The Lions played great defense in this game and that was the main reason for the win.  DE Corey Smith led the way for the Lions’ defense in this game with 6 tackles and 1.5 sacks.  Fellow DE Cliff Avril was also very active against the Bills with 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks.  The Lions also had 2 safeties in one game which is pretty odd.  The Bills finished up this game with 102 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 26 passes for 126 yards. 

Dan Orlovsky started this game for the Lions and he was so-so.  He completed 12 of 21 passes for 114 yards with a 9-yard TD pass to fullback Jerome Felton.  Drew Henson got his first action for the Lions in this game and he completed his only pass attempt for 11 yards.  Artose Pinner was the workhorse on offense for the Lions as he carried the football 23 times for 78 yards (3.4 ypc).  The Lions finished up this game with 80 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 22 passes for 104 yards.  The Detroit Lions finished off a very good preseason with a 4-0 record and they hope the success carries over into the regular season.

The Detroit Lions looked like a pretty good football team last Saturday afternoon against the Cleveland Browns.  Jon Kitna was very effective as he completed 9 of 11 passes for 98 yards.  Dan Orlovsky finished up the game and he was also very sharp connecting on 13 of 20 passes for 167 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Brian Calhoun led the way on the ground for the Lions in this game with 61 yards rushing on 9 carries (6.8 ypc).  Rookie RB Kevin Smith was also very effective as he carried the football 10 times for 45 yards (4.5 ypc) and he had a sensational 35-yard TD run against the Browns.  Roy Williams led the Lions in receiving in this game with 61 yards on 3 catches (20.3 avg).  WR Devale Ellis (4 receptions, 60 yards) and WR John Standeford (3 receptions, 41 yards) both pitched in for the Lions in the passing game.  The Lions finished up with 129 yards rushing on 30 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 31 passes for 257 yards.

The defense was also outstanding for the Lions in this football game.  Linebackers Ernie Sims (8 tackles) and Gilbert Gardner (6 tackles) led the defensive surge by the Lions in this game.  The Browns finished up with only 55 yards rushing on 16 carries (3.4 ypc) and they completed 27 of 46 passes for 195 yards.

The Lions have signed 28-year old QB Drew Henson to replace Drew Stanton for now.  Henson last played in the NFL in 2004 when he completed 10 of 18 passes (55.6%) for 78 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception (61.8 QB Rating) with the Cowboys.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 7 yards.  This was a suck up move by the Lions’ front office due to the fact that Henson played at Michigan because he just isn’t a legit NFL QB.

This is a shame as Drew Stanton was outplaying Dan Orlovsky for the backup job this season.  Stanton banged his thumb on a teammates’ shoulder pad yesterday at practice and it’s in a cast right now.  Stanton has completed 7 of 8 passes for 85 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 interceptions (150.5 QB rating) during this preseason.  He also carried the football 8 times for 46 yards (5.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  This was a bad break for both the Lions and Stanton as he’s starting to look very injury prone since he was drafted last season in the 2nd round.

The Lions really excelled in the 4th quarter as they outscored the Bengals by 17 points to pull away.  Jon Kitna completed all three of his pass attempts for 76 yards with a 27-yard TD pass to WR Calvin Johnson.  Dan Orlovsky was solid on Sunday Night as he completed 11 of 22 passes for 137 yards.  2nd year QB Drew Stanton was the real star of the show for the Lions against the Bengals.  Stanton completed both of his pass attempts for 58 yards including a 50-yard TD strike to WR Brandon Middleton.  Stanton also carried the football 2 times for 20 yards (10.0 ypc) and he scored on a 10-yard TD run.  RB Artose Pinner was the leading rusher for the Lions in this game with 52 yards on 13 carries (4.0 ypc).  Rookie Kevin Smith pitched in with 19 yards rushing on 4 carries (4.8 ypc).  WR John Standeford led the Lions in receiving with 85 yards on 4 receptions (21.3 avg).  Calvin Johnson also had an outstanding game as he caught 3 passes for 76 yards (25.3 avg) with a TD reception.  WR Brandon Middleton also was really effective late in the game for the Lions as he caught 2 passes for 58 yards (29.0 avg) with a TD.   The Lions finished up this game with 112 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 27 passes for 263 yards.

Linebacker Leon Joe led the way for the Lions’ defense with 8 tackles.  DE Rudolph Hardie was living in the Bengals’ backfield with 2 tackles and 2 sacks.  The Bengals finished up with 100 yards rushing on 21 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 41 passes for 224 yards.  This was a nice win for the Lions.