Week Sixteen

Chargers @ LIONS

Not since Barry Sanders was in his pomp has there been a bigger game involving the Lions. How quickly the M***** years and the decade of losing have been washed away by Mayhew and Schwartz to find ourselves with such a game. In some respects it has felt like we are already in the playoffs the last couple of weeks such has been the importance of winning but now Christmas is on hold as we reach the stage of win and we're in. There is every chance the Lions already have enough wins in the bag to make post-season play but having got this close they really need to be make it by smashing their way through the front door rather than sneaking in through the back. Sadly for us over here Sky have chosen the Cowboys/Eagles matchup as their game of choice so the action for us is via our PC's which, especially for those of us that used to fine tune their radio's in the hope of listening to a Lions game on AFN, is as good as being in Ford Field itself. With a winning season now assured every win will be regarded as a bonus as it will continue this magical season while a defeat, save perhaps one, brings the journey to an end. So with that said let's embrace the fact that today's game is against the smoking hot San Diego Chargers, masters of the late season flourish and many experts pre-season tip as the AFC's Super Bowl representative.

Week Fifteen

LIONS @ Raiders

In what may well become dubbed the 'Flag Bowl' the NFL's top two penalised teams meet in Oakland with both needing a win to sustain their hopes of post-season play. As well as sharing the unenviable distinction of being the most penalised team these two also share the fan maddeningly ability to blow hot and cold. There have been times this season when the Raiders have looked like they could be serious contenders in the AFC this year and there have been times when they've looked like they could struggle to beat the Colts. The Lions temperature gauge can seemingly race to extremes within a single game let alone from week to week! After racing out to a 21-0 1st quarter lead against the Vikings last week they ended up requiring a sack/fumble on the last play of the game to seal the victory. With fans of both teams not knowing which of their teams will show up this could be one of those games where it's best to start off with a stiff drink and then just strap yourself in and let the thing unfold good or bad.

Week Fourteen

Vikings @ LIONS

Lions Defensive Co-Ordinator Gunther Cunningham summed up my thoughts this week with his 'we're 7-5 and it's time we started playing like it' speech. Whether you want to call it a lack of experience, a lack of discipline or a lack of maturity there is no doubt that the Lions biggest enemy this season has been themselves. The two recent defeats on national TV highlighted these deficiencies to the wider NFL world but it's not just been in this blog that they had been mentioned beforehand. Frustrating as it is if you accept that immaturity or a lack of experience have been contributory factors in the defeats it then becomes very difficult to apportion too much blame for those defeats on anyone, whether that be players or coaches. You cannot demand experience from someone who has none or little. As frustrating as the performances have been we may just have to accept that it is all part of the learning process for this essentially young team as they gain both experience and maturity. 

Week Thirteen

LIONS @ Saints

The trials and tribulations of the Public Enemy No 1 Ndamukong Suh have diverted attention from the team performance against the Packers. This is unfortunate for Suh who is taking one for the team in more than one sense as, for me, he has become a victim of the NFL's publicity machine as much as he is a victim of his own stupidity. Now he's been tagged as the face of evil there will need to be much work done by both player and coaching staff to prevent his career from suffering for his reputation. Suh's suspension from this game has hopefully provided the catalyst needed for both players and coaches to focus their efforts on beating the opponent rather than beating themselves. Having been flexed into prime time we have to hope it will be the Monday Night Lions rather than the Thanksgiving ones that turn up to play the Saints in front of a national audience in America and insomniacs here on this side of the pond.

Matthew Stafford has apparently been taking snaps with his bare glove free hands which has to be encouraging given his dire record playing with gloves. If he does return to the form he was showing before the broken finger then I do believe that questions need to be asked of both the player and the coaches. Of course it could just be a psychological issue rather than physical but I do maintain that the play calling needs to return to the balance that was shown in the Broncos game. The Lions are supposed to have a balanced attack, just like the Saints and Packers in fact, so it would be nice if we saw some balance with how the ball is progressed upfield.

