Even in victory, the Lions have a tendency to look undisciplined. Despite its deficiencies, this team has a lot of talent. It's just up to the coaches to harness that talent and channel it into production on the field. All things considered, the approach from here on out should not be just to get into the playoffs, but to go deep into them. To do that, these players have to look at themselves and ask if they want to do something special.
Matthew Stafford is quietly playing his best football of the season over the last 2 weeks. I'd like to see him continue to spread the ball around. Nate Burleson is a guy who will have his moments but he's no longer someone Stafford can go to when the game is on the line. Two tight end sets and more Titus Young are what this team needs. Would be nice to see Maurice Stovall also get into the mix late this season.
Stopping the run may be a monumental task today. While the Lions have had some success against larger backs, Michael Bush will almost certainly have a day against a poor run stopping defense. He's a bruiser and quite frankly someone the Lions should be looking to sign this offseason.
Make no mistake about it, the Oakland Raiders can play ball. They have a play making defense that loves to force turnovers and their offense can shine at times.
It's not easy to win on the road. People look at the Raiders and see that they've lost their last two games in ugly fashion and assume the Lions should walk into Oakland and take an easy victory. As we've seen, the Lions don't like to do things the easy way. The Raiders have just enough talent to make this interesting. Maybe too interesting.
Prediction: Lions 31 Raiders 30
Players to watch: Chaz Schillens, Marcel Reece,
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