The Detroit Lions lost a heartbreaker in Week 16 as they fell to the Atlanta Falcons, 20-16. This was a game that the Lions definitely could have won but they were a bit shorthanded and just couldn't do a little more to walk away with a tough victory.

Everything that the Lions have shown the past month is definitely something that should have fans in Detroit excited. Of course, only winning two games so far this season and having 12 losses is certainly not something that is going to excite fans but all they can ask for is improvement and that's exactly what the Lions have shown the past few weeks.

Let's take a look at three takeaways from the Lions' Week 16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

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Lions Week 16 Takeaways

3. Losing isn't a bad thing

Let's start this off by saying that losing is never a good thing but in the Lions' point of view, there isn't necessarily a reason for them to keep winning. At the end of the day, there is no chance that they are going to make the playoffs so their best bet is to continue losing but competing just like they have been. Obviously, getting a win will certainly help the future of this team because it'll give them some confidence but the reality is the draft pick that they are going to get instead of those two wins is going to help this team much more than if they were to win their next two games and if they were to have won this one.

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2. Continue to compete

All the fans of the Lions can ask for is for them to go out and compete and that's exactly what they have done the past few weeks. Even games that they have lost, they are still going out there and working as hard as they possibly can throughout the week to go and compete against some good football teams. The Falcons aren't a good team by any means, but they still do have seven wins in this league and that's not an easy thing to do. The Lions very well could have won the game as they threw a last-minute interception that sealed the deal for them to lose.

There isn't much more that fans can ask for and all they can continue to do is can control what they can control and keep competing at the highest level that they possibly can.

1. Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to impress

Brown has continued to look very good throughout his playing time that he has gotten with this Lions team. It is his rookie season and he still has been able to put up 692 yards on 74 receptions throughout the year. He did that once again on Sunday as he was able to finish the game with 91 receiving yards on nine receptions for a touchdown. If he can continue playing as well as he has this season throughout the remainder of his career with this Lions organization, they're going to be very pleased as he will be somebody who can be an impact for their future.