This is a matchup of two extremely hot teams.  The Lions and Cowboys both had nice comeback victories last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions like to pretend to be balanced on offense, but they are a passing team first and foremost.  This week though, Matthew Stafford is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly against a Cowboys’ D that already has 13 sacks on the season.  Look for TEs Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler to be used a lot on short passes to slow the Cowboys pass rush a little bit.  But, if Stafford gets time to throw the ball, he should be able to shred the Cowboys’ secondary (which isn’t up to full speed due to injuries).  Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson and rookie Titus Young are going to make their fare share of plays this weekend in Dallas.  Look for Stafford to use Jahvid Best more out of the backfield in the passing game than running the ball this Sunday.

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys are likely going to try to run the ball a little more than usual, as I can’t see them wanting to get into a firefight with the Lions.  The Lions have given up 113.0 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year, so expect Felix Jones to be more heavily involved in the offense this Sunday.  The Lions are going to want to hit Tony Romo early and often in this game, until he cries uncle.  If they can get him out of the game, Jon Kitna isn’t going to beat the Lions.  Dez Bryant and TE Jason Witten are the two guys the Lions are going to have to stop if they want to win this Sunday in Dallas.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 24, COWBOYS 20

The Lions have re-signed 29-year old CB Anthony Madison, who was one of their last cuts before the season started.  He played in all 16 games for the Steelers last year and he had 24 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception and 1 pass defensed.  Madison has now played in 66 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 78 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception and 1 pass defensed.  This was a good move for the Lions as Madison should really help them on special teams, while adding depth to the secondary.

UPDATE:  (11/8/2011) – The Lions have waived Anthony Madison.  Madison played in 5 games for the Lions this year and he had 3 tackles.

The Lions have placed 29-year old linebacker Isaiah Ekejiuba on the Injured Reserve list due to a severely injured shoulder.  Ekejiuba played in all 3 games for the Lions this year and he had 2 tackles.  Ekejiuba has now played in 12 games in his first two years with the Lions and he has 12 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.  The Lions might miss Ekejiuba a little bit on special teams, but that’s about it.

32-year old DE Kyle Vanden Bosch is off to an outstanding start for the Lions so far this year.  He has played in 3 games for the Lions so far this year and he has 9 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.  This is what the Lions signed Vanden Bosch for, so they are very happy with him.  Vanden Bosch played in 11 games in his first year with the Lions in 2010 and he had 49 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles and 1 pass defensed.  The Lions hope that Vanden Bosch can stay healthy the whole season, unlike last year.

The Lions were down 20-0 at the half, but they came out on fire in the second half and the overtime period to pull out an outstanding win on the road!  Matthew Stafford was excellent once again for the Lions in this game as he completed 32 of 46 passes for 378 yards with 2 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He showed amazing toughness in this game as he was sacked 5 times yesterday.  Jahvid Best only rushed for 14 yards on 12 carries (1.2 ypc) but he also caught 5 passes for 74 yards (14.8 avg).  TE Brandon Pettigrew (11 rec, 112 yards), WR Calvin Johnson (7 rec, 108 yards, 2 TD grabs) and WR Titus Young (4 rec, 51 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Lions.  The Lions rushed for only 20 yards on 19 carries (1.1 ypc) but they also completed 32 of 46 passes (69.6%) for 338 yards as they had possession of the ball for 34:09.

The defense played excellent in the second half and the O.T. in this game.  LB Stephen Tulloch (7 tackles), CB Eric Wright (7 tackles) and LB Justin Durant (6 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Lions’ D yesterday.  DT Ndamukong Suh, safety Amari Spievey, DE Cliff Avril and DE Kyle VandenBosch pitched in with 1 sack apiece in this game.  The Vikings finished up with 132 yards rushing on 23 carries (5.7 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 36 passes (61.1%) for 189 yards.  The Lions are now a perfect 3-0 on the 2011 season.

The Lions and Vikings split last year’s meeting with each team winning on their home field.  Both of these teams get off to good starts in games, but while the Lions have been finishing them off, the Vikings have faded in the 3rd and 4th quarters.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are going to come out throwing the ball in an attempt to jump to an early lead and take the Vikings out of their offensive game plan.  Matt Stafford has not been sacked so far this year, but the Vikings will try to change that as they have four of them.  If the Lions can keep Vikings’ DE Jared Allen out of the backfield, Matt Stafford is likely going to have a big game.  The Vikings are giving up 280 yards passing per game as their secondary has been picked on quite often already this year.  WRs Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson and rookie Titus Young have all been playing well this year and they could clean up against the Vikings this Sunday.  TEs Tony Scheffler and Brandon Pettigrew are going to make it hard for the Lions to double Calvin Johnson, as Stafford likes throwing to them too.  Jahvid Best already has 237 yards (118.5 avg. per game) in rushing and receiving yards which should help keep the Vikings’ D honest this weekend.

