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Lions complete 0-16 season with loss to Packers

Dec 29, 2008 - 12:34 AM GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Ashes to ashes, loss to loss ... the Detroit Lions have given new meaning to futility in the NFL.

The Lions completed the first 0-16 season in league history Sunday, dropping a 31-21 decision to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on the frozen tundra at Lambeau Field.

Embattled Lions head coach Rod Marinelli was at a loss for words following the historic loss.

"I think the record speaks for itself," he said. "We tried hard all year. I felt they gave it their best. I felt I gave it my best, but sometimes your best isn't good enough and it wasn't good enough this year.

"No competitor wants to go through something like this. We have nobody to point a finger at other than ourselves."

Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, one of the only bright spots in this dismal season, was far more critical.

"It stinks, first team to not win a game in a 16-game season," he said. "We can't do anything about it. We started off bad, had a couple of chances, but we let it get away. The season kind of slipped away."

Rodgers threw three touchdown passes for the Packers (6-10), who handed the lowly Lions their 23rd loss in the last 24 games. Detroit joined the 1976 Tampa Buccaneers, who went 0-14, as the only winless teams in the Super Bowl era.

"I feel bad for the fans of Detroit," Lions kicker Jason Hanson said. "It is a bad deal. Everyone here owns this. We just could not get it done. It is embarrassing.

"Back home, what everyone is saying about you? We all feel bad, but it is exactly what it is: 0-16."

The Lions showed some intensity in their attempt to avoid NFL ignominy, rallying from a pair of deficits to enter the fourth quarter with a 14-14 tie.

But Rodgers threw fourth-quarter TD passes of 5 yards to fullback John Kuhn and 71 yards to Donald Driver, sending the Packers to a face-saving win in the finale of their disappointing campaign.

"We didn't want to lose, no we didn't," said Rodgers, who finished with 4,038 yards and 28 TDs in his first season as Brett Favre's successor in Green Bay. "But really it's not on your mind once the game starts."

Detroit's final comeback bid ended when Dan Orlovsky was intercepted by Nick Collins with three minutes remaining, prompting the fans at Lambeau Field to serenade the Lions with chants of "0-and-16!"

"I don't care about the crowd chanting," Lions rookie running back Kevin Smith said. "Why do I care about the crowd? I am trying to win a ball game."

"I didn't even think about it until the fans started chanting in the fourth quarter," Rodgers added. "(Detroit) played hard, they really did. They've been in a tough situation. I think Rod Marinelli's handled everything very classy through the whole season."

Green Bay also re-wrote the NFL record book Sunday, becoming the first team in league history to have two 100-yard rushers and two 100-yard receivers in the same game.

Green Bay's Ryan Grant and DeShawn Wynn each ran for 106 yards. Driver finished with 111 receiving yards while Greg Jennings had 101 for the Packers, who snapped their five-game losing streak.

But the Packers' woes this season did not compare to those of the Lions, who have not won since December 23, 2007. Detroit was outscored, 517-268, this season and lost 10 of its games by double digits.

The final loss was especially heartbreaking after Orlovsky found Johnson for a 14-yard TD to make it 14-14 early in the third quarter.

But after forcing a three-and-out, the Lions stalled on their next drive, allowing Green Bay to take the lead for good on Mason Crosby's 36-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

Detroit went three-and-out on its next drive, and Green Bay took a 24-14 lead when Rodgers capped a seven-play drive with his 5-yard scoring pass to Kuhn.

The Lions once again did not go down without a fight, as Smith scored on a 9-yard run to slice the deficit to 24-21 with 7:32 remaining. Detroit's final TD of this forgettable season was set up by 35- and 36-yard passes from Orlovsky to John Standeford.

But Green Bay delivered the death blow on the very next play from scrimmage when Rodgers hooked up with Driver, who escaped a tackle before racing up the sideline to make it 31-21.