The Weekend Spotlight - Week 8 Edition

Good Afternoon ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the first post bye week edition of the Weekend Spotlight.  I am your host, KDawg.  The seventh installment of my weekly series has the Detroit Lions opposing the Washington Redskins, at Home in Detroit, MI, at our very own Ford Field.  Coming off of a week 6 loss to the Giants before the bye in week 7, my expectations for the Lions, as well as the expectations of many experts, are very high.  I am uber stoked for this game, as it will mark the return of Matthew Stafford and in all likelihood everyone else except for Shaun Hill and Zack Follet.  For the first time since week 1 of the season, the Lions look to be as close to 100% as they have been all year, and I believe this bodes well for our team.  In my last edition, I said that if the Lions could beat the Giants that it would prove they were for real.  Well, regardless of the fact that they lost that game I still feel that they have already proven they are for real...and I also think it is clear that nobody can take the Lions for granted anymore, even though the Lions are now 1-5 on the season.  With 7 weeks of the regular season already behind us, once again I will reveal who I believe will be the key players, on the Lion's offense and defense, for a Lion VICTORY!  Early reports have stated that Stafford is near to 100% healthy, Jahvid Best has practiced without limitations, Calvin Johnson is not on the injury report, DeAndre Levy has practiced all week and SHOULD start on Sunday, and it appears as though the Lions look to be ready to fire on all cylinders this week..  As usual, I will provide you with the logic behind the reasoning for my picks, including stats.  The Redskins are a decent team, but I would not say that their offense is as good as the Giant's, I would not say their defense is as good as Chicago's, and I would not rank them as high as Green Bay or Philadelphia likely (and certainly not as good as Minnesota when they beat us earlier this year).  In fact, despite their record and historical trends I believe that the Redskins are the second worse team that we will have faced so far (second only to the Rams).  VICTORY can be ours, and I'll tell you why and how as the WS W8E begins after the jump...

The Redskins, who were taken over by Mike Shannahan during the offseason, switched their defensive scheme from a base 4-3 to a base 3-4 this year.  Their defense is molded (tenatively I might add) in the image of the Pittsburgh Steeler's defense.  That said, we should see a lot of zone blitzing, up-field pressure from the OLBs, shifting by the linebackers, and a lot of different and confusing packages from Washington.  Unfortunately for Washington it is the effectiveness of those actions that are in serious question, not to mention their performances already this season.  While Washington does have a couple of big name players on defense (DeAngelo Hall, Rocky McIntosh, LaRon Landry, Brian Orakpo, and even London Fletcher), their defense seems to still be a work in progress.  And that does not even mention one Fat Albert...

The Redskins are ranked 31st in the NFL in total defense so far this season, and that ranks them 5 teams behind Detroit...and we thought our defense was bad?  Washington is currently giving up 406 yards per game to opposing offenses, while the Lions are allowing 362.8 ypg.  The Redskins are currently ranked 31st against the pass, allowing 292.1 ypg in the air, compared to the 20th ranked Detroit passing defense that has allowed 224 ypg passing.  Against the run Washington currently ranks 20th, as they have allowed 113.9 ypg on the ground.  The Lions are ranked 27th against the rush, allowing 138.8 ypg.  Offensively the Lions come into this game with the #16 offense in the league, based on total yards per game.  They are ranked 7th in the league in passing with 258.7 ypg, and 31st in the league in rushing with 79 ypg.  I think it is pretty clear that the Lions should have no problems throwing the ball this week, as long as Matt Stafford is on his game.

That said, I believe Matt Stafford will most certainly be the key for the Lions on offense this week (to either a Lions VICTORY or another loss).  If the Lions are going to beat the Redskins, Stafford will have to play well and move the offense effectively and efficiently.  I am also hoping that Jahvid Best will have a good day, as I believe he practiced without limitation yesterday and today.  If Stafford can put the Redskins on their heels with the passing game, spreading the ball over the middle to the TEs as well as outside to the WRs, then I think Best may have a legitimate shot at 100 yards rushing in this game vs the 3 man front of Washington.  If Matt Stafford is rusty, and he is unable to make all of the throws accurately, then our offense will likely try to go more run heavy, and Washington will key on Best.  If that happens, it could be another bleak day for the rookie in terms of rushing yards...not to mention our offense in general.  A couple of interesting statistical facts include the facts that Jahvid Best leads all rookie RBs so far, with 534 yards from scrimmage, and that the Lions are the sole team in the NFL with two tight ends that have at least 20 receptions (Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler). 

