Golden Tate feels 'fan base turned their back' on Lions
One year removed from a playoff appearance, the Detroit Lions are the NFL's lone winless team at this juncture of the season.
The Lions put together a listless outing against the Arizona Cardinals, easily routed 42-17 at Ford Field. Incumbent starter Matthew Stafford was benched after his third interception in favor of itinerant journeyman Dan Orlovsky.
Golden Tate turned his rage outward and toward a hostile fan base that booed the team off the field at the end of the first half.
"I felt like at times our fan base turned their back on us. We expect them to be with us better next week. We need them," Tate said to Mike Sullivan of 97.1 The Ticket.
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However, a number of the Lions' defensive players took sole responsibility for their awful performances.
"We gotta look in the mirror and figure out what went wrong," Lions safety Glover Quin said, according to NFL Network's Albert Breer.
"Our fans deserve more," Lions safety James Ihedigbo said, ESPN's Michael Rothstein reports.
"That was an extremely poor performance. And that's an understatement," Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said in his post-game press conference.
The Lions' campaign already appears to be over, and there will be numerous questions about the team's play-calling, starting quarterback, and regressing defense throughout Metro Detroit.