Week Twelve

Packers @ LIONS

The Thanksgiving Game is the fixture all Lions look to when the season schedule is announced and for the second time in three seasons we host the Packers. It was a hobbled Matthew Stafford who probably shouldn't have started the last Thanksgiving encounter that ended in a hefty defeat and Lions fans will be hoping a healthy Stafford can repeat last years victory in this years national spotlight. There is a strong case to be made for this being the game of the season, so this would be the perfect occasion to show the watching NFL world just how far these Lions have come. That's a far cry from the days not so long ago when there were increasing calls for the Lions to lose the right to stage the traditional Thanksgiving Game because they were so uncompetitive. Thankfully the NFL realised that there is no tradition without the Lions on Thanksgiving Day no matter how good, bad or indifferent the Lions team of the day may be. The last time this fixture was this competitive was 1962 when the 10-0 Packers visited the 8-2 Lions and this years 7-3 Lions will be hoping that this years 10-0 Packers suffer the same consequences as their predecessors. The 1962 game finished in a 26-14 Lions victory.

Week Eleven

Panthers @ LIONS

It's in weeks like the one that has just gone that you realise how limited the general press is in its ability to accurately reflect the form of teams, such as the Lions, who tend not to play in the national spotlight. I'm not one that subscribes to the view that last weeks loss to the Bears was a reflection of how limited the Lions are and that they will now drop back into the pack. However, the visit of the Panthers is a perfect example of the NFL maxim 'Any Given Sunday' and there is more than the potential for an upset. Hopefully the Lions have had a productive week of preparation and will come out focussed on this game and not be already looking ahead to the big game around the corner. Looking beyond the Panthers to the Packers on Thanksgiving represents the biggest danger in this one for me and I have to believe that these Lions are too good to be doing that.

Week Ten

LIONS @ Bears

The march to the playoffs begins here for the 6-2 Lions as they visit the 5-3 Chicago Bears. The Lions are coming off their bye while the Bears come off their impressive win over the Eagles in MNF. Since these teams met on that memorable Week 5 MNF game the Bears have gone 3-0 while the Lions have gone 1-2 and the general media view seems to be that this return fixture will see a different result to the one at Ford Field. The Bears appear to have picked up their game and must be relishing the prospect of having a home field that will not drown out the play calling of Jay Cutler when he takes his position behind center. This game offers the Lions the chance to send out quite a statement to not only their divisional rivals but the wider NFL as well. It's an intriguing matchup of that there is no doubt.

Bye Week

Half Season Review

Having predicted a Lions win in each of my eight game previews so far this season I suppose I should be disappointed that the Lions have reached half way at 6-2. Thankfully my disappointment is tempered by the realism that to get to the midway point in an NFL season with 6 wins and 2 losses is no mean achievement. There is many a team that would happily swap records with the Lions right now.

Despite my predicting otherwise I believe that 6-2 is a fair reflection of where the Lions are. The two defeats they suffered were to good teams and they were games that could just as easily have resulted in Lions wins. It is also true to say though that two of the Lions wins could easily have been defeats and fans of the Vikings and Cowboys will no doubt tell you they should have been. The remaining four wins though were all games in which the Lions dominated and which showcased just how good this team can be. The quality of the opponents in those four games is not to be sniffed at either as three of them are entering their eighth game with a 4-3 record. Even the lowly 2-5 Broncos have only suffered one other defeat by more than 5 points and that was a 26 point margin of defeat at Lambeau Field to the defending Super Bowl champion Packers. 

Week Eight

LIONS @ Broncos

Considering the importance of this game (6-2 or 5-3 going into bye week) and the hype surrounding the Bronco's new starting QB, Tim Tebow, I'm a little concerned that I may be feeling too comfortable ahead of the game. Maybe I've not been sufficiently downhearted after successive home defeats or maybe I'm not paying enough respect to the former College national hero now starting to make his way in the pros but I just don't see this game as being the danger that many do.

It's looking like Stafford being our starting QB will be a game time decision and there has been sufficient contrasting information coming out of Allen Park all week to leave no one outside the Lions organisation with any real idea on how this will swing. If it is Stafford then he will be keen, no doubt, to bounce back from his last two performances that have been widely criticised. It's easy to forget Stafford is still learning his craft and I think much of the criticism he's received has been harsh. That said he will need to find a way of dealing with what is now likely to be a repeated pattern from opposing teams namely cheating on defending the run game to rush the pass. It's not just Stafford, of course, that needs to adjust to this it's the entire offense and coaching staff too. The Morris/Williams RB combo should continue to offer much of what Jahvid Best did/does if not a little more in every down play but that is still short of what is needed so it has to be hoped either or both of these backs can step it up another notch. Similarly the Lions secondary receivers Burleson/Young are noticeable by their absence from the stats of the Falcons game and they will need to offer a better target for Stafford if the Lions are to be more than Megatron. There is ability there and it needs to come to the fore or the Lions are too easy to shut down offensively. The O-Line is not as good as we'd like but it is good enough as it has proved in winning games.

