Four and out: Surprises from the NFL in Week 10

1. The Green Bay Packers lost to the Detroit Lions at home 18-16

The biggest surprise of the week was the Detroit Lions victory over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Lions haven’t beaten the Packers at Lambeau in 1991. That’s 24 years ago. It’s also the year “Rush Rush” by Paula Abdul, R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion,” and “Everything I Do, I Do it for You” by Bryan Adams were top hits. Oh, and Color Me Bad and C+C Music Factory were also super popular.

This was also happening.

If you weren’t into music back then, Practical Unix & Internet Security was a cutting-edge resource on technology matters.

So, yeah, 24 years is a very long time. Moreover, the Lions aren’t even a good team this year. Amid personnel changes, rumors that Matt Stafford is playing his last year with the organization, and losses upon losses, Detroit was an unlikely victor against Green Bay in Week 10.

Detroit managed to win despite several missteps. Twice, the team only fielded 10 men on field goal attempts, for which coach Jim Caldwell took the blame. Luckily (for Detroit), Green Bay was even more error prone. Packers placekicker Mason Crosby botched 52-yard field goal attempt that would have secured a victory for his team, and another defeat for the Lions, who are 2-7 after this most recent W. Two Prater missed extra points also helped the Lions cause.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 333 yards (he was 35 for 61). Some of his receivers were mistake prone, dropping easy passes. Still the Detroit defense, missing both cornerback Rashean Mathis and linebacker DeAndre Levy, was good enough to hold the Packers to 16 points.

Will another bottom-of-the-barrel team pull off an improbable upset in Week 11? Fans will have to tune in to find out.