By Charlie Portelli
The Detroit Lions fan base is among the hungriest in the league for success after enduring a lifetime of disappointment. The Lions have satisfied that hunger by delivering an impressive 4-2 record through the first six weeks of the regular season. That inspiring start has the entire city of Detroit buzzing. They have the look of a playoff team thus far as they sit atop the NFC North, but is this lead that the Lions have created sustainable?
Aft
er just six weeks in the young season no team has yet to punch their ticket into the postseason, just like no team can be ruled out of making the postseason this early. But as fans, we naturally look ahead and think of the possibilities. I am not fond of playing the “schedule game” by looking ahead to every game on the schedule and predicting wins and losses. However, we have a lot better idea now as to what certain teams are than we did before the season began when the schedules were first released. With that said, lets take a look specifically at the next two games on the Lions schedule beginning with this Sunday as the Cincinnati Bengals visit Ford Field and then next Sunday which also happens to be at home when the Dallas Cowboys come knocking.
er just six weeks in the young season no team has yet to punch their ticket into the postseason, just like no team can be ruled out of making the postseason this early. But as fans, we naturally look ahead and think of the possibilities. I am not fond of playing the “schedule game” by looking ahead to every game on the schedule and predicting wins and losses. However, we have a lot better idea now as to what certain teams are than we did before the season began when the schedules were first released. With that said, lets take a look specifically at the next two games on the Lions schedule beginning with this Sunday as the Cincinnati Bengals visit Ford Field and then next Sunday which also happens to be at home when the Dallas Cowboys come knocking.
These next two games are crucial for the Lions because they are against formidable opponents and also when you are playing in front of your home crowd it is imperative to win those games. These two games will be a great measuring stick for the Lions going forward as they continue their march through the season as playoff hopefuls.
It all starts this Sunday against the Bengals who like the Lions, have also fought their way to a 4-2 record thus far. The Bengals have a legitimate top 10 defense in this league as they rank in the top 10 both in points allowed and yards allowed. They have talent at all three levels of their defense. The secondary has been getting healthier as well. The offense on the other hand has not been nearly as impressive as they have struggled to meet their potential behind mediocre QB Andy Dalton. Dalton is however coming off his best game of the year after passing for 337 yards and 3 TD's but its no secret that the Bengals are at their best when they run the ball behind their two running backs that seem to compliment each other well. Benjarvus Green-Ellis is the gritty between the tackles runner that usually starts the attack and finishes at the goal line while in between they like to mix in rookie running back Giovanni Bernard who is much quicker and athletic and also loves to catch the ball out of the backfield.
In the second half of this home stand for the Lions they will welcome the Dallas Cowboys to Ford Field for an NFC clash. The Cowboys currently stand at 3-3 on the year and are tied for the lead in the struggling NFC East division. One of the those three losses for the Cowboys came at the hands of Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in a classic battle coming down to the final seconds. Tony Romo has had a remarkable year thus far and is doing all he can to lead this team to a division championship and playoff berth. Behind Romo and all his offensive weapons, the Cowboys have proven they can score points in bunches. The Cowboys have looked inconsistent on defense and are starting to battle some injuries that could prove costly as they have most recently lost star DE/LB Demarcus Ware for possibly the next four weeks. They are also without their other stud DE Anthony Spencer for the year who was not as flashy as Ware but was a reliable run stopper for the Cowboys.