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Lions are going to have to sack up to stop Adrian Peterson.  The Lions don’t think that Donovan McNabb has much of a chance beating them through the air, so the front seven must be able to handle Peterson who already has 218 yards rushing this year.  Donovan McNabb only has 267 yards passing and 1 TD pass so far this year, so the Lions’ secondary should be able to handle dealing with him.  The Lions will also likely blitz a lot to force the issue.  They just need to worry about WR Percy Harvin as he is a gamebreaker.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 27, VIKINGS 17

23-year old QB Matthew Stafford is off to an outstanding start for the Lions in 2011.  He has played in the first 2 games for the Lions this year and he has completed 47 of 72 passes (65.3%) for 599 yards with 7 TD passes and 2 INTs (112.0 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 2 times for 1 yard (0.5 ypc) for the Lions so far this year.  Stafford has the potential to be one of the very best QBs in the NFL and he’s showing that so far this year.  The Lions just need him to stay healthy as his first two seasons in the NFL were cut short by shoulder injuries.

The Detroit Lions kicked the Chiefs’ ass all over and up and down the field yesterday at Ford Field!  Matt Stafford was very impressive as he completed 23 of 39 passes for 294 yards with 4 TD passes and 1 INT.  Shaun Hill mopped up in the 4th quarter and he completed his only pass attempt and it was good for 28 yards.  Jahvid Best was really busy once again in this game as he carried the ball 16 times for 57 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 6 passes for 66 yards (11.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Keiland Williams got in during garbage time and he carried the ball 9 times for 25 yards (2.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Stafford spread the ball around to a lot of receivers yesterday as he wasn’t playing favorites.  WRs Nate Burleson (7 rec, 93 yards), Titus Young (5 rec, 89 yards) and Calvin Johnson (3 rec, 29 yards, 2 TDs) led the way for the Lions in the passing game.  TE Tony Scheffler pitched in with 1 catch and it went for a 36 yard TD.  The Lions rushed for 89 yards on 30 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 40 passes (60%) for 322 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:34.

The defense played outstanding football yesterday despite giving up a lot of rushing yards.  LB Justin Durant (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), LB DeAndre Levy (7 tackles) and CB Eric Wright (4 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Lions’ D in this game.  CB Chris Houston (INT), safety Amari Spievey (INT), LB Stephen Tulloch (FR) and DE Cliff Avril (FR) also had huge plays in this game for the D.  The Chiefs finished up with 151 yards rushing on 29 carries (5.2 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 23 passes (65.2%) for 116 yards in this game.  The Lions are now 2-0 on the season.

The Lions are going to be really amped up for the home opener against a Chiefs’ team that can’t be feeling to good about themselves after getting dominated 41-7 at home by the Bills last weekend.  The Lions are going to try to jump the Chiefs really quick in this game and break down their will to win.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  I see the Lions coming out in a double tight formation (2 WR, 2 TEs and 1 RB) this Sunday and to come out chucking the ball down the field.  The Chiefs are vulnerable at safety due to Eric Berry suffering a season ending injury in the season opener.  The Chiefs gave up 4 TD passes last week against a Bills’ team that has nowhere near as much talent at WR and TE as the Lions have!  Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson are going to give the Chiefs’ corners fits all day long.  TEs Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler are going to go after the Chiefs’ safeties over the middle of the field.  Matt Stafford is going to have a HUGE game this Sunday as long as he has time to throw the ball.  He wasn’t sacked at all last weekend.  Jahvid Best is really fast, especially on the turf and he’s going to challenge the LBs of the Chiefs, early and often.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs can’t fire on all cylinders offensively without running the ball.  That means that the Lions’ D should be keying on Jamaal Charles, Dexter McCluster and Thomas Jones whenever they are on the field.  DT Ndamukong Suh is going to wreak all kinds of havoc up front for the Lions in this game.  LBs Stephen Tulloch, DeAndre Levy and Justin Durant should be kept clean to make plays from sideline to sideline due to the D-Line tying up all the blockers on the O-Line.  WRs Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston are still dangerous, but the Lions should be able to give the corners help over the top seeing how the Chiefs don’t really have much of a threat at TE.  Chiefs’ QB Matt Cassel is playing with a cracked rib, so don’t be surprised to see the Lions’ defensive players take some shots at him.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 27, CHIEFS 16

The Detroit Lions need 22-year old RB Jahvid Best to step up this year and provide the offense with some semblance of balance.  Best played most of last season with turf toe which could be the reason for the so-so stats he put up as a rookie last year.  He played in all 16 games for the Lions last year and he carried the ball 171 times for 555 yards (3.2 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  Best also caught 58 passes for 487 yards (8.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs last year.  This year though, he comes into the season healthy and the Lions need him to stay that way.  In the season opener against the Bucs, Best carried the ball 21 times for 72 yards (3.4 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 42 yards (10.5 avg).  That is a good start to the 2011 season for Best and they need him to keep up the good work.