New on SI: Justin Tucker’s Miracle Field Goal Left Lions Fans Despondent

The air got sucked right out of the building.

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It never gets easier

Lions fans have been through it all, but fans of star-crossed teams know that things can always get worse, and they certainly did in Detroit on Sunday.

The Lions looked like they had an upset win over Ravens locked up after Baltimore was forced to use its final timeout following a six-yard sack on third-and-13 deep in its own territory. That left the Ravens with a fourth-and-19 from their own 16 with 26 seconds on the clock.

Game over, right? Well, Lamar Jackson found Sammy Watkins for a 36-yard gain and you know what happened next. Justin Tucker kicked an NFL-record 66-yard field goal to win the game, breaking the old record by a full two yards.

Even for fans of one of the few teams to endure a winless season, that’s a crushing way to lose a game. Dan Miller’s call on the Lions radio broadcast was a perfect illustration of what a gut punch it was.

And the fans in the stands had the same reaction. Videos from inside the stadium show the crowd getting amped up as Tucker lines up for the kick and immediately deflating when the officials give the signal that the kick is good.

The air got sucked out of the building so quickly I’m surprised the roof didn’t cave in.

It’s amazing to see the range of emotions fans had in those videos. Most of them are in complete shock, but in their own unique ways. That first video is a case study in distraught sports fans. The guy in black is just in total disbelief. There’s a man behind him slumped back in his seat staring at the ceiling. The woman in blue looks like she’s about to vomit. And then there’s the woman in black who just hits the camera with a sullen thumbs-down. The guy taking the video manages to sum it up nicely, though.

“Lions fans, we knew that was gonna happen.”

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The story over-delivers on this outrageous headline

A good song

Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.

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