Week Seven

Falcons @ LIONS

The beauty of a 16 game season is that each game is an event and, to varying degrees as the season goes on, each game matters. Having lost their first game of the season and thus bringing to an end a nine-game winning streak this game matters to the Lions, it matters big time. The 49ers defeat challenged these new Lions and their growing reputation, against the Falcons they have the opportunity to answer that challenge and show these Lions are different.

The 49ers did what all opposing teams do, focus on taking away Calvin Johnson, they just did it a little better than most. The key for me though to their defensive performance was shutting down the Lions run game and the pressure they brought to Matthew Stafford. The Cowboys and Vikings had similar success but had been unable to sustain it throughout the 60 minutes in the way the 49ers managed. The news this week on Jahvid Best and, perhaps more worryingly, Jerome Harrison looks to have put the attention firmly on Maurice Morris. The Lions offensive strengths are undoubtedly linked with passing the football but if they are unable to establish a run threat to at least keep the opposing defense honest the strength of the passing game is severely diminished. In Morris the Lions will probably have a more consistent gainer of 3 to 4 yards than they have in Best but Morris will not offer the potential breakaway ability that Best does. There is also an opportunity for Keiland Williams to make a name for himself in this game and it has to be hoped that the O-Line is determined to put in a better effort than they did against San Francisco when they were poor in both aspects of the offense.  Either Stafford will need to be quicker with his reads or the O-Line will need to afford him more time to go through his check downs if the passing attack is to flourish. Opposition attention to CJ should ensure more favourable matchups for Burleson, Pettigrew and Young. Stafford didn't look at his most comfortable last week and will surely be looking to get into a better groove against the Falcons.

Week Six

49ers @ LIONS

I was recently listening to SI's Peter King interviewing Coach Schwartz and, after going over the Coaches reputation for being a stats man, King asked if the Coach believed there to be an overrated or underrated stat that the wider world should be aware of. Schwartz deferred on answering directly and instead pointed out what he believed to be an erroneous focus within the world of NFL stats. Schwartz pointed out that there is an obsession in yardage when in reality it should be points that should be focussed on. He has a point (pardon the pun). After all, the team that gains 500 yds but scores 15 points loses to the team that gains 250 yards but scores 21 points. 

The reason I mention this is because going into this weeks game the Lions lie 4th in giving up the fewest average points per game at 17.8 and also lie 4th in scoring the highest average points per game with 31.8 (for the mathematically bored or challenged that's a 14 pt or two TD difference in the Lions favour). Scoring an average of two TD' more than your opponent goes a long way to explaining why we're 5-0. But in the words of ESPN's College Gameday's Lee Corso  "not so fast my friend" the 49ers are 4-1 and lie 2nd in giving up fewest points per game at 15.6 and 7th in highest scoring average with 28.4 points per game (for anyone still interested that's a 12.8 point difference in favour of the 49ers). To further illustrate Schwartz's point the Lions lie 12th & the 49ers 13th in yardage given up while the Lions are 10th and the 49ers a lowly 27th in yards gained. So, if you hadn't realised it already, this game should be close.

Week Five

Bears @ LIONS

When the 2011 schedule was released and fans and media looked at this iconic Week 5 matchup I doubt there were many, if any, that had the Lions at 4-0. I like to think I was one of the few but in reality I think that whilst I may have believed 4 wins were possible I didn't think they would all be achieved. We are the Lions after all and even with the optimism afforded us by a strong finish to 2010 and a strong draft it was still a step too far to think that we may have become one the leagues better teams. Even now that does not seem quite possible and even if it's not yet the case this game offers the opportunity to extend the record to a heady 5-0.

