Lions end season of epic futility at 0-16

GREEN BAY - Nobody will remember that the Detroit Lions came close to winning their last game. All anyone will know - now and forever - is 0-16.

The worst record in NFL history, a dubious distinction that will permanently stain everyone involved.

The Lions lost to the Green Bay Packers yesterday, 31-21, making them the first team to go winless through a 16-game season. The 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14) were the last NFL team to complete a season without a victory.

"I've got to live with this," center Dominic Raiola said. "I've been here 8 years. This is on my resumé."

It's also on the resume of Lions coach Rod Marinelli, who faces an uncertain future.

"No competitor wants to go through something like this," Marinelli said. "This is not fun to go through, obviously. But there's people going through a lot worse than this."

Asked what the next step might be if he does keep his job, Marinelli said, "Let me get through Step 1 first."

The Lions' last loss didn't come without a fight. After falling behind 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Kevin Smith's 9-yard touchdown run put Detroit back within a field goal.

But Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (21-for-31, 308 yards) responded with a 71-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver and the Lions' Dan Orlovsky threw an interception on fourth-and-27 with 3 minutes left, dooming Detroit to futility of historic proportion.

"It's just kind of numb," veteran placekicker Jason Hanson said. "It's here. It's been coming, though, a train rolling down the tracks for a while. We tried to stop it. We couldn't."

The Lions were building toward this for years and now have lost 23 of their last 24 games. The 0-16 record will be a lasting testimony to the Matt Millen era. With Millen as president of the team from 2001 until he was fired on Sept. 24, Detroit won only 31 games - none this year, of course.

It's so bad that some Lions can't remember the last time they won.

"I don't ever want to be a part of this again," Orlovsky said. "We haven't won since, November of '07, maybe? I don't even know the last time we won a game."

The Lions haven't won since Dec. 23, 2007, actually, when they beat Kansas City. Green Bay is where this woeful streak began at the end of last season. Since then, the Lions have lost 17 straight and have been outscored, 551-281.

Orlovsky (22-for-42, 225 yards) threw two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Lions, whose bid to steer clear of the record book came undone in large part because of penalties.

Rodgers threw for three touchdowns for the Packers (6-10), and Ryan Grant and DeShawn Wynn rushed for 106 yards each. *