Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions Vs. Packers Preview

Sunday at Ford Field will likely be the last time that Packer’s veteran QB Brett Favre will ever play against the Lions in Detroit. I believe that Favre’s legacy as a player will extend several years after his careeer ends, but unfortunately he currently seems to be a mere shadow of his former playing self. That being said, Favre still possesses the cannon-shot arm and gunslinging demeanor that has earned him legions of fans throughout the land.

The Lions need to win this game. The Packers are a beatable team who have struggled. The Lions, schizophrenic as usual, have exhibited brief glimmers of a team who could be competitive in the weak NFC North. Offensively, the Lions need to establish their running attack with Kevin Jones. This has been a lingering problem which needs to be reversed. In order to do so, the O-Line needs to be consistent and avoid the costly penalties that plagued them last Sunday against the Bears. They also need to exploit the weak Packers secondary. Hopefully, the Lion’s receivers will have a big game and show signs of becoming the offense that was hoped for when the Lions hired Mike Martz in the offseason. The Lions offense has been so glaringly ineffective, it is hard to expect any sort of instant turnaround. In order to beat the Packers, there will have to be dramatic improvements made.

On Defense the Lion’s need to exhibit more of the characteristics of the dominating front seven that they showed against Seatle and less like the meek one that was absolutely manhandled by the Bears. If Shaun Rogers is as dominating as he was against Seattle, the Packers will be forced into a lot third and long distance situations which will place the outcome of the game squarely upon the erratic Favre’s shoulders. If the Lions can pressure Favre into turnovers and poor passes, it could be a very long game for the Packers.

The Lions 27 Wisc. Gov. Favre 13