Detroit Lions Weblog

Week 4: Lions Vs. Rams Preview

The Lions Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz gets to return to his old stomping grounds this week when the Lions play at St. Louis, in a game that should be one of the more intriguing games of the week. With all of the personal and professional turmoil Mike Martz suffered from in St. Louis last season, this game should have major significance for him. That being said, the Lions have been a terrible road team throughout the Millen tenure, so it is hard to imagine that they will find a means to rectify that after an 0-3 start to the ‘06 season.

On offense, the Lions made some major steps forward last week against an admittedly awful Packers defense. Hopefully, the offensive output by the Lions was not an anomaly, the Rams are a vulnerable defense, too whom, under the right circumstances, may yield some major yardage to the Lions this week. I strongly believe that any offensive success the Lions may enjoy this season will come when Kevin Jones has an effective game carrying the ball, even with Coach Martz’s proclivity towards the passing game. The Lions receivers aren’t consistent enough too be productive when teams don’t have to load up the box to prevent Jones from grinding up yards carrying the ball.

The Rams have been successful playing a “bend, but don’t break” brand of defense, which hasn’t given up a lot of points but teams have been capable of moving the ball against them. A major factor for the Lions will be whether or not tackle’s Jonathan Scott or Jeff Backus can limit the Ram’s edge rush. If they can prevent Leonard Little from pressuring Kitna, the Lions may be able to find favorable match-ups with their receivers and tight ends against the Rams weak secondary. I expect that Rams will roll coverage towards Roy Williams, forcing Kitna to find another receiver to rely upon, in this case, likely Mike Furrey. Hopefully, with the recent release of Corey Bradford, Mike Williams and Shaun Bodiford can make some sort of offensive contribution this week to the passing attack.

On defense, the Lions NEED to establish some form of a consistent pass rush against the Rams banged up offensive line. Marc Bulger has been sacked quite a bit, largely due to his propensity to hold the ball until the very last second. If Bulger has time to operate, he will pick apart the Lion’s secondary whether they are in man-to-man or zone coverage. The combination of Jamar Fletcher and Fernando Bryant must limit WR’s Isaac Bruce, Kevin Curtis, and Shaun McDonald from being overwhelmingly effective. Torry Holt will get his catches and as long as he doesn’t burn Dre Bly for numerous big plays, will not defeat the Lions single-handedly. The Lion’s have proven to be very good at stuffing the running game, but may receive one of their staunchest tests this week. Steven Jackson is very capable of helping the Rams defeat the Lions. It will be interesting to see if the Lions choose to walk the safeties closer to the line of scrimmage in an attempt to limit Jackson’s effectiveness. If they decide to place the game on Bulger’s shoulders by neutralizing Jackson, it remains to be seen whether or not the the Lion’s secondary will be capable of preventing big plays from the Ram’s receivers.

As much as I want to see the Lion’s prospects for victory optimistically, the fact that they are on the road and have recently struggled mightily against the passing attacks of the Bears and Packers indicates to me that it is very likely that Bulger will throw for about 300+ yards and the Rams will have a comfortable lead heading into the 4th quarter, at which time they can bury the ball into Steven Jackson’s hands and watch the clock melt away as the Lions fall to 0-4.

Rams 31 Lions 17