I'm sure I wasn't alone in being amazed at how the Lions capitulated in Arizona last week and I would think that abject display has left very few believing this game will be anything other than a Falcons win. It's perhaps worth remembering back to this game last season which was played while many of us were meeting up at Wembley for the International Series game. It was the second loss of the season but like the previous weeks defeat to the 49ers the game was close and could well have gone the Lions way. Sound familiar? Look back on those two defeats now and the warning signs of this season's collapse are glaring. Ill discipline and the inability to make the key plays whether to extend an offensive drive or to stop an opposition in their tracks. The games were close enough to suggest that all three teams were stocked with similar talent and yet this season the Falcons and 49ers look to be contesting the top two seeds in the NFC while the Lions head towards a possible top five pick in the Draft. If we accept that there is little between the teams in terms of playing talent then we must accept that the difference between them now is players attitude and coaching. If these Lions are serious about competing at the highest level then it is games like this that they must be able to perform in. It is also true to say the coaches must be able to cope with the pressures of such games too which is something they have yet to show themselves capable of.
Despite putting up passing yardage that may well see him pass the 5,000 yard mark for consecutive seasons there is no doubt that Matthew Stafford has regressed this year. It's difficult to say for certain but his on field demeanour and post-game attitude, as reflected in interviews, suggests he mirrors the same approach as Schwartz and, one assumes, Linehan. I wonder now whether it's worth considering a change of Offensive Coordinator not for the predictable nature of the play calling but also for the development of the franchise QB. I wouldn't be surprised if Stafford ends up having surgery this off-season for some non-disclosed injury that we'll find out has hampered him this season but in the absence of such news we must assume his performance is not injury hampered. That said if he plays as poorly in this game as he did against the Cardinals then I would expect him to be benched in favour of Hill. Hopefully the receivers not named Calvin Johnson are able to step up and make a few catches which should make it a little easier for the man himself to bring Jerry Rice's single season receiving yardage record closer. I'd still like to see a more even split of carries between the running backs but it looks like LeShoure will continue to receive the lions share.
The loss for the remainder of the season of Nick Fairley is a real blow and as the performance of the defense tailed off against the Cardinals I began to wonder if, with so many impending free agents in the ranks, self preservation was starting to creep into the back of a few minds. If there is any hint of a drop in performance from the established veterans then I hope the bench players are given a chance. The Falcons have struggled to run the ball so far this season but I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if they look to run the ball in much the same way the Packers did in the second half at Lambeau recently. Should we manage to contain the ground game though we will do well to stop the Falcons through the air too where Matt Ryan is also closing in on the prestigious 5,000 passing yards mark for the season. It'll be interesting to see if the bad blood from last years game has carried over to this year and it has to be hoped the Lions players retain their discipline. Ndamukong Suh in particular has to know the officials will be quick to punish him even in 30/70 situations let alone the 50/50 ones and you can be sure the Falcons players will be trying to get him to transgress.
I shall amazed this week if the game comes down to a Hanson kick but after last week I am prepared for this outcome and would back him to make it if it does. Hopefully the veteran kicker is able to come back next year for another shot at the playoffs with a revamped team. One Special teamer I can not see returning is Logan, even allowing for my own desire to have seen rid of him much earlier in the season, and if I get time I will come up with analysis in the off-season of how many yards he actually gained over the season over what we would have had if he hadn't caught or returned the ball.
I would love to think that this game, in front of a national TV audience on ESPN in the US and in front of a nation of BBC red button night owls in this country, would be the one in which the Lions show they do belong among the elite but I fear it will confirm what we have been seeing this entire season. Namely that these two teams are heading in different directions after being so closely matched last year and that, unfortunately for us Lions fans, the Falcons trajectory is up while ours is down. A bruised and battered Lions hampered by injuries and seemingly looking forward to the off-season look like easy prey for a Falcons side with an eye on the NFC's top seed.
Prediction: Falcons 42 LIONS 20
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