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Lions center Dominic Raiola, crushed by Sunday's ouster from the playoffs, says he has one more season in him.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- Nearly 24 hours had passed since the Detroit Lions' stunning collapse in Dallas, and Dominic Raiola still had not pulled himself together.

The veteran center cleaned out his locker Monday afternoon with bloodshot eyes and tears rolling down his face.

"There's no words. There's no words. There's no words," Raiola said. "Just wanted so much more for this team, guys in this locker room, this city. They deserve so much more."

The loss is particularly crushing for Raiola, who faces an uncertain future with the organization. He turned 36 years old last week, and Detroit already has a center-in-waiting on the roster in Travis Swanson.

But Raiola passionately said he believes he has one more run in him.

"I know I do," Raiola said. "Watch the game."

Raiola played exceptionally well against Dallas, not allowing so much as a QB hurry, let alone a hit or sack. The game was his second best of the season, according to ProFootballFocus.

It certainly looked as though he saved his best for when it mattered most. But Raiola also showed signs of wear and tear during the season.

He allowed four sacks, two QB hits and 17 hurries this season. That's way up from 2013, when he allowed no sacks, four hits and eight hurries.

Raiola had a career year in 2013, when he was the league's second-best center according to PFF. He ranked 37th in 2014.

The offensive line struggled as a unit, and changes are expected, though it's not yet clear who is out. Coach Jim Caldwell said nothing has been decided about the fate of Raiola or 31-year-old guard Rob Sims.

"I'm not done yet, I'll tell you that," Raiola said. "I'm not done. I'm fine. I'll be fine.

"I know I can play. Go watch the (Dallas) tape. I know how to play."

Raiola's physical abilities seem to have eroded with age, but his mental acumen is exceptional, and he has a long history with quarterback Matthew Stafford. And no one can impugn his durability.

He's played 14 seasons in Detroit, and missed only five starts since first entering the lineup back in 2002.

Yet after all those games, he had appeared in only one playoff game -- until Sunday.

The Lions exploded for a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and led for the next 53 minutes, 50 seconds. But they surrendered a go-ahead score with 2:32 to go, and did not have another fourth-quarter comeback in them. They lost 24-20.

Raiola, a day later, remained devastated. He thought the Lions were the better team, and like many others blasted the officiating for contributing to their demise.

"Just can't believe this is it," he said. "It's terrible, to have it come down to that.

"I've never seen that before. Never."

Raiola doesn't want that to be the last act of his long career in Detroit. He wants to rewrite his ending. He wants to suit up for one more run at glory.

But even he acknowledged after his exit interview with coaches that he does not know what the future holds.

"I don't know what they're going to do," he said. "No idea."

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