The Buccaneers must remain focused this week as they can’t afford to overlook the 0-10 Lions who beat them 23-13 last season.  That shouldn’t be a problem for the Bucs as they had two weeks to prepare for the Lions due to the bye they had last week.  The Bucs might tilt a tad more towards the passing game this week now that Ernest Graham is out for the season.  Warrick Dunn will still get his carries and he should have a good game against a woeful Lions’ Defense that is allowing a stunning 171.5 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry.  Opposing teams of the Lions are roll up 230.2 yards passing per game and have a rating of 109.5 so Jeff Garcia will likely be shredding up the secondary with deep shots to Antonio Bryant and Joey Galloway.

The Lions have at least be competitive lately which gives them hope against the Bucs tomorrow but they are still a lousy football team overall.  The Lions would love to keep the ball on the ground with rookie Kevin Smith more than usual in a attempt to control the football and keep the defense off the field.  That will be easier said than done against a Bucs’ Defense that is allowing 99.3 yards rushing per game and 3.8 yards per carry.  The Lions also must protect Daunte Culpepper better on pass plays as Lions’ QBs have been sacked 37 times already this season.  If Culpepper has time to throw the ball then Calvin Johnson could have a big game.  But, if Culpepper is rushed the Bucs will likely pick off more than one of his passes.

PREDICTION:  TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 23, DETROIT LIONS 10

The Lions have lost starting center Dominic Raiola indefinately with a fractured right thumb.  The 29-year old Raiola had started the first 8 games for the Lions this season.  He has now played in 120 games (104 starts) in his NFL career.  Raiola had started 104 straight games before today’s against the Jaguars.  38-year old Andy McCollum will replace Raiola as the starting center until he is ready to return.  McCollum has played in 5 games (1 start) for the Lions so far this season.  He has now played in 15 seasons in the NFL covering 192 games (156 starts).

QB Dan Orlovsky has two fractures and a torn ligament in his thumb which might cause him to miss the remainder of the season if he requires surgery.  Orlovsky played in 7 games for the Lions this season and he completed 88 of 156 passes (56.4%) for 1,033 yards with 5 TD passes and 4 interceptions (76.7 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 7 times for 29 yards (4.1 ypc).  This is a shame for Orlovsky as he was getting his big chance to show what he can do in the NFL.  Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton will likely be the QBs the rest of the season for the Lions and that’s probably not a good thing.

Jon Kitna has probably played his last game with the Lions and that’s not entirely a bad thing but I do have doubts that Culpepper is a better QB than him right now.  Kitna played in 4 games for the Lions this season completing 68 of 120 passes (56.7%) for 758 yards with 5 TD passes and 5 interceptions (72.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 6 times for 34 yards (5.7 ypc).  Kitna injured his back and has been ruled out for the season despite his claims that he only needed a couple of weeks to get healthy.  Kitna played three seasons in Detroit appearing in 36 games and completing 795 of 1,277 passes (62.3%) for 9,034 yards with 44 TD passes and 47 interceptions.  He also carried the ball 65 times for 253 yards (3.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Kitna will likely hook on with another team next season and serve as a veteran backup which is his best role as his weaknesses aren’t exposed quite as much in that role.

The Lions have signed 31-year old QB Daunte Culpepper to a 2-year contract.  Culpepper played in 7 games for the Raiders last season and he completed 108 of 186 passes (58.1%) for 1,331 yards with 5 TD passes and 5 interceptions (78.0 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 20 times for 40 yards (2.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  The Lions probably promised Culpepper the starting job next season for him to all of a sudden come out of retirement.  He has played in 92 games in his NFL career and he has completed 1,867 of 2,927 passes (63.8%) for 22,422 yards with 142 TD passes and 94 interceptions (89.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 484 times for 2,536 yards (5.2 ypc) with 33 TD runs.  Culpepper started today’s game against the Jaguars despite only being with the team less than one week.