What To Watch For: Patriots Can't Take Lions Lightly
BOSTON (CBS) -- For various reasons, the Detroit Lions and their 7-3 record are not getting much respect as they prepare for this weekend's trip to Gillette Stadium to take on the 8-2 New England Patriots.
On this here website, all four "experts" picked New England to win the game. Everybody at CBSSports.com picked New England. Tedy Bruschi picked the Patriots to win by eight. In fact, everyone at ESPN.com picked New England. Even the local Detroit writers aren't expecting too much out of Matthew Stafford and Co., writing, "The Lions aren't expected to win, but they're certainly expected to compete."
Just about everybody seems to be looking past the Lions. Is that a bad idea?
Sometimes when the popular opinion sides so strongly with one team, the words "trap game" begin to be uttered. Might the Patriots be in for a tougher test than many expect?
Here's What To Watch For when the game kicks off Sunday afternoon in Foxboro.
Protecting Brady
The Lions' sack numbers aren't gaudy -- they rank 10th in the NFL with 26 sacks in 10 games -- but that defensive front is an awfully scary sight for quarterbacks as they take snaps.
From an entertainment standpoint, it was unfortunate that Tom Brady didn't step to the podium this week and repeat the line, "My main focus is the Detroit Lions. I think I've got my hands full trying to stay protected from Donkey Kong Suh and my fellow Auburn teammate Nick Fairley."
Part of the reason may have been that Brady did not attend Auburn with Fairley, and also that Fairley is injured. But still, that would have been great.
Instead, Brady said this of Ndamukong Suh: "He's a phenomenal player, and we've got to think about him on every play. He can ruin a game. He's a big, physical presence, and I think he really sets the tone for that defense. He's a great player. They've got a lot of other good ones on the front – Ziggy Ansah and [Jason] Jones and [C.J.] Mosley. They rotate a lot of guys in there. Definitely, the front seven is big, fast [and] athletic. I think they're one of the best defenses in the league."
Clearly, the defensive front is already on Brady's mind. The Patriots' offensive line has done a much better job protecting Brady since that difficult first month of the season, with the team tied for 10th-fewest sacks allowed at 16. Yet the group -- and Brady -- will have to be at its very best to protect against a dangerous defensive line.
Getting After Stafford
On the flip side of that, the Lions have allowed 31 sacks this season -- sixth-most in the NFL. Matthew Stafford has been sacked four or more times in a single game on five separate occasions this year. The Lions, not coincidentally, are 2-3 in those games. Perhaps second only to turnovers, sacks can be complete killers for offenses, and there's no doubt the Patriots will be looking to exploit that Detroit weakness.
The Patriots are a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of sacks, as their 23 on the season have them tied for 15th in the league. But Stafford, who might have grown out of the "young quarterback" but is still just 26 years old, has never faced a Bill Belichick-coached defense. And when you pit the future Hall of Fame coach against a signal caller who's never dealt with that defense, the scales typically tilt strongly in favor of Belichick.
Anything the Patriots defense can do to confuse Stafford, both before and after the snap, may cause just a moment of hesitation. With the Lions' struggles to protect the quarterback, that extra time could be enough for Rob Ninkovich to wreak some havoc on Stafford.
Revis Island Welcomes Megatron
Please, oh please, we'd all love to see this happen: Darrelle Revis 1-on-1 against Calvin Johnson.
Johnson is arguably the most talented wide receiver in the sport. Revis is arguably the game's best cornerback. Seeing those two line up across from each other would be worth the price of admission alone, and while it's unlikely the Patriots will plan to deploy Revis in single coverage on Johnson for the entire game, hopefully it's not asking too much for at least a handful of snaps with No. 24 on No. 81.
"He's Megatron, that's what makes him different. He's a man amongst boys out there," Revis said this week of Johnson. "Dude's 6-6, 230 pounds, and he runs a 4.3, so that's pretty freakish. It's like the ultimate receiver that you want. If you can create him on the video game, that's basically what he is."
Johnson has played in just seven games this year, catching 34 passes for 520 yards and three touchdowns. It may be up to Revis to keep those numbers from climbing too much on Sunday.
Another Unlikely Source Of Offense?
Last week, Jonas Gray came out of nowhere to put together one of the best rushing performances in franchise history. This week, the Patriots may need contributions from another seemingly unlikely source.
The Lions boast the No. 1 defense in the league, allowing just 290.3 yards per game -- 221.5 through the air (which ranks fifth) and a measly 68.8 on the ground (tops in the NFL).
The Patriots are no slouches offensively, ranking seventh in the NFL overall with 380.6 yards per game -- 264.9 passing (ninth) and 115.7 rushing (13th).
But where it really matters -- on the scoreboard -- the Patriots are No. 2 in the league, scoring 32.3 points per game. And yet again, the Lions are tops in the NFL, allowing just 15.6 points per game.
One way or the other, something's got to give. But Detroit's exceptional defense might be able to handle (or at least limit) the usual suspects of Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, and it might take an unlikely source to emerge as the Patriots' producer.
That could be Shane Vereen, who's yet to turn in a game-changing performance out of the backfield. Perhaps it will be Brandon LaFell or ... Danny Amendola? Stranger things have happened, and if the Patriots hope to find success against a dominant Detroit defense, they'll need someone to step up.
Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
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