The Saints held their ground and crushed the Detroit Lions in the end on Saturday night, shattering dreams of all those who had dared to believe.
Oh well, easy come and easy go; it was fun, and it was a blast to finally be able to care about the Lions.
And they didn't blow it. No bad penalties. No crazy sub-par performances by stars. No terrible turnovers. No real stupidity. They were beat by a talented team that didn't let them win.
I had hoped that the Saints would implode and give the Lions an opportunity, but they didn't.
Will the Lions return to form and finish 5-11 or 6-10 next year, making the playoffs again two years from now. Wayne Fontes rode that cycle for a decade.