Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions vs. Colts Traditional Thanksgiving Day Game

It is hard to be very honest with myself while attempting to write this entry. I have always felt that the Lions have an excellent chance for victory on nearly every Thanksgiving Day Game. I still want to feel good about the Lions chances even though I have reached the following realizations A) Placing the Lions current losing streak within a baseball context, they have lost 40 games in a row B) They are horrendous on offense achieving 300 yards total offense only twice this season, unable to establish the run consistently and Joey Harrington has been off the mark of late C)The Lions Defense is beginning to falter due to the inefficient and ineffective offense and the fact that their secondary has been a disappointment. Yet, with this being the team’s only opportunity to be broadcast uncontested on the national stage, I believe the Lions will turn in a credible performance.

The Offense will need to be efficient and control the clock. If the Lions enter into a shoot-out with the Colts offense they do not stand a ghost of a chance. They will have to (and should be able to!) get more than 300 yds total offense. I think they will have to gain closer to 400 yards in total offense in order to have a chance for victory. The Colts secondary is currently slowed by injuries and they have been unable to limit most offenses this season. Running the ball may pose more of a challenge. The Colts defense has done the job against the run, although running succesfully against them is not implausible. Most importantly, the Lions can ill afford to continue their recent trend of giving away points by dropping touchdown passes or suffering from ill-timed penalties. Joey Harrington will have to show the same character and composure that Lions fan witnessed in last year’s season-ending victory over the Rams. His game management and offensive efficiency will be pivotal in any success for the Lions for the remainder of the season.

On defense, the Lions will have to hope that with the injuries to the Colts two starting guards that “Big Daddy”and “Big Baby” are able to disrupt Edgerrin James and Dominic Rhodes’s ability to run the ball. The Lions entire defensive tackle rotation will have to be counted on to pressure Manning, too with their desirable match-ups. This would also limit the highly effective play-action passing game of the Colts offense. As far as dealing with the passing onslaught of the red hot Peyton Manning, you have to hope that the Lions can limit him to 2 or 3 TD passes and keep the big plays at a minimum. The Lions ability to control Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison isn’t unreasonable, but how they address other effective weapons like Brandon Stokely and Dallas Clark will have a major influence on the game’s outcome. If the Lion’s front line can pressure Manning and force a couple of picks, then they may stand a chance. The Ford Field crowd will need to be virulent and unruly. If the Lions can perform well enough to recapture the same airplane hangar full of roaring jets-effect that Lion fans once had in the Silverdome, they could potentially hinder the audible-crazy play calling of Peyton Manning. With the current bad blood between the cities if Detoit and Indianapolis, it should not be difficult for the Ford Field faithful to express their disgust.

In the end, the downward slide will continue Colts 34 Lions 24. Steve’s Deep Fried Turkey Consumption, 12 lbs!
By the way, have I mentioned how cool the “throwback” Lions uni’s are?