Lions players and coaches came back onto the field following Sunday's 19-14 win over the Redskins that snapped a 19-game losing streak dating back to December 2007. Said owner William Clay Ford, "We not only got the monkey off our back, we got King Kong off our back." Very true, but if you ask head coach Jim Schwartz, the work is just beginning. The Lions face a tough stretch of three more games before the bye week and have eons to go before this team reverses field on a losing culture.

The PFW spin

Sunday's win showed that the Lions have made significant progress. Last year's offense couldn't sustain or finish drives. Last year's defense couldn't create turnovers or make game-changing plays. Both happened Sunday.

The Lions rushed for 154 yards against the Redskins, the first time it passed the 150 mark since just before the last win, against Dallas in '07. It was the most team rushing yards by the Lions since '05. Schwartz and Scott Linehan have wanted to be a power team that is capable of hitting teams in the mouth and grinding out yards. It makes perfect sense: Matthew Stafford appeared to force things in the first two games, and the best friend of a rookie QB is a running game — and an offensive line. Both showed up Sunday, and Stafford was the beneficiary. He still was off target with some throws, but he did not press, and the successful running game forced the Redskins to play more cover-1 and other run-stopping defenses.

The run game also allowed the Lions to sustain three drives of 85 yards. They might have had three that long in the entire second half of last season. In the first quarter, they drove 99 yards following a goal-line stand. Defense into offense, as coaches like to say. Rookie LB DeAndre Levy and veteran LB Larry Foote each made two big plays on third and fourth down, and when the offense took over, it stayed disciplined and moved the chains. The offensive line really held up, and Stafford hit WR Bryant Johnson on a perfect strike for a score. At the end of the first half, the Lions mounted an 18-play, 86-yard drive that spanned nearly seven minutes and wore down a Redskins defense that was without Albert Haynesworth. It was the first time the Lions have inflicted their will on a team and turned the tables in their favor in some time. And on the final touchdown of the day, the team covered 85 yards on eight efficient plays. It was textbook Lions football, or what the coaches would like this team to be all about.

Kevin Smith was terrific, rushing 16 times for 101 yards (his third career 100-yard game) before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. He's quickly turning into a solid performer who runs with spirit, and the offensive line appears to respond favorably when he grinds out an extra yard or two with his toughness. The injury, though, will be something to watch. He could miss time; shoulders are tricky business.

If the team has to go without Smith against the Bears on Sunday, it would be a combination of Maurice Morris (who scored the game-winner) and quick rookie Aaron Brown, who appears to be growing on the staff that once envisioned him only returning kicks his first season. It would be worse, though, if the team lost Smith for longer, with a home date against the angry Steelers and a road game at Lambeau Field looming.

A tone has been set with a more physical brand of football in Detroit, but there is work to do. The Lions don't have the talent or depth to play a bad game and win right now. Stafford is still prone to errors, and the defense still gives up chunks of yards. Teams will continue to commit a safety to WR Calvin Johnson, as the Redskins did, and Stafford must be willing to go to Bryant Johnson and TE Brandon Pettigrew, as he did vs. Washington, even though he knows who his best option is.

In one week, the Lions accomplished what they could not all of last season — even if local fans couldn't watch on TV because of the blackout. Now they must continue getting better. Schwartz said there were no new tricks or bells or whistles in the win; he said the commitment to what the team has worked on since March finally paid off. In order to pull off another win in their tough next three games, they don't need just luck. They just have to play a near-perfect game using the same elements that allowed them to beat the Redskins. Don't overlook the significance of Sunday, even if the Lions have a long way to go.