Week Fifteen

LIONS @ Cardinals

This is a meeting of two teams heading in the same direction, unfortunately that direction is downwards and the speed of their descent is in danger of becoming terminal. The Lions need to find some sort of positive momentum from these last three games to take into the off-season if for no other reason than to feed the coaching staff's seeming belief that there has been little wrong with the team or their game plans this season. The Cardinals fall has probably already become terminal and it will be a big knock on the Lions if the Cards are able to arrest their run of defeats with victory over them. A few years ago there was good cause to almost hope the Lions would continue to lose so our Draft position improved but now there is a danger that high first round draft picks will be replacing former high first round draft picks that we can no longer afford to keep. The modern free agent salary capped NFL tends to negate many of the advantages that the Draft was intended to produce. Before the Thanksgiving game I likened the Lions situation to that of the Texans from recent years and the Cardinals also represent a potential model of what we may expect over the next couple of seasons. The Cards ensured they retained the service so of Larry Fitzgerald, just as the Lions have done with Calvin, but perhaps crucially they have not been able to replace the QB skills of Kurt Warner so maybe we can allow ourselves hope that the Cards path is one we won't be travelling. The danger is there though and the Cardinals are a good representation that sustained success is not guaranteed no matter how good an individual season may be.

Half way through the 2nd quarter of last weeks Packers game I quickly checked to see if Scott Linehan had started following this blog. The balance I'd been calling for between the run and the pass was there on the field at long last and the Lions steadily moved the ball upfield, eating large amounts of clock as they did so. Sadly the 2nd half saw the Lions moving away from what had been working, Schwartz contended that the Packers stopped them doing what they wanted, while the Packers appeared to have stolen our first half offensive notes and promptly went and won the game behind the run. Having just given up over half a century of points to an opponent the Lions have beaten this season the Cardinals are probably too inadequate defensively to stop whatever plan Linehan draws up but I hope he retains the better balanced play calling that was a feature of the first half at Lambeau as that is what will be needed against the better teams in the league. Many will be looking for Calvin Johnson to break Jerry Rice's single season record for receiving yardage but whilst I too hope that he achieves this record I hope that we don't give the impression that this has become the teams prime objective.

The play of former high first rounders Suh and Fairley continues to impress and the Cardinals look like the sort of opponent that will see these two further enhance their reputations. Unfortunately for Suh he has a somewhat undeserving reputation for dirty play but him taking up two opposing blockers often allows Fairley or one of the Defensive Ends to get to or pressurise the opposing QB. The inability to stop the run has probably saved a poor Secondary from even closer examination and it's worrying that the defense has been unable to prevent game changing opposition drives throughout the season. Just as it has been frustrating to watch our offense blow hot and cold within games so it has been with the defense. The worry is that on both sides of the ball we lack the mental strength needed to succeed at the elite level. A handy win over the Cardinals won't prove a great deal in such a debate but a defeat could well lead to a much wider reassessment of the group.

The improvement of the Special Teams play provides evidence to Schwartz and those that believe that wholesale changes are not needed. As good as the coverage unit has got though there is still much to be desired about our return abilities and the form of \Logan. With Young's departure though there is unlikely to be a change of returner so we shall just have to wait until next season to see an improvement in this aspect of our play.

Whilst the cardinals are certainly capable of beating this Lions team I would be amazed if they are able to turn things around to do so. They have the look of a runaway train heading towards the buffers and the Lions, despite their own deficiencies, have more than enough to ensure they take advantage of this. 

Prediction: LIONS 42 Cardinals 17