Lets take a look at a stat for the Lions that may at first seem like a positive, but I will argue otherwise. The Lions are tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with 10 already through just 6 games. You may be asking yourself "...and this is a bad thing, why?" I will tell you why. When your defense is depending on turnovers, it is not a good thing. Turnovers can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing and if a team has a knack for forcing them, that of course is a valuable asset, but that is not what I am arguing. What I am arguing is that type of defensive success is not sustainable. You do not want your defensive success to be dependent upon interceptions or fumble recoveries. There is a bit of luck involved there with leading the league in interceptions. As I have stated many times before, this is a head coach and quarterback driven league. The quarterbacks that the Lions have faced off with so far this year have been Christian Ponder, Carson Palmer, Robert Griffin III, Jay Cutler, Aaron Rodgers, and Brandon Weeden. So in 6 games, they have faced just one quarterback you could even consider above average in Aaron Rodgers who is of course elite. It comes at no coincidence that he threw zero INT's vs. the Lions and the Lions of course lost that game. I would argue the rest of those QB's are average AT BEST. (Do not even get me started on RGIII, I said he was overrated last year and I was right. Talented? Without a doubt, but far from elite). My point is, to the Lions credit, they feasted on inferior QB's, but it is not something you can count on moving forward.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has done an outstanding job leading this team to where they stand now. He has proved that he is a driven winner and is an absolute gamer by doing it all with a hobbled Calvin Johnson. Over the next two weeks we'll all get a much clearer look at where the Detroit Lions stand in the NFC playoff hunt as they will be at the halfway point of the season. Win these next two home games and the Lions have put themselves in the drivers seat. Lose them and they are the same old Lions.
In the second half of this home stand for the Lions they will welcome the Dallas Cowboys to Ford Field for an NFC clash. The Cowboys currently stand at 3-3 on the year and are tied for the lead in the struggling NFC East division. One of the those three losses for the Cowboys came at the hands of Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in a classic battle coming down to the final seconds. Tony Romo has had a remarkable year thus far and is doing all he can to lead this team to a division championship and playoff berth. Behind Romo and all his offensive weapons, the Cowboys have proven they can score points in bunches. The Cowboys have looked inconsistent on defense and are starting to battle some injuries that could prove costly as they have most recently lost star DE/LB Demarcus Ware for possibly the next four weeks. They are also without their other stud DE Anthony Spencer for the year who was not as flashy as Ware but was a reliable run stopper for the Cowboys.
Lets take a look at a stat for the Lions that may at first seem like a positive, but I will argue otherwise. The Lions are tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with 10 already through just 6 games. You may be asking yourself "...and this is a bad thing, why?" I will tell you why. When your defense is depending on turnovers, it is not a good thing. Turnovers can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing and if a team has a knack for forcing them, that of course is a valuable asset, but that is not what I am arguing. What I am arguing is that type of defensive success is not sustainable. You do not want your defensive success to be dependent upon interceptions or fumble recoveries. There is a bit of luck involved there with leading the league in interceptions. As I have stated many times before, this is a head coach and quarterback driven league. The quarterbacks that the Lions have faced off with so far this year have been Christian Ponder, Carson Palmer, Robert Griffin III, Jay Cutler, Aaron Rodgers, and Brandon Weeden. So in 6 games, they have faced just one quarterback you could even consider above average in Aaron Rodgers who is of course elite. It comes at no coincidence that he threw zero INT's vs. the Lions and the Lions of course lost that game. I would argue the rest of those QB's are average AT BEST. (Do not even get me started on RGIII, I said he was overrated last year and I was right. Talented? Without a doubt, but far from elite). My point is, to the Lions credit, they feasted on inferior QB's, but it is not something you can count on moving forward.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has done an outstanding job leading this team to where they stand now. He has proved that he is a driven winner and is an absolute gamer by doing it all with a hobbled Calvin Johnson. Over the next two weeks we'll all get a much clearer look at where the Detroit Lions stand in the NFC playoff hunt as they will be at the halfway point of the season. Win these next two home games and the Lions have put themselves in the drivers seat. Lose them and they are the same old Lions.
I think the secondary if healthy will gel & solidify an aggressive front line which in turn will lead to an elite defense at the end of the season. Great article
ReplyDeleteThe defense has made some great strides. As much as I don't like Suh, it all starts with him and he is having a great year.
DeleteLike the previous poster, it all depends on the Lions secondary. If they can become just average, we'll be a top 10 team.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with you, this is a playoff team if they can cut down on the big plays. I do not trust the coaching staff but Stafford has the ability to lead.
Delete