Just landed in San Francisco, had a long flight in a cramped seat to think about Sunday's game and the week that was, and I'm not convinced things are as bleak as they appear.

The Lions were flat out awful in their opener against a team they should have beat. No excuses. But in retrospect, people tell me there was a sense something was wrong before the game. Whether it was a rigidness or general overconfidence I can't put my finger on, but it was gone last week against Green Bay and for a while the Lions actually played well. They stuffed the run early, stumbled into another big-play induced 21-0 hole, then chipped away until suddenly — surprisingly — they led, 25-24.

Then, bang. A big pass busts and they're down two. Get the ball back and Jon Kitna goes turnover crazy, the defense melts and everyone's in a uproar.

Should the Lions have won last week? When you consider the circumstances (quarterback making his first career road start) and comeback (momentum was on their side), absolutely. But at the end of the day the Packers are clearly a better team.

San Francisco is not. I'm not saying the Lions are better — they still have bottom-third of the NFL talent — but there's a reason J.T. O'Sullivan bounced around seven teams before he finally got a chance to start and there's a reason the 49ers lead the NFL in turnovers committed and sacks allowed.

Frank Gore is an excellent back and for me, more than any Mike Martz revenge factor, he's the reason I give the 49ers the edge on their home field. But would anyone really be surprised if the Lions won? (Admittedly, this is the Lions so no one would be surprised at another debacle, either.)

I'll revisit my preseason predictions during the bye next week and I'm sure to downgrade the Lions a few victories, but I don't think we're watching a first-pick-of-the-draft bad team.

What that means for the future remains to be seen, but bottom line is the Lions can take their first step towards salvaging the season with a win Sunday.