Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions Vs. Green Bay

This week’s game will provide some interesting scenarios to ponder. The Packers are coming off what has to be the worst home Monday Night Football game in franchise history. They have lost 4 straight games, 3 at the friendly confines of hallowed Lambeau field. The slim chance the Packers have to turn around their season hinges upon their performance Sunday.

First off, will the ineffective Lions rush offense or the ineffective Packers defense against the run gain the upper hand? The Lions will need to take advantage of Packer DT’s Cullen Jenkins and Cletidus Hunt (My favorite Packer!) lack of size. The Detroit linemen and Fullbacks also need to disrupt the easily disruptable Nick Barnett in the middle. The Packer’s linebackers have had little success at filling holes and getting the right angles of pursuit. I like Artose Pinner’s style of running, he can really move the pile. A good friend, Yukon Dan, refers to the Pinner style of running as a “little ball of hate” which may be the most apt yet. I wonder though if Pinner has the burst to get through the holes and get into open field versus the Packers. I think if Pinner can run effectively early, the Lions will gain the upper hand and outlast the Packers. If Kevin Jones can return from his high ankle sprain and regain his burst he would definitely have the speed necesssary to gain yards in bunches versus the Packers. The Lions ability to run will contribute to their ability to pass. The Packers are not pressuring opposing QB’s. Should the Lions be successful running the ball the Packer defensive linemen will be on their heels and they will not have much upfield rush. The Packer defensive backs are depleted after the trade of Mike McKenzie (Dreadzilla) and an injury to Michael Hawthorne. None of the current Packer DB’s show much abillity to make big plays(except for Al Harris (Dread #2) . If Joey Harrington continues to make the right decisions and not throw interceptions it should be a long day for the Packer defense.

Needless to say, with the two teams big differentials in Takeaways/Giveaways the Lions will have to continue their trend of taking advantage of turnovers and not turning the ball over. Look for would-be Lion tacklers to continually be attempting to strip the ball from Ahman Green. Hopefully, with Dre Bly’s return the Lion’s secondary will have the depth to be able to defend the Packer’s multi-receiver sets. The Packers offensive line is very good at protecting Favre, so we can’t expect the same level of success pressuring the passer as the Lions have had in recent weeks. That being said, any pressure, sacks, or turnovers generated by the Lions “Silver Rush, Mach II” will be a big factor in the game’s outcome. If the Lions can gain an early lead, expect Green Bay to abandon the run and for the Lions secondary to be disguising their coverages so that Brett Favre may make some of the careless throws he seems to often make when the Packers are behind. If the Lions are able to get 2 int’s they should be in pretty good shape.

I am not expecting the Packers to play as poorly as they did this monday night. I do think that their is a confluence of factors involved in the Packer demise. Age, poor draft and personnel decisions are all major factors. I still think, given their short week of preparation and the 4-game losing streak the Packers will turn in a respectable outing. The Packers are too overmatched in their front seven for them to be able to be in a position to win many games at all this season. Add that with a propensity for turning the ball over and getting behind in games early. The Packers have to throw way too often and shift their game plan away from their best offensive asset, Ahman Green. The Lions will win 31-24