With the atmosphere inside Ford Field likely to be electric this game should have the feel of a playoff encounter. The Lions will be hoping to continue the form they showed in the second half of the Cowboys game rather than the form they began the game with. It was the second successive game that they had been slow out of the blocks and if this team is to prove itself to be a genuine contender this season they will need to demonstrate that slow starting is not a trait. Against a respected Bears defense, that will be itching to get to Stafford, it may be that it's better to come out passing. The Lions O-Line has been better protecting Stafford than it has in opening up running lanes for the running backs. An up tempo series of Stafford passes to his array of receiving talent could not only see the Lions marching up the field but also wear down the Bears pass rushers. If they establish the passing attack then the defense will be forced into being softer for the running game. Williams may well be the better option to carry the ground attack as Best has yet to convince me he has the game to be the teams premier runner. Stafford & Backus will be hoping there is no repeat of last years Peppers sack and they will not be alone in this wish as they will be joined by every Lions fan. The Monday Night stage has been set for Calvin Johnson to become the hottest name in the NFL and there is every chance he grabs at least 2 TD's for the 5th straight game.

Tony Romo appeared to do a good job of reading the Detroit D last week and his O-Line seemed to be doing a pretty good job of keeping their QB upright. But the Lions defense last week brought pressure that increased with each successive down in much the same way as the hour hand on a clock moves. As the game wore on Romo was forced to speed up the clock in his head as the Lions kept getting closer to slamming him to the ground. The more hurried he became the less composed his game and sure enough he began to provide opportunities for interceptions which were gratefully received. On the Cowboys final drive Romo was forced into holding on to the ball and Willie Young showed why Romo had previously been so keen to get rid of it by slamming him into the turf. The Bears O-Line is not as impressive as the Cowboys and it'll be interesting to see if former Lions Offensive Co-Ordinator Martz focusses on the run as much as he did in last weeks game against the Panthers. The Lions have been vulnerable to the run early in games and it will be important to their plans in getting to Cutler that they restrict the yards gained by Forte. If Martz returns to Ford Field and serves up anything like the kind of offense he used to run for his Kitna led Lions then this could be the week you wish you had the Lions D on your fantasy team. 

The Lions Special teams are starting to become a bit of a disappointment. For such a talented group they have struggled on both covering and returning which may have something to do with the limited number of kicks that get returned these days. They will need to be at their best against the Bears who have proved to be one of the most consistently spectacular Special Teams.

The Bears were the last team to beat the Lions, in this very fixture last season, but I don't think they will be the first to beat them this season. I think the Lions will respond to the atmosphere they will find themselves in and look to shine in the national spotlight. I'm looking for Stafford to continue to feed the growing reputation of the man known as Megatron with a continuation of the 2 TD per game streak. I also think Keiland Williams has a break out game and will continue to predict Titus Young takes it to the house. On the defensive side I think Suh will have his most stat noteworthy game of the season on an evening that see's Cutler bounced out of the game and am looking for a memorable cameo from Nick Fairley which will have the rest of the league even more fearful of what the Lions can become. The Lions to return to MNF with a bang then and ESPN wishing they'd scheduled them more.

Prediction: Bears 20 LIONS 38  

Week Four

LIONS @ Cowboys

If Vernon was to ask his celebrity families to provide him with the name of an American baseball team I'm guessing the surveys top answer by some distance would be the New York Yankees. If the question was asked of the NBA then the LA Lakers would be top and if there were a survey of random members of the UK population enquiring of them the name of an American Football team then it's highly likely the Dallas Cowboys would be the name given by the vast majority. Just as Manchester United transcend the interest of their local and national markets so these American teams have found their ways into the consciousness of people on this side of the pond who may even be unaware of the sport they play. Like it or not the Dallas Cowboys are a big name draw and the Lions head there this weekend looking to improve on their 3-0 start to the season.

It's been more than 30 years since the Lions started a season 3-0 and just as long since they started a season 4-0 but that doesn't really matter as we're all too busy enjoying the now to worry about all those years since the then. How long was the Lions road streak without a win? I can honestly say I have no idea now but I do know they will be going for their 5th consecutive road win Sunday. On the evidence of the season so far that win is a realistic expectation for a Lions team that has begun the process of changing peoples perceptions of them.

