Wednesday What to Watch For: Lions vs Cardinals

Offseason acquisition Reggie Bush was impressive in his Lions debut, rushing for 91 yards on 21 carries while catching four balls for 101 yards and a touchdown (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

What to watch for:

1. How many touches will Reggie Bush get? – Bush had 21 carries and four receptions (8 targets) last week in the Lions win against the Vikings and ended the game with a pulled groin muscle and a dislocated thumb on his left hand. Bush cannot keep up this high of a workload if he is going to be healthy all season long, although it will be tough to not keep going to him if he continues to be successful.
2. Can Joseph Fauria climb the depth charts? - Starting tight end Brandon Pettigrew had a rough game against Minnesota, catching just two passes for six yards, fumbling one of those catches, and being called for a holding penalty which negated a touchdown run by Joique Bell in the second quarter. Likewise, Tony Scheffler dropped the only pass to come his way. Fauria, meanwhile, caught three balls for 27 yards and a touchdown, and looks like he could take the top spot on the depth chart. Head coach Jim Schwartz did say this week, however, he backs Pettigrew despite his struggles. But what a story that would be: undrafted free agent to top tight end two weeks into the regular season...
3. More activity from Calvin Johnson – If the Lions continue to win and be successful on offense without forcing balls to Johnson, by all means, keep it going. But, going up against one of the top young cornerbacks in the league in Patrick Peterson, I think Johnson could see more one-on-one situations then he did against the Vikings. It'll be interesting to see how much Detroit considers looking his way against the Cardinals.
4. Can Detroit stop Palmer-Fitzgerald? – The Lions don't have anyone that can match up against Larry Fitzgerald, arguably a top three receiver in the NFL. Also, Palmer had a nice line in week one, going 26-40 for 327 and two TDs.
5. Offensive line encore? - Detroit's offensive front gave up only one sack in week one, a strong showing considering second-year tackle Riley Reiff faced sack-specialist Jared Allen and Stafford dropped back for 43 pass attempts. Meanwhile, Arizona's defense registered no sacks and only three tackles-for-loss in their loss to the Rams. Can the Lions offensive line have another strong showing against the Cardinals? If they do, Detroit should have a good chance at the W.

Final Prediction: Lions showed a lot of explosiveness on offense against the Vikings with minimal contributions from Calvin Johnson, while the defense did well against Adrian Peterson if you forget his first rush attempt of the game, which went for a 78-yard touchdown. Detroit will be facing a strong passing attack and minimal running, so the secondary will get a good workout against Palmer-Fitzgerald and Company. Because of Detroit's noted struggles against the pass, and the game being played in Arizona where the Lions haven't won since 1993, Detroit drops this game in a close one, 31-28.