However, some facts in favor of Washington include the facts that Donovan McNabb traditionally lights the Lions up (he has a higher passer rating against the Lions than any other opponent, with a 137.9 career passer rating against Detroit), and the fact that LILB London Fletcher leads the Redskins in tackles with 68.  With London Fletcher leading the Redskins in tackles with 68, I think it says a lot about who our guys should try to avoid running at the most, and I also think it says that he is a pretty decent LBer in coverage over the middle.  If that were not true then the rest of the LBers for Washington probably wouldn't have many tackles at all (if all of Fletcher's were against the run), when in reality Rocky McIntosh has 52 tackles, Lorenzo Alexander has 21, and Brian Orakpo has 23.  Washington's defense likes to put pressure on the QB with their OLBs, and that is evident with Orakpo's 7 sacks and Alexander's 1.5 sacks.  So, mainly, that leaves McIntosh and Fletcher to stop runs up the middle and cover receivers over the middle.  Once again, I want to see Stafford to Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson a ton in this game, and when that is not the case I want to see screens to Best in the flats or dumps to Best in space along with dumps to the TEs behind the linebackers.  I hope Matt Stafford is on his game, that he makes good reads and sound decisions, and that he hits his receivers all day long, because if he does then the Lions will win this game by double digits.

Defensively, the Lions really need to focus on 2 things.  1) They need to get in McNabb's face and stop him from being able to sit back and pick our defense apart, and 2) They need to stop Torain from looking like Walter Payton circa 1985.  The Redskins currently rank 12th in the league in passing offense, with 236 ypg, and 21st in the league in rushing offense, with 96.7 ypg.  Obviously, the Lions have faced better backs than Ryan Torain this season (IE Steven Jackson, Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte, and Ahmad Bradshaw), but in reality they only stopped one of them from doing major damage (Steven Jackson).  In my opinion, Ryan Torain fits into the Brandon Jackson sort of mold however.  Even though he put up 6 yards per carry and 125 yards on 21 carries against the Bears last week, I think he will have a much more difficult time running against our front 7, especially if Levy plays and plays well.  Should the Lions contain Torain, then the game will ride on whether or not our defense can keep Donovan McNabb from doing better than Matt Stafford, and I most definitely like our chances of doing just that, in a very big way.

That said, I name DeAndre Levy as the key player on our defense this week (again).  If Levy plays, and plays well, I believe the Lions will stop Ryan Torain cold, forcing the Redskins into a one dimensional passing attack where Donovan McNabb will be forced to beat us with his arm.  If Levy does not play, or plays and performs poorly, then I think we will have a much more difficult time stopping Ryan Torain, and then the game could turn into an offensive shootout where the game rides on the shoulders of our young QB and the offense.  Of course, I hope that Chris Houston and Alphonso Smith continue to play well, that Delmas and CC Brown do their parts well, that Palmer and Julian Peterson do not let Chris Cooley beat us, and that KVB, Williams, Suh, Hill, and Avril bust through the Washington offensive line like runaway freight trains, hell bound and determined to tear Donovan McNabb into tiny little pieces that resemble something like a dead Eagle that has been in the hot sun for a few weeks.  I don't want much...;o)

It's not that I don't believe Landon Johnson can hold the fort if Levy can't go.  It's more that I think Levy is just one of those guys that makes your defense better just by being on the field (regardless if he is at MLB or OLB).  He makes people respect his presence and adjust to it, and that is huge.  If you can make NFL teams change their gameplans because of your presence, then you are doing something right.  Our coaching staff is making it painfully clear that they WANT Levy at MLB, no matter what, so my idea of Johnson in the middle with Levy on the outside (which I still think is better than Levy in the middle with Palmer on the outside) looks like it will never happen.  I can't figure out if the reasoning is that Levy can't cover as an OLB, or if the coaches just think that Levy is going to make such a difference over Landon Johnson in the middle that they would rather take their chances on Palmer covering on the outside.  Whatever...I just hope it works, and I truly believe if Levy is going to play that he will hold the key to the Lions winning or losing the battle on defense.

In conclusion, the Lions once again have to stop the opponent's feature back from running all over them, and they have to stop their marquis QB from tearing our defense a new one.  It would most certainly help if they could pressure, hurry, hit and sack Donovan McNabb on Sunday, while at the same time stopping Torain from dominating the game.  Strong play from DeAndre Levy would do a great deal of good to that end.  Offensively, the Lions have to keep Matt Stafford from getting blindsided and killed, and they have to give him time to make the reads, find the open man, and throw the ball.  It would also help a ton if Jahvid Best could get it going in some capacity again.  If we can establish a decent running attack, while also allowing our young gunslinger to do his thing, then I am confident that our offense will execute and score a lot of points.  Those things combined WILL lead us to a Lion VICTORY this week, and I hope that everything I said in our favor happens.  As always, I hope the refs do not beat us, and I hope that the Lions play a well disciplined, mistake free game.   This has been KDawg, and you have been reading the seventh regular season edition of The Weekend Spotlight!  Happy Football Sunday ladies and gentlemen, and GOOOOOOOOOO LIOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNSS!!!!!