The Detroit Lions snatched a victory from the Jaws of Defeat yesterday in Oakland.  Matt Stafford led the Lions to 14 unanswered points in the last 7:47 of this game!  Ndamukong Suh blocked a 65-yard field goal attempt by Sebastian Janikowski to preserve this win on the last play of the game.  Matt Stafford completed 29 of 52 passes for 391 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Kevin Smith led the Lions in the running game today with 43 yards rushing on 15 carries (2.9 ypc).  WR Calvin Johnson led the way in the passing game for the Lions with 9 receptions for 214 yards (23.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  WR Nate Burleson (7 rec, 81 yards, TD), TE Brandon Pettigrew (5 rec, 49 yards) and WR Titus Young (5 rec, 21 yards, TD) also pitched in yesterday in the passing game for the Lions.  The Lions finished up with 57 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 52 passes (55.8%) for 375 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:27.

The defense was pretty awful for the Lions today.  LBs Stephen Tulloch (10 tackles) and DeAndre Levy (9 tackles) led the way for the Lions on D in this game.  DE Cliff Avril (4 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 QB hits) and CB Alphonso Smith (3 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) also pitched in for the Lions in this game.  The Raiders finished up with 132 yards rushing on 22 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 32 of 40 passes (80%) for 345 yards.  The Lions are now 9-5 on the season and they are very much alive in the hunt for a wildcard spot in the playoffs.

The Lions got back on the right track last weekend with a tough 34-28 win over the Vikings.  The Lions really need this game if the are going to make the playoffs this year.  The problem the Lions have is that the Raiders need this game too for all of the same reasons that the Lions do.  The Raiders have lost their last two games by a combined score of 80-32!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are going to get Kevin Smith back for this game as they should have more balance on offense.  The Raiders are giving up 141.0 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry so far this year, so Smith is in line for a nice game.  The Lions are going to have to give Matt Stafford time to throw the ball as the Raiders are a heavy blitzing team.  If he has time to throw the ball, he should have success getting it down the field to Calvin Johnson.  Brandon Pettigrew, Tony Scheffler, Titus Young and Nate Burleson give Stafford even more weapons to throw to and that will give the Raiders’ secondary fits in this game.

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are likely going to feed the ball to Michael Bush early in this game against a Lions’ D that is allowing 136.1 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry.  The Lions will have to slow Bush down and then get after Carson Palmer.  Palmer has a bunch of really fast WRs who love to run deep patterns, but Palmer is also prone to throwing pickoffs.  The Lions already have 18 interceptions so far this year, so they are likely to add to that total as Palmer sometimes gets sloppy with the ball.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 31, RAIDERS 23

It appears as if 23-year old QB Matt Stafford’s broken right index finger is feeling better as he is throwing the ball well once again.  He has turned into a nice little secret for Detroit as no one seems to be talking about how well he is playing in the national news.  They are focusing on heaping praise on Cam Newton and Tim Tebow, two QBs that Stafford is way better than right now.  Stafford has played in 13 games for the Lions so far this year and he has completed 327 of 516 passes (63.4%) for 3,754 yards with 29 TD passes and 14 INTs (92.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 19 times for 68 yards (3.6 ypc) so far this year.  Stafford has now played in 26 games in his first three years with the Lions and he has completed 585 of 989 passes (59.2%) for 6,556 yards with 48 TD passes and 35 INTs (80.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 43 times for 187 yards (4.3 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career so far.  I expect Stafford to keep improving as long as he can stay healthy.

The Lions rushed out to a 31-14 lead at the half before holding on for dear life at the end of this game.  Matt Stafford was efficient as he completed 20 of 29 passes for 227 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Keiland Williams led the way on the ground for the Lions yesterday with 43 yards rushing on 12 carries (3.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg).  WRs Titus Young (4 rec, 87 yards, TD) and TE Brandon Pettigrew (6 rec, 57 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Lions.  The Lions finished up with 72 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 29 passes (69%) for 208 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:14.

The defense gave up a lot of yards, but they also put points on the scoreboard for the Lions yesterday.  LB Stephen Tulloch (9 tackles, 1 QB hit and a fumble recovery in the end zone for a TD) and DE Cliff Avril (8 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 3 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Lions on D in this game.  LB Bobby Carpenter (7 tackles), CB Alphonso Smith (5 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 2 interceptions including one that he returned 30 yards for a TD), CB Eric Wright (4 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 interception) and DT Sammie Hill (fumble recovery) also made some big plays for the Lions in this game.  The Vikings rushed for 269 yards on 35 carries (7.7 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 44 passes (52.3%) for 156 yards.  The Lions are now 8-5 on the season.

