After a disappointing last two weeks, the 5-2 Detroit Lions head west to take on the 2-4 Denver Broncos from Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
This week the Lions get their first taste of a Denver Broncos offense led by arguably the best college player of all time in Tim Tebow as they try to get back on the right track before the bye week.
With that said, let’s get to Detroit’s keys to the game against Denver.
Put the Tebow hype in perspective
Tebow mania is in full force not only in Denver but across the entire NFL. This comes after Denver’s Tim Tebow led offense managed to beat Miami 18-15 in overtime. In that game Tebow was 13 of 27 for 161 yards and 2 TDs including 8 rushing attempts for 65 yards and a 2 point conversion to tie the game with 17 seconds left.
Tebow isn’t going to beat anyone through the air but obviously can hurt a team on the ground.
Luckily for the Lions they’ve done a good job at containing mobile quarterbacks this season in Josh Freeman and Donovan McNabb. The Lions have been successful in doing this namely because of linebacker Stephen Tulloch ability to spy on Freeman and McNabb is past weeks. Expect the same game plan for Tebow this week.
Not to mention Tim Tebow hasn’t quite seen a pass rush as aggressive as the Lions so far in his NFL career.
The offensive line must protect Matthew Stafford
The offense has struggled quite a bit these past couple weeks and it all starts with the offensive line.
This week it’s vital they do a better job at protecting Matthew Stafford and giving him plenty of time in the pocket. This is also especially the case given that Stafford is coming off an ankle injury suffered last weekend against the Atlanta Falcons.
If Stafford doesn’t get the time he needs, he’s going to continue to look uncomfortable after the snap and make hasty decisions with the football.
The running game must provide some relief
It’s no secret that the Lions are going to pass the ball a lot today. However despite the injury to Jahvid Best (who will be out yet again this week because of a concussion), the Lions must take advantage of the Broncos’ weak defense especially on the ground which should further alleviate the pressure on Matthew Stafford.
Ref: Detroit News, Mlive.com, Getty (image)
