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| The strong running of Joique Bell was key to the Lions first ever win in Washington D.C. this past Sunday. Detroit had previously been 0-21 in the nation's capital (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) |
A strong performance from quarterback
Matthew Stafford set the tone for the Lions. Stafford was 25-42 for
385 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Also impressive for
Detroit was running back Joique Bell who stepped in for the injured
Reggie Bush. Bell ran for 63 yards on 20 carries and had four
receptions for 69 yards. While a 3.2 yards-per-carry average isn't
great, Detroit ran the ball enough to keep the Redskins honest, and
it was a 12-yard touchdown run in the first quarter by Bell that
allowed Stafford to be so effective through the air.
This week, the Lions return to Detroit
to face the 3-0 Chicago Bears. Chicago comes into this game off a
40-23 drubbing of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football.
Unfortunately for the Bears, the win did not come without a cost as
key defensive tackle Henry Melton tore his ACL in the game.
Likewise, Detroit lost a pair of key
players as defensive end Jason Jones was lost to a knee injury during
the game last week and wide receiver Nate Burleson broke his arm in a
one car accident early Tuesday morning.
With the top two teams in the NFC North
squaring off in Detroit on Sunday, what should we look for during the
game?
- Rookie Devin Taylor at defensive end – With the loss of starting defensive end Jason Jones, Taylor will most likely pick up some backup snaps. The Lions 2013 fourth round pick, Taylor has only been active for one game this season and played three snaps on special teams. He has prototypical size for a defensive end at 6'7” and 266 pounds, and some thought him to be a more NFL ready player at the time of the draft compared to first-round pick Ezekiel Ansah.
- Ryan Broyles at wide receiver – With the loss of Nate Burleson this week, the obvious choice to take his place in the lineup is Broyles, who saw his first action of the season last week against Washington, catching three balls for 34 yards. Tight ends Tony Sheffler and Joseph Fauria could also see increased targets because of the injury.
- Rashean Mathis at cornerback – Mathis has slowly been stealing snaps from rookie Darius Slay, who started week one against Minnesota. At this point, it appears Mathis will be the starter from here on out as he has played 20/55, 50/71, and 76/77 snaps in the opening three weeks, respectively.
- Lions to focus on Julius Peppers – With the loss of Henry Melton on their defensive line, the Bears come into the game on Sunday with just one top pass-rusher in Julius Peppers. Expect the Lions to give Peppers a lot of attention, either using the tight ends or running backs to chip block him, as well as double-teams by the offensive line.
- Detroit has to keep good care of the football – Although Chicago hired an offensive mind in head coach Marc Trestman this past offseason, the story of the season so far has been their defense, which has forced a league-leading 11 turnovers in three games and scored two touchdowns against the Steelers. If the Lions are going to win this game, ball security will be of the utmost importance, and Stafford will have to be smart in his decision making.
With that being said, I can really see
this game going either way. Chicago's offense hasn't been great,
sitting at 21st in the league in passing offense and 17th
in rushing offense. And, with a relatively inexperienced offensive
line, Detroit's front four could get to Bears quarterback Jay Cutler
often. If pressure is applied early to Cutler and Reggie Bush returns
in solid form, the Lions could see an important W this week. My
prediction for this game is a 30-24 win for Detroit which takes
advantage of the home-crowd environment and hands the Bears their
first loss of the season.
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