DETROIT -- It was an offense that would make Bo Schembechler's three yards and a cloud of dust look like the Los Angeles Rams. It wasn't always pretty. It was often ugly.
And it almost worked.
The Detroit Lions downshifted their offense into a hyper-conservative approach designed to get the ball out quick and limit mistakes. It was enough for them to carry a 16-all tie into the fourth quarter -- but then Matthew Stafford threw a pick-six to put Detroit behind the 8-ball, then another pick in the end zone that ended Detroit's comeback attempt.
Detroit fell by a 23-16 score, its fourth lost in five games.