With the postseason still a very real possibility the Lions enter Week 11 facing a must win game against the Carolina Panthers.
Unlike last weekend when Detroit was dismantled by the Chicago Bears, the Lions have no excuses. They’re back at home so they can’t complain about the wind being a factor, they’ll have the crowd on their side and best of all no Julius Peppers.
Sitting at 2-7, the Panthers are very much in rebuild mode however they don’t come without weapons such as Cam Newton at quarterback and Steve Smith at wide receiver. In addition the Lions cannot get caught up looking ahead to Thanksgiving when they face division rival Green Bay.
Carolina Player to Watch: Cam Newton, QB
Carolina’s big weapon comes with first overall pick Cam Newton. Coming into this game Newton has passed for 2,605 yards and has the opportunity to surpass Peyton Manning’s rookie passing record of 3,739 yards. In addition to his arm he is very good with his feet and can escape the pocket if need be.
Expect the Lions to use a similar game plan against Newton as they did Tim Tebow a few weeks ago. Lots of pass rushing forcing him to make quick decisions.
Detroit Player to Watch: Matthew Stafford, QB
Entering into today’s game against the Panthers it seems as though all the questions have been directed towards QB Matthew Stafford. How is he going to respond this week to wearing the glove? Is the fractured finger going to be a big factor? How is he going to respond after his worst game of the season? The offense will live and die with Matthew Stafford and so far this season the Lions haven’t been able to steal a win when Stafford has had a bad game.
Stafford’s numbers still look good this season though. He is ninth in the NFL with an 89.9 rating, and has a 20-8 TD-INT ratio.
Run, Pass, Run, Pass, etc…
The Carolina defense is dreadful, so the game plan on offense should be simple for the Lions. Expect Matthew Stafford to use all his weapons through the air in Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson and Titus Young exposing the week Carolina secondary. In addition to this Detroit should also be able to get some sort of running game together given that Carolina’s rush defense may be equally as bad as their pass defense.
Contain the Carolina Wide Receivers
Unlike Tim Tebow a few weeks ago who could run but not pass, Cam Newton can do both so the Detroit secondary will still need to be on their toes. Steve Smith is eighth in the league with 51 catches for 951 yards and averages 18.6 yards per catch which is tops in the NFL.
Tight end Greg Olson is also another option for Newton. He (Olson) has 34 receptions for 404 yards.
Predictions
The Lions should enter today’s game mad and eager to prove all their doubters wrong. Expect a nice bounce back game for Matthew Stafford and a strong defensive effort that contains Cam Newton. Lions win 28-10
Ref: NFL.com, Detroit News, Detnews.com (image), Freep.com