The Lions have yet to fully click in any of their initial three games this season. They finished poorly against the Bucs, started slowly against the Chiefs and last week spotted the Vikings a 20 point lead at the half. Likewise the Cowboys have struggled to find a consistent rhythm to their play so far this season and have been impressive only in flashes. Matthew Stafford returns to his home state and I'm sure he will be looking to impress not just us fans and the rest of the NFL but the multitude of personal guests he will no doubt have had to secure tickets for. The partnership with Calvin Johnson is at the forefront of the media attention as the spotlight begins to shine on the Lions ever brighter. It is though the relationship with his other receivers that Stafford will become increasingly reliant on as the season progresses. The offensive line though will need to put in a vastly improved display against the Cowboys after being put to the sword last week by Jared Allen and the Vikings. DeMarcus Ware was passed up by Matt Millen in favour of Mike Williams in the 2005 Draft. The Cowboys were the beneficiaries of this particular piece of Millen management and the play of Ware so far this season has people speculating on his prospects of breaking the single season sack record. Lions tackles Backus & Cherilus will be under pressure to ensure that Matthew Stafford is not thrown around the confines of Cowboys Stadium by this one man QB wrecking crew. If they succeed then look for Stafford to light up a secondary that has already been giving up big yards this season. 

Just as the Cowboys defense will be looking to get to Matthew Stafford so their offense will be looking to do a better of protecting their own star QB, Tony Romo. It is probably fair to say that the Cowboys offense has been effective rather than dazzling so far this season in doing enough to secure a couple of wins without convincing that those wins were likely outcomes. The Cowboys have matched the Lions in their struggles to get an effective run game going this season and will be looking to finally get this aspect of their offense going this week. The Lions D, meanwhile, has been reasonably effective at shutting down opposing run games during games with the majority of yards conceded being in the early part of the games. Romo, though, lacks the weapons that Stafford has at his disposal and on the evidence of their most recent outing against the Redskins Romo's relationship with his receiving corps is still very much a work in progress. Being without leading tackler LB Justin Durant for this game should not affect the ability of the Lions in getting to Romo and the Lions secondary could once again benefit from a number of hurried throws.

Special Teams will be looking to bounce back from the performance at the Metrodome although having Jason Hanson named the NFL's Special Teams player of September will have been a boost to this unit. If this game is dominated by the Defenses then field position and the kicking game will be the determining factor in who wins and the Cowboys will not lack for confidence in coming out on top in such a game. 

This game promises to be a classic and the Cowboys are likely to present the most serious challenge yet to the Lions this season. A defeat to the Cowboys would not be a disgrace or enough to have everyone reassessing where they see the Lions finishing the season in fact it may well relieve the increasing pressure of an undefeated record. A victory though would be a fantastic way to head into a three game road stretch that begins with another high profile matchup, the Monday Night game against the Bears. I'm looking for the Lions to show the same bring it on attitude they took into that pre-season game against the Patriots and rise to the challenge of winning in Dallas. They won't be able to afford to only play for one half like they did against the Vikings but I think they will be eager to impress the wider audience that The Cowboys will provide. The game is being shown on Sky here in the UK so offers the opportunity to sit in front of the TV rather than the PC to watch a Lions game. My only dilemma in looking forward to this is whether I will spend the game thinking I should be eating turkey!

Prediction: LIONS 28 Cowboys 23     

Week Three

LIONS @ Vikings

Like many others, no doubt, I pondered on when the last time was that the Lions began a season 2-0 while the Vikings began 0-2. But before I took the time to look this up I came to the conclusion that it really didn't matter exactly when this was or indeed if it had even been the case. The purpose of the stat would be the reinforce a point that is palpably obvious to anyone that follows the NFL let alone the Lions. These are not the Lions we are used to seeing and in a division that has provided three of the last four teams to compete for the NFC Championship it is the Vikings who look the weakest. This game should reinforce that sentiment but in the modern NFL as soon as you start to assume such things then things such as this tend to bite you on the backside. It would be foolish therefore to assume a victory over a team that, aside from the notable change at QB, is not that far removed from the team that almost made it to the Super Bowl two years ago.

