The Lions didn’t play well on either side of the ball in this football game, but the offense was especially awful.  Jon Kitna completed 28 of 41 passes for 294 yards with 1 TD and 3 INT.  Kevin Jones couldn’t get anything going on the ground as he carried the ball 9 times for -3 yards (-0.3 ypc), but he did catch 6 passes for 67 yards and a TD.  Mike Furrey led the receivers with 9 catches for 84 yards.  Roy Williams had a decent game with 6 catches for 73 yards.  Corey Bradford chipped in with 5 catches for 40 yards.

Ernie Sims led the way on defense with 10 tackles.  Kenoy Kennedy had a solid game with 7 tackles and a fumble recovery.  Jamar Fletcher picked-off a Brad Johnson pass and returned in 88 yards for a TD.  Once again, the Lions were punished by an old teammate, Artose Pinner.  Pinner carried the ball 29 times for 125 yards (4.3 ypc) and 3 TDs!  The Vikings carried the ball 44 times for 172 yards (3.9 ypc).  The Vikings also completed 14 of 22 passes for 156 net yards passing.

The Lions fell to 2-11 on the season with this loss.

When the Lions drafted linebacker Ernie Sims….you could just hear a collective groan from Lions fans.  Sims has been just what the doctor ordered for the Lions defense this season.  Sims has started all 12 games and has made 101 tackles on the season.  Sims is super-fast and hits through the ball-carrier.  The only problem that Sims had in college is that he hit offensive players so hard that he wound up hurting himself quite a bit.  So far, so good in Detroit.

The Vikings were absolutely pathetic last week and have lost 5 of their last 6 games.  The Lions have lost 4 straight games, but 3 of them were close.

The Vikings are going to be without Chester Taylor in this football game.  Ciatrick Fason and Mewelde Moore will split the carries and they will certainly get work against a Lions defense that is allowing 127.1 yards rushing and 4.2 yards per carry.  The Vikings may lean towards the run to protect Brad Johnson, who has been downright awful lately.  Johnson should have time to throw the ball this week as the Lions don’t rush the passer very well.  The problem is that the Vikings really don’t have any good WRs.

The Lions philosophy on offense matches up well with the weakness of the Vikings defense.  If Jon Kitna (3,190 passing yards) can protect the football, the Lions should score alot of points.  Roy Williams (63 rec, 1,043 yards) and Mike Furrey (65 rec, 773 yards) could both have good games against the Vikings pass defense which allows 224.3 net yards passing per game.  Kevin Jones (692 rushing, 453 receiving) will also be a tough match-up for the Vikings, but the Vikes only allow 58.8 yards rushing per game and 2.8 yards per carry so far this season.

The Vikings won the first meeting 26-17 over the Lions in Minnesota, but the Vikings were playing alot better at that time.  The Lions should win this football game, because they match-up well with the Vikings.

The Lions played tough against the Patriots, but in the end they just weren’t good enough.  Jon Kitna completed 22 of 38 passes for 314 yards with 1 TD and 3 INT.  Kevin Jones was pretty busy with 19 carries for 56 yards (2.9 ypc) and caught 5 passes for 86 yards.  Mike Furrey had a solid game with 9 grabs for 123 yards and a TD.  Roy Williams caught 3 passes for 50 yards.

LBs Ernie Sims (13 tackles) and Alex Lewis (10 tackles) led the way for the Lions defense.  The Lions allowed the Patriots to carry the ball 24 times for 79 yards (3.3 ypc).  The Patriots completed 27 of 38 passes for 284 net yards passing.

The Lions played well, but their is no such thing as a moral victory in the NFL.

The Lions have lost three games in a row, by an average of 10 points apiece.  The Patriots have won two games in a row and have only allowed 13 total points in those games.

The Lions will come out throwing the football, like they always do.  Kitna (2,876 yards passing) better be careful when going after Asante Samuel who has 6 interceptions this season.  Roy Williams (60 rec, 993 yards) should get his yards against the Patriots.  The keys will be if the Lions can get the ball to Mike Furrey and Kevin Jones (if he plays). Jones would at least give the offense the threat of a running game, which they don’t have when he’s out.

The Patriots should be able to do whatever they want on offense.  The preferred method will be to run the football with Laurence Maroney (610 yards rushing) and Corey Dillon (550 yards rushing) against the Lions run defense that allows 131.5 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  Tom Brady (2,565 yards passing) should have an easy time spreading the ball around against the Lions pass defense that has allowed an opponents rating of 101.2 this season.

The Patriots should win this game easily as the defense will pressure Jon Kitna into mistakes and the Patriots offense should score at will.