“It’s gonna be cold, its gonna be grey, and it’s gonna last you for the rest of your life.” – Phil Connor, Groundhog Day.

As Lions fans awake this morning to a bitter cold grey overcast luminous morning, they sigh, put on their warmest coats and mittens and take their Lions flags down. The upside down Amon-Ra St. Brown snowmen are still there, but they lost their luster. His cake in the window of a Rochester Hills bakery has turned stale. Grit City mourns another devastating loss. It was supposed to be different this time. Jeff Daniels and Peyton Manning were supposed to have exorcised the curse of Bobby Lane. Heck, Daniels even wrote a song about it, but I doubt it will go viral anymore. Crushing defeat has reared its ugly head yet again in Grit City. Nothing spoke more volume than what I saw this morning at the grocery store. A little boy in a shopping cart with his Lions hat on crying. Now I’m not sure if it was about the horrific loss last night or because they were out of Fruit Loops. As I stood in the checkout line, I noticed Lions cupcakes, marked down to 75% off. A black Sunday in Grit City.

“Guess who’s back, back, back again, SOL’s back, don’t tell a friend” Is Eminem hearing that in his head this morning? I hope not. Despite putting on a performance last night that would make fans resurrect that heinous acronym, it’s just not true. These aren’t the same old Lions. They’re built different. The window of opportunity is still there. Brad Holmes didn’t magically lose his knowledge and foresight. Dan Campbell didn’t lose his fiery leadership. Although he may wanna call Sam, because last night he was in a major accident. He was given a taste of his own medicine by Dan Quinn, the coach with the backwards hat looking like he’s going through a mid-life crisis. Quinn gambled and won every time on 4th down. He had his team ready to play. Not sure Campbell did. And sure he can come up to the podium and die on the sword like he does after every Lions loss. But the crying has lost its luster. He is not Dick Vermeil. Dick Vermeil won a Super Bowl.

A Star is Born. Jayden Daniels, the rookie sensation that he is, took Aaron Glenn to school last night. He slashed and dashed the Lions’ defense, showing the poise of Joe Montana, the sleekness of Randall Cunningham and the leadership of Tom Brady. He was driven. He was the star of the show on the grandest stage. He was the superior QB last night. He proved he is a franchise QB in only his 19th game of his career. Jared Goff, who is the Lions franchise QB and has over 100 million reasons to prove it, flopped like Pat Mahomes running out of bounds. That was the only Mahomes-like impression he did. I highly doubt ‘Jared Goff!’ chants will be shouted from the rafters of Little Caesars Arena anytime soon. As Megatron sat with commissioner Roger Goodell last night, one couldn’t help but think that Megatron saw another Transformer spawned in Daniels.

So here Lions fans sit again on this cold dark grey winter’s morning, thinking about what might have been. A 15-2 season with homefield advantage squandered. They wonder if it’s ever gonna happen in Grit City. Well they should take solace in knowing that pitchers and catchers report next month, for there is now joy in Grit City, the mighty Lions have struck out.