For all the plaudits they have received and as impressive as they have looked at times the Lions offense has not yet, I believe, fully clicked into place. Improvements in the running game were evident against the Chiefs but this weeks opponent will represent a much harder obstacle for the Lions backs to break through. Of course, the O-Line's ability to protect Matthew Stafford long enough to enable him to pick apart a Vikings secondary that has already been burned for large yardage could well open up better running lanes as the Vikings are forced to try and stop the pass. We saw a glimpse, in the Chiefs game, of why the Lions drafted Titus Young. The catch he made on a 3rd and ridiculously long play that kept the drive alive suggested that there will some horrible choices for opposing Defensive Coordinators to make when the Lions go three wideouts. The strength of the North is the D-Lines though and the Vikings were the first to truly establish theirs. Aged they may be but the Vikings D-Line is still capable of making this an uncomfortable afternoon for Stafford.

Perhaps the Vikings biggest strength is their ability to run the ball and until they lost Charles last week to injury the Chiefs gashed through the Lions for big gains on the ground. Now it's possible that the adjustments that shut down the Chiefs would have been equally effective if Charles had remained in the game but Adrian Peterson is sure to be keen to test this possible weakness in the Lions D. Donovan McNabb has received a great deal of criticism for his performances as a Viking and Kyle Vanden Bosch and his D-Line will be looking to welcome him to the joys of playing in the NFC North. If the Lions are able to limit the Vikings run threat then a pressured McNabb could offer plenty of opportunities for a Lions secondary to enhance a very slowly burgeoning reputation.

The Lions return team have not been given many chances to shine so far and must be itching for the chance to do so. Aside from the one mistake against the Bucs the coverage unit has done a good job and the Vikings will offer a challenge that will need to be met. Jason Hanson meanwhile looks to have found a new lease of life and is seemingly determined to lengthen his career so he can cash in on what promises to be a fruitful period of football for the city of Detroit.

The Lions ran the Vikings close in the Metrodome last season before turning the tables to round out the season at Ford Field. The games against divisional foes are the ones where these new Lions will need to establish their reputations and beating the divisions weakest in their home stadium is a good place to start. 

Prediction: LIONS 35 Vikings 24  

Week Two

Chiefs @ LIONS

After the opening weeks results I believe this matchup offers more of a challenge for the Lions than I did when assessing the seasons fixtures after the pre-season. The Lions had been looking good throughout the pre-season while the Chiefs, conversely, had not so the Week 1 results for this particular fan did not come as a surprise. The Lions dominated the Bucs and the Bills trounced the Chiefs so with the two teams now facing each other but with the Lions now at home and the Chiefs on the road all signs would point to a comprehensive Lions win. So much so that there is a real danger of complacency taking hold within the Lions locker room while a humiliated Chiefs team could be playing with a point to prove. I haven't had chance to listen to this weeks Football Today podcast that previews the games but wonder whether any one has picked this as an 'Upset Special'. 

Fortunately for Coach Schwartz the victory in Tampa Bay was not achieved with a flawless performance and there was more than enough for him to get his teeth into when the team began preparing for this weeks game. After a nervy start Matthew Stafford began to ease into the groove he'd played most of the pre-season in and it is to be expected that in the friendly confines of Ford Field he'll be in the groove from the first snap. Calvin Johnson has been cleared to play and the receiving options that the Lions have amassed showed their value for Stafford and OC Scott Linehan as receptions were nicely spread around. With the Chiefs secondary losing the impressive Eric Berry for the season there would appear to be the potential for a big day for Lions passing yardage stats. It would also be nice if the Lions could finally get a running game going in this game. There were signs of improvement in Tampa but there is still a way to go before it reaches the level I'm sure the team are looking for it to be at. I shall be looking for a more disciplined performance from the O-Line this week who, after an impressive start, seemed to suffer from the heat in Tampa as the game wore on with Cherilus's act of stupidity at the end of the game thankfully not costing the team the game.

The defense dominated the Bucs for most the game last week and it wasn't until the Bucs went into their hurry up offense that they were really able to move the ball up the field. It'll be an interesting feature of the game if the Chiefs try a similar approach in the hope that a weakness in the Lions D has been found. After making Blount a non-factor in Week 1 the defense will be trying to ensure the Chiefs Jamal Charles is rendered similarly ineffective. The pressure exerted by the D-Line is such that it will be difficult for opposing teams to be too focussed on the passing game. Freeman found himself frequently hurried and Cassel too will be looking to get rid of the ball quickly. The much maligned Lions secondary showed that its reputation is undeserved and Chris Houston's interception was a nice reward for the group. 

