This is a game between two really awful football teams.  The Rams have lost 17 games in a row dating back to last season and they are 2-21 in their last 23 games.  The Lions are 1-21 in their last 22 games so something will have to give in this game.  The last time that the Rams played on the road they lost 23-20 in OT at Jacksonville.  This could be the game that the Rams’ offense gets back on track.  The Rams will likely mix it up more than usual.  Steven Jackson will still be the focal point of the offense against a Lions’ D that is allowing 112.3 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  If the Rams can keep Marc Bulger upright he will likely be able to shred the Lions’ D through the air.  The Lions are allowing 258.5 yards passing per game this season and opposing QBs have a 118.7 QB Rating against them this year.

The Lions still aren’t sure who will start at QB this week as all three of the active QBs (Matt Stafford, Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton) are all hurting right now.  It’s looking like Stafford might get the start for the Lions.  The Rams are allowing 249.6 yards passing per game this season so if Calvin Johnson is able to play he will have a huge game.  But, Kevin Smith will be the major guy in the offense in this game for the Lions.  The Rams are allowing 135.9 yards rushing per game this season and 4.3 yards per carry so Smith will have more running room than he has had this whole season.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 30, RAMS 27

Rookie QB Matt Stafford appears almost ready to return as the starting QB of the Lions and they need him.  Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton are both banged up like Stafford is.  Stafford has completed 79 of 139 passes (56.8%) for 894 yards with 3 TD passes and 6 interceptions (65.5 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 7 times for 50 yards (7.1 ypc) with 1 TD run this season.  Stafford has looked much better than I thought he would this season and the Lions need to get him back on the field.

The Detroit Lions (1-5) were shut out today by the Green Bay Packers (3-2) and things keep going wrong for the Lions.  Injuries are playing a big role in the Lions struggles, as they were without their starting quarterback Mathew Stafford and their star wide-receiver Calvin Johnson.  The injury bug got to their back-up quarterback Daunte Culpepper too, when he left the game in the 3rd quarter with a hamstring injury and Drew Stanton replaced him.  Culpepper was 6/14 for only 48 yards and an interception before leaving.  Stanton was worse, throwing two picks and going 5/11 for 57 yards.  Running back Kevin Smith was effective, getting 61 yards on 15 carries (4.1 avg), but with the Packers up 14-0 after the first quarter the Lions were forced to throw early and often.  The defense did their best to keep the Lions in the game, but the offense gave them nothing to work with it.  The Lions only got 149 total yards on offense.

The Lions defense was able to take advantage of the Packers’ weak offensive line, pressuring Aaron Rodgers all game and getting five sacks and forcing a fumble.  Julian Peterson accounted for 2.5 of those sacks and DeAndre Levy was able to get an interception.  Although the Lions defense was able to put a lot of pressure on Rodgers, it didn’t stop the Green Bay quarterback from throwing two touchdowns and 358 passing yards on 29/37 attempts.  Detroit also gave up 107 rushing yards, with Ryan Grant getting 90 yards on 24 carries.  The Lions have a lot of things to improve on, but they have to get healthy first.  They take on the 0-6 St. Louis Rams next week.

While rookie QB Matt Stafford has been out of action Daunte Culpepper has played pretty decent football.  He has completed 29 of 48 passes (60.4%) for 336 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception (79.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 3 times for 44 yards (14.7 ypc) so far this season.  Culpepper should be able to have another good game this weekend against the Packers who are allowing 223.0 yards passing per game.  He just needs to quit fumbling as he has already done that 3 times this season luckily not losing any of them. 

The Detroit Lions (1-4) are on the road Sunday against the Green Bay Packers (2-2) at Lambeau Field.  The Lions have lost 17 straight in Green Bay and things are not looking good going into this weekends game.  Lions quarterback Mathew Stafford may miss his second straight game with a knee injury and his favorite target, Calvin Johnson, also might be out with a knee injury.  It seems like Johnson will be out since the Lions just signed wide-receiver John Standeford, who had 15 catches for 244 yards in nine games for Detroit last season.

If Stafford does sit this one out, then Daunte Culpepper will start his second straight game.  Culpepper showed flashes of the Culpepper from the Minnesota Vikings years ago, but he did not take care of the ball very well.  He went 23 of 37 for 282 yards with one touchdown and one interception.  He held on to the ball too long and was sacked seven times while also fumbling three times.  The Lions should come with a strong running attack, as the Packers do not do a good job stopping the run.  They give up 112 rushing yards per game and the Lions running back Kevin Smith has rushed for 287 yards on 94 carries (3.1 avg) with three touchdowns.

The Lions do have a chance in this game, even if Stafford and Johnson are out.  The Packers offensive line is one of the worst in the league and they have given up a league high 20 sacks, so the Lions front line should be able to get to the Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.  Rodgers has proven he can still do a lot of damage despite his poor offensive line though, as he as already passed for 1098 yards with six touchdowns and one interception in only four games.  Rodgers has shown that he is one of the top quarterbacks in the league and the Lions secondary will be in trouble.  The Lions only chance is if they can control the time of possession by feeding it to Kevin Smith and attacking Aaron Rodgers and forcing some turnovers.  The Packers are the better football team, so I think they will prove that and win their 18th straight at home against the Lions.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Detroit Lions 21, Green Bay Packers 35