ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions were in a familiar spot, down a few points with time running out -- only this time, they couldnt get the ball back.Thats the problem with putting yourself in that position too many times.There would be no Matthew Stafford-led comeback at the end of Sundays 20-13 loss to the Houston Texans. Instead, the Lions fell back to .500, which seemed appropriate given how many of their games could have gone either way. Detroit hasnt had a game decided by more than seven points this season.Despite last weekends loss, the Lions (4-4) are certainly in a better spot than at this time last season, when they had dropped seven of their first eight games. This season, Detroit has recovered from a 1/3 start, so the second quarter of the schedule went considerably better than the first.We had a 3-1 quarter. We had a little hiccup at the end, coach Jim Caldwell said Monday. Were getting ready to start all over again just in terms of our next quarter coming up against obviously a very tough opponent. So what I tell you is that weve made some improvement.The Lions play at Minnesota on Sunday, the last game before Detroits open date. At the midway point, the Lions are certainly in the playoff race, but in all four of their victories, the winning points came in the final two minutes. They were certainly cutting it close.Against the Texans on Sunday, Detroit kicked a field goal with 2:53 left to pull within a touchdown. After an unsuccessful onside kick, the Lions couldnt stop Houston, allowing two first downs that let the Texans run out the clock.Obviously, we wanted to get on the field, it just didnt work out, wide receiver Golden Tate said. Weve got to do a better job of not putting our team in that situation, where we need to be playing from behind like that.The Lions held Houston to only 23 yards rushing in the first half before allowing 82 in the second, and although the Texans didnt score much after taking a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, they moved the ball enough to hold on for the win.I just think there were some situations there where they just did a little bit better job at the end than we did, Caldwell said. They blocked us up in a couple situations and maybe a couple situations where we missed a tackle here or there. There were a few things, there wasnt just one thing. They did a better job down the stretch.Detroit beat Indianapolis in its season opener on a field goal with 4 seconds left, and its victory over Washington two weekends ago came on a touchdown with 16 seconds remaining. The Lions have had some close losses as well, but their defeat against Tennessee was the only one in which the lead changed late. Theyve been on the right side of most of their exciting finishes so far, and it was always fair to wonder if that would be sustainable.Stafford has been very good, and the addition of receiver Marvin Jones has helped Detroit withstand Calvin Johnsons retirement, but its going to be hard for the Lions to reach the postseason if they need last-minute comebacks in so many of their games. That was one of the main lessons from the loss to Houston.Youll have games like that against good defenses that play well against you, Caldwell said. You know, you may not light it up every single time, but we certainly expect to be a little bit more potent than we were.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLLuke Kuechly Panthers Jersey . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. Donte Jackson Youth Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/authentic-cam-newton-panthers-jersey/ . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Christian McCaffrey Jersey . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Cam Newton Youth Jersey . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss.From the resurgent Los Angeles Lakers?to Joel Embiids incredible start, the NBA is full of intriguing new storylines early this season.Our Insiders debate and discuss the besst things happening in the NBA.dddddddddddd ' ' '