The Lions will be without 24-year old RB Aaron Brown for the next four weeks due to a broken bone in his right hand.  Brown has played in 3 games for the Lions so far this season and he has carried the ball 3 times for 13 yards (4.3 ypc).  He also has caught 2 passes for 10 yards (5.0 avg) this year.  Jahvid Best has a Grade 2 case of turf toe which he is going to play through.  He has played in 3 games for the Lions so far this year and he has carried the ball 38 times for 124 yards (3.3 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  Best has also caught 16 passes for 183 yards (11.4 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year.  Maurice Morris and Kevin Smith will likely have to step up with Brown out of action and Best being gimpy right now.

The Lions didn’t play too well on offense or defense yesterday and it cost them on the scoreboard.  Shaun Hill completed 29 of 43 passes for 237 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs in this game.  Jahvid Best injured his toe in this game but he still carried the ball 7 times for 26 yards (3.7 ypc) and he caught 2 passes for 13 yards.  Calvin Johnson led the way in the passing game for the Lions with 6 grabs for 56 yards (9.3 avg).  TEs Brandon Pettigrew (6 rec, 44 yards) and Tony Scheffler (7 rec, 60 yards, TD) also played big parts in the Lions’ offense yesterday.  The Lions finished up with 63 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 43 passes for 232 yards.

The defense just couldn’t stop Adrian Peterson of the Vikings yesterday and it was the biggest reasons for the loss.  Safeties C.C. Brown (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and Louis Delmas (4 tackles, 1 fumble recovery) led the way for the D in this game.  CB Alponso Smith pitched in with 3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 INT in this game.  DT Corey Williams intercepted a pass that he returned 27 yards in this game.  The Vikings finished up with 183 yards rushing on 30 carries (6.1 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 34 passes for 185 yards.  The Lions are now 0-3 on the year.

The Lions were swept by a combined score of 54-23 last season by the Vikings.  But, the Lions could be catching the Vikings at the right time as Brett Favre is looking his age right now and the Vikings have only scored 19 points this year.   Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  While the Vikings’ offense has struggled the defense has still played well for them so far this year.  They are only giving up 267.0 yards of offense and they have only allowed 28 points this year.  But, the Lions have to feel good about how they played last week against the Eagles on offense.  I look for the Lions to try to go to the air early and often in this game with Shaun Hill throwing down the field to Calvin Johnson.  Lions’ QBs have been sacked 4 times this year and Shaun Hill is a pocket passer so they have to keep Jared Allen out of the backfield which is easier said than done.  With that in mind I see the Lions attempting to do a lot of short passing to the TEs (Tony Scheffler and Brandon Pettigrew) as well as hitting Jahvid Best out of the backfield.  While the Vikings are a stout run defense I still look for Jahvid Best to have the ball in his hands a lot as both a runner and receiver this weekend.

When the Vikings have the ball:  This is a extremely bad matchup for the Lions this weekend.  Adrian Peterson rushed for 225 yards on 33 carries (6.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs in the two games against the Lions last year.  The Lions are allowing 131.5 yards rushing per game and 4.5 ypc so far this year so Peterson will likely be hard for them to stop.  Brett Favre also lit up the Lions last year completing 43 of 56 passes (76.8%) for 499 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  But, he’s starting to play like the old man that he is this year.  The Lions have 10 sacks this year so hopefully they can get a good pass rush on Favre and force him into making some big mistakes.  The Lions will likely focus on stopping TE Visanthe Shiancoe (10 rec, 162 yards, 1 TD) who has been Favre’s go-to man so far this year in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 27, LIONS 17

Rookie RB Jahvid Best is off to a very fast start to his NFL career for the Lions.  In his first two games with the Lions, Best has carried the ball 31 times for 98 yards (3.2 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He has also caught 14 passes for 170 yards (12.1 avg) with 1 TD grab this year.  Best is averaging 22.5 touches and 134.0 yards from scrimmage so far this season.  He is super fast and he makes moves that look like they came right off playstation.  The Lions have found their best running back since Barry Sanders so they need him to stay healthy.  He has had concussion problems in college.

