The Detroit Lions welcome in the San Francisco 49ers Sunday afternoon for the 1PM ET kickoff from Ford Field.
San Francisco (4-1) is looking very strong so far this season under new head coach Jim Harbaugh who Lions/Michigan fans should be very familiar with.
The 49ers bring in an excellent defense consisting of a very good pass rush and play makers in the secondary. Currently the 49ers are third in the NFL with eight interceptions and first in the league for passes defended (46)
With that said, once again the keys for the Lions in today’s game revolve around Matthew Stafford and that offensive line.
The offensive line needs to give Stafford time in the pocket
The offensive line did a pretty good job last Monday night in giving Matthew Stafford time in the pocket. They’re going to need to do an even better job this weekend against the 49ers who like previously mentioned possess a very good pass rush and secondary.
Avoid the Monday night hangover
The Lions victory this past Monday night was probably the biggest win for the organization within the past decade. The bottom line though was Monday’s victory was just a regular season victory and a stepping stone for the Lions as they look to bigger things down the road.
Unlike Dallas and Minnesota, the 49ers are a good team that doesn’t make a ton of mistakes. It’s going to be important for the Lions to come out strong and get the crowd on their side once again.
Get plenty of pressure on Alex Smith
The defensive line did an excellent job Monday night as Jay Cutler was under fire for just about the entire game. Jay Cutler was the sole reason why the Bears were in the game as long as they were making some very nice plays on the run.
Alex Smith on the other hand isn’t a good QB despite his numbers so far this season. He (Smith) hasn’t faced a defensive line so far this season like the Lions and if Detroit can put plenty of pressure on him, he will more than likely be making plenty of mistakes today.
Stop Vernon Davis and Frank Gore
Both of these guys are some of the biggest reasons why Alex Smith is having the season he’s having. If the Lions can take away the ground game and those short outlet passes, again Smith is going to be forced to make some hasty decisions as the game moves on.
Ref: Detroit News, Mlive.com (image)