Deeetroit Foootball

The Lions looked like a legitimate football team on Sunday. Granted, the offense could’ve been more effective and the second half playing calling makes me think that Bo Schembechler might have fought his way into the Lions booth and commandeered Ted Tollner’s headset. However, the defense was historically good. For the first time in 13 years, a Brett Favre led team scored less than six points. That’s impressive no matter how you look at it. The Lions defense wasn’t overwhelming like the Ravens or Steelers, rather it was remarkably consistent. Everybody played well. There will always be concern with Lions fans about the secondary. However, at least there has to be some optimism after this performance. Green Bay is one of the top offensive teams in the league by any measure. To hold them to three points is an amazing feat. Plus, the Packers won’t have Javon Walker for the rematch in Lambeau field.

The offense was poor. There were times when Green Bay couldn’t handle the Lions big, athletic receivers. There were also times when the Lions looked terrible. Joey Harrington is sub par at best in the pocket. He’s bad at avoiding the rush and rarely makes a good decision when the pocket collapses. That happened too many times on Sunday which is why so many Lions drives stalled. I think the offense will improve with time but I really don’t think Harrington’s efficiency and decision making will improve. Expect to see more Chad Henne- throw-3-yards on 3rd and 4 type passes. Those are frustrating but they’re here to stay. As long as the Lions don’t play against a defense that constantly puts pressure on the QB, the offense should be OK. Luckily, most NFL defenses fall somewhere closer to Green Bay than Baltimore.

Before Sunday, it seemed like the Lions best bet to make the playoffs would surely be the Wild Card. However, Minnesota doesn’t look nearly as good as their roster would indicate. Plus, Tampa Bay, Atlanta and New Orleans started off the season with upset wins while Dallas stole a game from San Diego. The Wild Card spots in the NFC will be very hotly contested. The Lions would do themselves a favor by taking control of the NFC North. Next week is a big game. The Lions have a chance to go 2-0 in the division. A loss to Chicago would be horrific. Must-win games are usually saved for later in the season but let’s just say that if the Lions want to make the playoffs, they have to beat teams like Chicago. The good news is that the Lions are probably better than the Redskins on offense, defense and special teams and the ‘Skins beat Chicago 9-7. The Lions have notoriously lost games like this. Next week is a big week.