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Never Giving Up By ESPN Kids Writer

Week after week they took the field, trying their hardest. Week after week they fell short, heading back to the locker room in defeat.

Now, finally, they get to celebrate. Because after 19 long games, all their hard work finally paid off. The Detroit Lions won a pro football game for the first time since 2007.

A Long Streak: Players and fans waited over a year for the Lions to win a game. Last season was particularly gloomy, as the Lions went 0-16. But still the players went to practice, hit the gym, learned the plays and took the field every Sunday. It was hard for them to keep trying, with the weight of all those losses getting heavier and heavier. Their fans began to wonder if their team would ever win and the rest of the league questioned their ability. Teams would look ahead to their games with Detroit and consider it an easy victory. It seemed like the Lions would never win another game.

How They Did It: Despite their frustrations, the Lions kept putting in the effort. Eventually, it paid off as Detroit beat the Washington Redskins on Sunday, 19-14. All the Lions players knew that at some point, the streak would end. That positive thinking helped them to keep trying for that elusive win. They never gave up or got too down on themselves. As a team, they did everything they could to find a way to win.

What's next: Even after this win, the Lions can't rest. They need to maintain the same work ethic that helped them break the losing streak. In the end, it's not about winning and losing for the Lions. It's about trying hard every game. No team is going to lose every game, just like no team is going to win every game. But if athletes work hard and give it their all, they can always be happy with the result.

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