The Special teams unit also presented the coaches with a reason for criticism giving up a 78 yard kickoff return. The Chiefs Dexter McCluster is one of those returners that has the ability to burn through coverage and take one to the house so the coverage unit will need to be at its sharpest. 

Despite my initial wariness that this game could be more difficult than anticipated I am of the belief that the Lions coaches have kept the team sharp and focussed. I'm not convinced that the Chiefs were as good as their record suggested last season and think that this could be a tough year for fans at Arrowhead. So I'm going to say the Lions win this one big with career days for Stafford and Calvin Johnson. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Jahvid Best rush for his first 100 yard game and Titus Young grab his first TD. 

Prediction: Chiefs 10 LIONS 44

2011 Season

Week One

LIONS @ Buccaneers

The 2011 season begins with a repeat of 2010's Week 15 matchup which the Lions won in OT 23-20. It will not be a surprise if this years fixture is just as tight as it features two teams widely acknowledged to be on the rise. The Buccaneers may well have come up with more wins initially during the rebuilding process but that should not distract us from the fact the Lions have potentially superior personnel in many of the key matchups.

If Matthew Stafford came into the league with the burden of being the first overall pick and the expectations associated with that pick the Bucs Josh Freeman, his draft class fellow, appeared relatively free from expectation despite also being drafted in the first round. That Freeman hit the ground running while Stafford hit the ground and damaged his shoulder only helped to exaggerate those original expectations. Thus Freeman became the 'surprise' star that everyone had overlooked while Stafford was left needing to prove he could get through a season healthy. The slightly bigger Stafford has showed this pre-season just why he was taken with the first overall pick and Lions fans will be hoping the promise shown in those exhibition games transfers to the regular season. If it does then the Lions will most likely surprise even the pundits who think they'll make the playoffs with just how good they are. The array of offensive weapons available to Offensive Co-ordinator Scott Linehan and Stafford are as varied as they are potentially game changing. Bucs CB Aqib Talib has made much of his potential matchup with Calvin Johnson after not being involved in the game last year. Despite Talib's bravado I would expect Johnson to come out on top in this particular head to head. Likewise I believe the Lions O-Line should keep Stafford on his feet long enough to keep the chains moving. My one concern about the Lions offense going into the game will be the ability to run the football. Jahvid Best is capable of gashing the Bucs for long gains but it is yet to be seen if the O-Line in conjunction with Best & Harrison can grind out a series of 4 to 5 yard ground gains to keep the chains moving while wearing down the Bucs D. 

The Bucs began the pre-season as impressively as the Lions but then results and performances fell away. We shouldn't read too much into this as there could be all sorts of reasons for this that will not relate to how they will perform once the games start to count. That said the Lions unbeaten pre-season when coupled with the 4-0 finish to last season will have not just the Bucs fearing how good the Lions actually are. 

The Lions D-Line was headline grabbing last season and in the pre-season win over the Patriots the D-Line stole the show with the pressure they put Brady under. They will need to be at their best if they are to contain Freeman who's combination of short, high completion percentage passes together with his elusiveness  make him a very dangerous opponent. The key defensive group for the Lions in this game though may well be the new Linebacking trio. Their ability to break up or intercept Freemans dink and dunk passes together with their ability to contain the Bucs RB LeGarrette Blount will be vital to the Lions chances of success. The Bucs O-Line is not unique in the league in being considered to be weak and the Lions D-Line will be looking to enforce their burgeoning reputation by dominating potentially weaker opposition. If the Bucs are unable to run the ball then, I believe, they will find it difficult to generate the necessary offense to keep up with the Lions on the scoreboard.

The Lions are loaded on Special Teams but the new kickoff rules have severely reduced the chances of returning the ball. The Lions change at the punter position is unlikely to yield any significant improvements but it has to be hoped the average gain per punt will improve. If the game comes down to a Field Goal attempt then there is no one more reliable than Jason Hanson. 

This game has all the makings of a nail biting classic but I'm of the belief that this Lions side is further along the path to greatness than most realise so I believe they will win going away. I'll try not to go the complete opposite direction if I end up being proved wrong.

Prediction: LIONS 31 @ Buccaneers 17