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. 

Inconsistency on offense has been a feature of the season to date both within games and from game to game. Consistency on offense means having a solid offensive line and having the ability to run the ball it therefore comes as no surprise that the Lions have been inconsistent because they have neither. Anyone that questioned the trade up to get Mikel LeShoure in the draft should now be able to see why that was such an important move. Without a power running back the Lions running game stalls and allows the opposition to divert resources to negating our passing game. It’s clear the Lions management & coaches see this weakness as evidenced by the attempted trade for former Dolphin Ronnie Brown. The Lions record puts them down the pecking order for RB’s released by other teams so it’s probable they will have to continue with what they have. Similarly it’s doubtful that they will be able to pick up an offensive lineman that is capable of opening up big holes for a RB to saunter through. The Lions success means Calvin Johnson is finally getting the recognition he deserves and Matthew Stafford is showing why he was taken with the number one pick of the draft. In the absence of a genuine run threat it will be the performances of our secondary receivers and trio of tight ends that will decide just how potent our offense is in the second half of the season.

Whilst the offense has been inconsistent the defense has thankfully been consistent. Only one opponent has managed to score more than two TD’s against us and no opponent has managed to get beyond 30 points. The defensive line has lived up to its billing as one of the best in the league and the pressure they cause has helped our secondary show up as one of the best in the league stats wise. The Achilles heel of the defense though has been a tendency to give up big gains on the ground and it is a noticeable feature in our two defeats and OT win that we both failed to produce any sort of run attack in those games and yet gave up multiple big ground gains to the opposition. It is to be hoped that giving up these big gains on the ground is reduced but it may be that this is the price they have to pay for playing defense the way we do. If they go through the second half of the season with only one opponent scoring more than two TD’s and no opponent scoring more than 30 points then I doubt many of us will be complaining too loudly about how many rushing yards we gave up to our opponents.

The Special teams unit have been a frustrating bunch this season and the new kickoff rules have had much to do with this. After lighting up last season with his returns Stefan Logan has looked surplus to requirements this season as he has all too often either watched the ball sail over his head or waved his arm in readiness of a fair catch. Similarly the coverage unit has allowed opposing return men too many easy yards which has placed the defense under pressure to defend rather than attack. As the Lions go into the second half of the season looking at where they can make changes that could improve the team I think it is this unit that those changes could take place. A RB who is both a ground threat and can return kicks is worth keeping an eye out for together with a linebacker who displays the Special Teams zeal of a Zack Follett.

Looking ahead to the second half of the season our schedule doesn’t appear to be getting any easier. That said there is no reason at this stage to think that we are not capable of winning each of those eight games even if collectively we are unlikely to do so. The road games probably represent the toughest challenges with difficult trips to New Orleans, Oakland, Chicago and Green Bay. It is possible that the season ending trip to Green Bay may be easier than currently anticipated, if the Packers go into it having already secured home field advantage through the playoffs. The Lions road form has been good so far so it should not be an unreasonable expectation to think they manage to go 2-2 on the road in the second half of the season. The home schedule should be easier with games against the 2-6 Panthers and Vikings offering the prospect of an expected win even if neither game is a gimme. The games against the Packers and Chargers look harder on paper but the Chargers have not been firing on all cylinders this season and the Thanksgiving Game against the Packers is shaping up to be the game of the season. I think we could win all four but accept a 3-1 return may be more realistic. So that’s a 5-3 second half to tack on to our 6-2 first half to leave us with an overall record of 11-5 which should be enough to see us into the playoffs.