The 48-3 shellacking that Detroit laid Sunday on the Kansas City Chiefs was particularly sweet payback for Lions general manager Martin Mayhew and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham.
Detroit had to forfeit a low-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft after Kansas City accused the Lions of engaging in improper contact with players under contract to the Chiefs. That case involved Cunningham, who has a long history with the Chiefs organization: He was the team's defensive coordinator for years and its head coach for two seasons before he was fired after posting a 16-16 record.
The Detroit News reported that Mayhew refused to shake hands with his Chiefs counterpart, Scott Pioli, after Sunday's game in Detroit. It was Pioli who leveled the tampering charge with the league office.
Cunningham didn't speak with reporters, but his players doused him with Gatorade when the game ended.
"I don't want to say it was the biggest win in history for Gunther, man, but it's damn close," Lions safety Louis Delmas told the News. "This win was very important to him. It's not bragging rights, it's not winning -- it's just respect."
How personal was this game for the Lions? They went for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with a 41-3 lead in the fourth quarter.
"We weren't trying to do anything except win a game," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. " ... We were on the half-yard line and we didn't want to risk getting a kick blocked and run back for a touchdown."