What a Sunday it was for the Detroit Lions and their fans. Detroit improved to 2-0 on the young 2011 season by thumping the Kansas City Chiefs, 48-3, in front of a raucous crowd at Ford Field. There’s reasons abound to think that Detroit is finally ready to break through and compete for a playoff berth this year after so many seasons of futility. Of course, there’s tons of football still to be played. With the injury history of quarterback Matthew Stafford, it’s just too early to start thinking too far down the road if you’re a Lions fan.
Here’s one thing though that you can take to the bank when projecting how the rest of the 2011 season will go for Jim Schwartz’s up-and-coming squad: Jason Hanson will continue to be his usual, reliable self.
On Sunday, Hanson set an NFL record by playing his 297th game with Detroit, the most by any player with a single team in league history. Hanson, who scored 12 points in Sunday’s win (6 PATs, 2 FGs), surpassed Bruce Matthews of the Houston Oilers to stake claim to the notable record. It’s been quite a remarkable ride for Hanson in Motown since being drafted in the 2nd round of the 1992 Draft.
With his 12 points in the Week 2 win, Hanson also became just the 7th player in NFL history to score 1,900 points. He’s a long way from Morton Anderson’s career record of 2,554 points, but he’s within striking distance of Jason Elam (1,983) this season.
For all things Lions, make Pride of Detroit a part of your regular reading.