There’s a lot that has gone wrong for the Detroit Lions the last few weeks. Injuries, unfavorable calls and a little incident you may have heard of involving Ndamokong Suh have hampered the plans that the Lions have made for the playoffs. Perhaps, the biggest problem is that the Lions had plans to begin with, not realizing the difficult road that still lay ahead. Somewhere along the schedule, the Lions lost their focus and now find themselves in a suddenly tight playoff race.
Now, the Lions travel to New Orleans, where they’ll take on a Saints team with a quarterback who I consider to be the best in the league in Drew Brees. The game has become an afterthought across the country, with most experts giving the Saints a decisive victory. Offensively, the Saints present match up problems for even the very best defenses in the league. But that is the key term: match ups. The Lions have some advantages that they should look to exploit early and often.
Both defenses are weak. Yes, both defenses. I know the reputation that the Lions have but the fact of the matter is that they haven’t lived up to that reputation. When you’re ‘ok’ against the pass and can’t stop the run, you are weak. Add to the mix a poor special teams squad and you've got the makings of an underachieving, playoff-missing football team. With that said, there's a chance for some big plays and real offensive fireworks.
Calvin Johnson hasn't been mentioned much in this blog this season nor has he needed to be. I know he's great, you know he's great. However, if the Lions are to make the playoffs, tonight must be a night to look back on as a reason why. This team is slumping and it will be up to their best player to pull them out of it. Like a great starting pitcher in baseball, CJ has to be Justin Verlander and play the stopper for this team.
Of course, much of what CJ does depends on his quarterback. Matthew Stafford has been practicing without the glove that he's worn the last few weeks. That could be good news, meaning his finger has healed, or bad news that he's desperate to break out of the funk that he's seemingly been in. The Saints defense may be mediocre, but like the Lions, they can be opportunistic. They aren't shy to bring pressure on the quarterback nor jump a route for an interception. Stafford has to match Brees nearly throw for throw.
You'll see Saints receivers getting behind Lions defenders the whole game tonight. The Lions need someone to do the same for them. There hasn't been anyone besides Johnson that has been able to really stretch a defense. Titus Young has played well at times this season, managing to score a few touchdowns. However, he has lacked those game changing plays that he was known for out of college. Look for Stafford to try and hit him deep tonight.
A healthy Kevin Smith could be the difference in the game. Balance between the run and the pass gives Detroit its best chance. Smith has had a nice resurgence this season but expect to see major contributions from Keiland Williams and Maurice Morris as well.
This has to be the Nick Fairley game. This is why they drafted him. He started the season looking weak and out of shape with much of that being attributed to his injury. He’s now had 2 healthy months under his belt to play himself back into shape. Ideally, the defense shouldn't miss a beat without Suh. That's what was visualized when Fairley was drafted and he his supposed to be Suh's near-equal, even as a rookie.
This needs to be a team effort. Justin Durant was signed this off season to be an athletic, sideline to sidelines playmaker. His game is meant to excel in games like this where a quarterback spreads the ball around to guys like Darren Sproles and Jimmy Graham. The Lions could use a big defensive play from him today.
The dominoes have fallen nicely so far today for the Lions in terms of playoff positioning. Tonight, they can either take a giant leap towards the postseason or continue to watch the walls close in on them.
Prediction: Lions 30 Saints 35
Players to watch: New Orleans RB’s, Jonathan Vilma
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