games in terms of passer rating in his career.
Detroit has shown signs of life and hints that a new coach, quarterback and revamped defense potentially could make this season less miserable than the last one. At least, that’s what the Lions are hoping.
The team attracted unwanted attention last season on its march to infamy, becoming a story that transcended sports, and another loss would likely bring more bad publicity.
If Detroit doesn’t upset the Redskins, a 6 1/2-point favorite, its next-best opportunity to win looks like a matchup with the Rams at home in November. By then, trying to avoid Tampa Bay’s NFL-record 26-game losing streak would become a national story.
The Lions are confident they won’t make history again this year, but acknowledge they have to be consistent for four quarters to finally win a game.
e is wins and losses – so nobody is happy in this locker room.”
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