Packers-Lions Preview
J J Pesavento |Sep 10,2008
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 Packers-Lions Preview
PACKERS OFFENSE vs. LIONS DEFENSE
The Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay has officially begun. Rodgers did not put up huge numbers but he was very efficient against the Vikes. Rodgers was 18-of-22 for 178 yards with one touchdown. Rodgers also scored a rushing touchdown. Ryan Grant also had a decent day as he rushed for 92 yards. Greg Jennings led the Pack in receiving with five receptions for 91 yards. The Packers offensive line played a big part in the game by not allowing Rodgers to get sacked even once. The offense was the same as when Brett Favre was the signal caller, but there were no critical errors made. Look for the Packers to do much the same even if they are playing a Detroit defense that was basically trampled by Michael Turner. Grant may not have the power that Turner possesses, but he does have the shiftiness to elude tacklers and judging by the performance of the Lions D against the Falcons, that may be all he needs to have a good game. If Grant does get loose, look for safeties Dwight Smith and Gerald Alexander to become more involved in run support. Center Scott Wells is dinged up for the Pack, but Jason Spitz obviously didn't fail miserably in his place. With Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher at the tackles, the Packers should be able to keep the Lions' Jared DeVries and Dwayne White off Rodgers when he looks to pass. The top targets for Rodgers are Jennings, veteran Donald Driver and tight end Donald Lee. Jennings is coming into his own as a NFL receiver and Driver still has gas left in the tank. The Packers have an advantage at receiver over Detroit cornerbacks Brian Kelly and Travis Fisher. One telling sign of how bad the Lions were against the run in Week One was that Smith and Alexander were among the leading tacklers for Detroit along with Ernie Sims.
LIONS OFFENSE vs PACKERS DEFENSE
The new Lions offense was supposed to have a new and improved ground game with Kevin Smith. And the Lions did their best to get that running game rolling against the Falcons, but it never did. Smith finished the game with 48 yards and a touchdown. But the running game didn't get them back into the game against Atlanta, their passing game did. Roy Williams was a no show until midway into the second quarter so Calvin Johnson was doing most of the damage. The Lions have to have solid play up fron or the running game will not go and quarterback Jon KItna will be spending a good deal of time on his back. Smith may be a good runner but Jeff Backus, George Foster, Dominic Raiola and the rest of the line will have to perform at a higher level. They will have their work cut out for them facing Pro Bowl defensive end Aaron Kampman, KGB, Cullen Jenkins, Colin Cole and the rest of the Green Bay defensive line. Then add tackling machine Nick Barnett, A J Hawk and Brady Poppinga at the linebacker spots and the task looks almost impossible. So while the Lions may want to be more balanced, their strength and maybe their only advantage will be in the passing game where Williams and Johnson are two of the bigger and more talented young receivers in the NFL. But Green Bay corners Al Harris and Charles Woodson are crafty old vets and not easily beaten. And while unheralded, the Packers have a pair of safeties that aren't all that bad in Nick Collins and Atari Bigby. But the key is to not become obsessed with making the ground game move the ball with their best weapons like Williams, Johnson as well as Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald. So protecting Kitna will be imperative. If Kitna has time and is not constantly being hurried, he can find his receivers and make plays.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Mason Crosby gives the Packers a dependable placekicker but Jason Hanson is no slouch either. Derrick Frost just took over at punter for the Packers and he didn't do all that badly in the opener. Will Blackmon has apparently taken over return duties for the Packers and he did rather well in the opener, taking a punt 76 yards for a TD. Mike Furrey is a dependable returner for the Lions. So all things considered, neither team has a huge advantage.
SUMMARY
We honestly thought the Lions would play better in the opener than they did. But the defense was horrible and the play calling left much to be desired not only to us, but Jon Kitna was also incensed at the coaching staff at one point in the game. We also didn't think the Packers would play as well in terms of being in sync as they did. So now we have a team that was better than expected facing a team that was far worse than expected. The Packers don't need to do anything spectacular to win. They just have to play the same type of game they did in Week One. The Packers will run Grant and let Rodgers take his shots when the opportunity arises and not force the issue. The defense did well by not letting Adrian Peterson run wild and shutting down the Minnesota wideouts. The Lions basically need a big turnaround and it begins with the defense. They can't let Grant run wild and they can't let Rodgers have an easy day picking out his targets. And they cannot be intent on running the ball on the Green Bay defense. Detroit has the receivers to make the passing game work and cannot hesitate to pull the trigger. Right now, the Packers are the better team. The Lions have to prove they can compete with them.
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