The Lions fell behind quick in this game but they mounted a furious comback late in this game before falling just a tad short in the home opener.  Shaun Hill put up some numbers in this game as he completed 25 of 45 passes for 335 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 16 yards (5.3 ypc) in this game.  Jahvid Best was the star of the show for the Lions in this game though.  He carried the ball 17 times for 78 yards (4.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 9 passes for 154 yards (17.1 avg) with a 75-yard TD reception today.  TE Brandon Pettigrew (7 rec, 108 yards) and WR Calvin Johnson (4 rec, 50 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Lions in the passing game earlier today.  The Lions finished up with 115 yards on 26 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 45 passes for 329 yards today.

The defense got gashed both on the ground and in the air by the Eagles’ offense.  DT Ndamukong Suh was a busy guy for the Lions in this game with 8 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  Louis Delmas (7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 QB hits) and Kyle VandenBosch (6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and 2 QB hits) also pitched in for the Lions on D in this game.  The Eagles finished up with 162 yards rushing on 28 carries (5.8 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 34 passes for 247 yards.  The Lions are now 0-2 on the season.

Starting DE Cliff Avril will miss this week’s contest against the Eagles due to a sprained MCL in his left knee.  Avril had 1 tackle and a fumble recovery in the season opener against the Bears.  Turk McBride and Lawrence Jackson will likely split time at Avril’s position against the Eagles this week.  McBride had 1 tackle, 1 sack and a forced fumble in the season opener while Jackson didn’t record any stats.  I have a feeling that McBride & possibly Jackson will do a decent job against the Eagles this weekend.

The Eagles and Lions both lost hard fought games last Sunday.  They also have another thing in common……they are both going to be starting back-up QBs this weekend.  Michael Vick vs. Shaun Hill in the season opener at Ford Field.  Here is a look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are going to try to run the ball more this week against the Eagles.  The Eagles gave up 132 yards rushing (4.0 ypc) last weekend against the Packers so this should be a good match-up for rookie RB Jahvid Best.  Best didn’t get anything going against the Bears last week but the fast turf of Ford Field will likely be much better for his speed game.  The Eagles are a heavy blitz team so look for Shaun Hill to be looking to keep the passing game of the shorter variety.  That means that Tony Scheffler might be targeted a lot by the Lions in the passing game this week.  Hill has to be careful not to force the ball to Calvin Johnson if the Eagles are covering him too tight.

When the Eagles have the ball:  The Eagles are going to unleash the Michael Vick circus this week.  If the Lions were smart they would go all out to contain him in the pocket where he doesn’t feel comfortable.  But if he gets to the edge running the ball he will be a handful for the Lions’ D.  His biggest plays in the passing game come on rollouts so the Lions better have safety help over the top in dealing with Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin.

PREDICTION:  EAGLES 23, LIONS 20

The Lions have lost undrafted rookie cornerback Aaron Berry out of Pitt for the rest of the year.  He aggravated a shoulder injury against the Bears in the season opener.  This is a very bad break for Berry as he had a solid NFL debut.  Berry had 3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception (which he returned 23 yards) against the Bears. 

The Lions have signed 28-year old cornerback Nathan Vasher.  Vasher played in 15 games for the Bears last season and he had 15 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  Vasher has now played in 73 games in his six years in the NFL and he has 164 tackles, 44 passes defensed, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 19 interceptions (368 return yards) with 2 TD returns.  This was a good signing for the Lions as Vasher will give them quality depth in the secondary.

Starting QB Matthew Stafford will likely miss the next 4-8 weeks due to a separated right shoulder.  Stafford completed 11 of 15 passes (73.3%) for 83 yards with 0 TDs and 0 INTs (86.2 QB Rating) before he was injured against the Bears.  Shaun Hill will be the new starting QB until Stafford is ready to return to action.  He completed 9 of 19 passes (47.4%) for 88 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT (38.9 QB Rating) against the Bears.  He also carried the ball 3 times for -4 yards (-1/3 ypc) in the Bears’ game.  Hill has nowhere near the arm strength of Stafford but I think he’ll do a decent job.