The Lions have waived 26-year old CB Brandon McDonald.  McDonald played in 11 games for the Lions this year and he had 17 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  He played in 17 games in his two years with the Lions and he had 36 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed.  This says a lot about what the Lions think about McDonald as they have had a lot of injuries in the secondary lately.

UPDATE:  (12/22/2011) – The Lions have re-signed Brandon McDonald.

The Lions have signed 29-year old DT Jovan Haye.  Haye played in 14 games for the Titans last year and he had 31 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  He has played in 69 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 181 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 4 fumble recoveries and 4 passes defensed.  The Lions need some help on the D-Line, so this was a good pickup for them.

UPDATE:  (12/13/2011) – The Lions have released Jovan Haye.  He played against the Vikings last week and he had 2 tackles.

The Lions will be without 27-year old cornerback Chris Houston and 24-year old safety Louis Delmas for a while as they both have MCL tears.  They are hopeful that both of them will be able to return later this year.  Houston has played in 11 games for the Lions so far this year and he has 46 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 10 passes defensed and 4 interceptions (2 of which he has returned for TDs).  Louis Delmas has played in 11 games for the Lions so far this year and he has 51 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 5 passes defensed.  The Lions are going to miss both of these guys, but especially Houston, who is one of the best corners in the NFL.

The Lions have lost 3 of their last four games and 2 in a row, so they need to right the ship if they want to make the playoffs this year.  The Lions beat the Vikings earlier this year 26-23 in O.T. in Minnesota.  The Vikings have lost 4 games in a row in which they have given up a combined 131 points.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  This is a perfect matchup for the Lions’ offense.  If the Lions can keep DE Jared Allen away from QB Matt Stafford, he’s going to have a huge game.  Calvin Johnson is going to have a monster game this weekend against the depleted secondary of the Vikings.  But, look for Stafford to spread the ball around to other guys to keep everyone involved and happy.  Maurice Morris will likely have a tough time though as the Vikings are very stingy against the run on D.  The Vikings are only giving up 3.8 yards per carry, so Morris will have to fight for every yard he gets.

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Vikings are likely going to come out running the ball as Adrian Peterson is likely to be back.  Toby Gerhart and Percy Harvin are also likely to get in on the action running the ball this weekend as the Lions are giving up 125.0 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  The Lions will try to get a lot of pressure on rookie QB Christian Ponder as he is prone to making big mistakes.  That being said, WRs Percy Harvin and Devin Aromashodu are game breaking type deep threats, so the CBs and safeties of the Lions are going to be challenged deep.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 34, VIKINGS 17

25-year old DE Cliff Avril is really turning in a good season for the Detroit Lions.  He has played in 12 games for the Lions so far this year and he has 24 tackles, 7 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 3 passes defensed.  Avril has now played in 53 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has 121 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 26 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries and 11 passes defensed.  Cliff Avril is one of the building blocks for the Lions on D, and they still need to add to it in 2012.

The Lions looked solid offensively last night, but they just couldn’t keep up with the Saints in the end.  Matt Stafford looked pretty darn good last night as he completed 31 of 44 passes for 408 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Kevin Smith rushed for 34 yards on 6 carries (5.7 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 6 passes for 46 yards (7.7 avg) in this game.  Maurice Morris pitched in with 12 carries for 28 yards (2.3 ypc) and 5 catches for 47 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WRs Nate Burleson (5 rec, 93 yards), Calvin Johnson (6 rec, 69 yards) and Titus Young (2 rec, 60 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Lions in this game.  The Lions finished up with 87 yards rushing on 22 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 44 passes (70.5%) for 379 yards in this game as they had possession of the ball for 35:06.

The defense was pretty awful for the Lions in this game.  Safety Amari Spievey (10 tackles) and LB Stephen Tulloch (9 tackles) led the way for the Lions on D in this game.  Safety Chris Harris (6 tackles) and CB Aaron Berry (6 tackles) also pitched in for the Lions in this game.  The Saints finished up with 100 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 36 passes (72.2%) for 338 yards in this game.  The Lions are now 7-5 on the season.