The Lions have lost five games in a row but they play hard at home.  They almost beat the Packers in Lambeau Field earlier this year before falling 28-26, so they have to be confident heading into this game.  The Packers have won 5 of their last 6 games as they are only 1 game behind the Bears in the NFC North.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions would be smart to come out running the ball against the Packers who are allowing 111.3 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  Jahvid Best & Maurice Morris will likely get a heavier workload than usual this Sunday.  Drew Stanton will have to be careful in this football game as the Packers have 35 sacks and 16 interceptions so far this year.  The Packers have an outstanding set of corners so don’t be surprised if Stanton is throwing the ball a lot more than usual to TE Brandon Pettigrew.

When the Packers have the ball:  The Lions need to go all out in dealing with the Packers’ passing game.  Aaron Rodgers is on a roll right now and the Lions are giving up 222.6 yards passing per game.  The Lions need to get to Rodgers (they have 32 sacks) before he can throw the ball because he has a outstanding set of receivers.  Last week, rookie RB James Starks gave the Packers’ offense some balance so the front seven will have to be ready to deal with him too.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 30, LIONS 17

The Lions are in a world of hurt now.  They will likely be without their two top QBs (Matthew Stafford and Shaun Hill) as well as their top two RBs (Jahvid Best and Kevin Smith) this weekend against the Bears.  That will put a lot of pressure on Drew Stanton and Maurice Morris this Sunday.  The Bears have won four games in a row to take a lead in the NFC North.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  This is a bad matchup for the Lions.  Usually when a 3rd string QB is starting a team would likely turn to the running game.  But, Maurice Morris & Aaron Brown could have a rough time dealing with the Bears’ run D which is allowing only 80.5 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry.  With that in mind, maybe the Lions will throw caution to the wind allowing Drew Stanton to fill the air with footballs.  He will have to be careful though as the Bears have 16 interceptions already this year.  The Bears will likely double cover Calvin Johnson and dare Stanton to beat them with someone else.  With that in mind Brandon Pettigrew and Nate Burleson could get a lot of targets in this game.

When the Bears have the ball:  The Lions have a good pass rush so I expect the Bears to throw a lot of short passes this weekend.  RB Matt Forte caught 7 passes for 151 yards with 2 TD grabs against the Lions in the first meeting between these two teams this year.  The Lions  are giving up 128.6 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry so Forte will also get a lot of carries as well as targets in the passing game.  Johnny Knox could also have a big game if Jay Cutler has time to throw the ball.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 27, LIONS 6

This is the perfect opportunity for the Lions to rise up and shock the world.  The Lions are 2-2 at home this year where they have outscored their opponents 133-89.  The Patriots give up a lot of yards but they are 3-2 on the road so this isn’t going to be easy for the Lions.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  With Maurice Morris likely starting at RB, I see the Lions throwing a lot in the game today.  The Patriots are allowing 289.6 yards passing per game and the Lions have a lot of weapons to take advantage of that.  Shaun Hill will likely have time to throw the ball as the Patriots don’t have a great pass rush.  Look for Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson and Brandon Pettigrew to all have big games like they did last week against the Cowboys.

When the Patriots have the ball:  It’s always a risk to blitz and put pressure on Tom Brady, but I think it would be a good gameplan today.  Brady hasn’t practiced all week so today will be his first action of the week.  Still, though he is Tom Brady and he’s especially dangerous now because he doesn’t have a favorite receiver so there is no one to double as he loves spreading the foootball around.  The Patriots have also been running more than usual so the Lions have to be ready to deal with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 34, LIONS 31

Something has to give this weekend in Dallas.  The Lions are 0-5 on the road where they have been outscored 113-82.  The Cowboys are 0-4 at home where they have been outscored 137-99.  The Cowboys are coming off a victory in Jason Garrett’s first game as the head coach last weekend.  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 this Sunday.  If Shaun Hill has time to throw the ball he’s going to have a big game against a Cowboys’ D that is allowing 232.0 yards passing per game and opposing QBs have a 105.0 Rating against the so far this year!  Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew and Nate Burleson are all in line to have big games this weekend.  The Lions don’t run the ball much anymore with Jahvid Best banged up.

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys ran the ball more than usual last weekend and I think that will continue this weekend.  The Lions are allowing 130.4 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry so Felix Jones & Marion Barber should have success if the Cowboys let them tote the rock.  The Lions have 25 sacks already this year and Jon Kitna has been known to make mistakes when pressured so maybe the secondary will be able to make some big plays in this game.  If Kitna has time to throw the ball though, the Lions will be in some trouble as he has Miles Austin, Roy Williams, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten to throw to. 

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 27, LIONS 23

One of these teams is going to do something they have not done this year.  The Lions are 0-4 on the road where they have been outscored 115-70.  But, the Bills have played much better when away from Buffalo.  They are 0-3 at Buffalo having been outscored 89-50 there!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the football:  The Lions are kind of lucky as Shaun Hill is ready to return to action.  The offense has played well under him and he will be coming after a Bills’ D that is allowing 193.4 yards passing per game but opposing QBs have a 108.4 Rating against them.  Opposing QBs have 17 TD passes and 1 INT against the Bills so far this season so Shaun Hill should have little problem getting the ball to Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, Brandon Pettigrew, Jahvid Best and Tony Scheffler.  The Lions might even be able to get Jahvid Best and Kevin Smith going against a Bills’ D that is allowing 178.3 yards rushing and 4.8 yards per carry.

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills might try to get a running game going this week as the Lions are allowing 127.9 yards rushing and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year.  Fred Jackson & C.J. Spiller will likely find a lot of running room this weekend.  The Lions have 24 sacks already this year so Ryan Fitzpatrick will likely be rolling the pocket.  WRs Steve Johnson and Lee Evans could be in for big games this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 33, BILLS 30

The Lions have played very well at home this season.  They are 2-1 at home and they have outscored the competition by a combined score of 113-66!   The Jets got shut out at home by the Packers, 9-0 last week so they will likely be in a very foul mood.  The Jets also play very well on the road where they are 3-0 and they have outscored the opposition 93-57.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions will likely run the ball a little bit in this game just to keep the Jets honest.  The Jets are only allowing 88.7 yards rushing and 3.4 yards per carry so Jahvid Best & Kevin Smith will likely have to fight for every yard they get on the ground.  The Lions are averaging 250.6 yards passing per game so I look for Matt Stafford to be putting up the ball a lot of times in this game.  Stafford shows no fear on the football field so look for him to be throwing downfield to Calvin Johnson & Nate Burleson in this game.  The Jets only have 5 interceptions so far this year so the Lions will be aggressive against them like they always are at Ford Field.

When the Jets have the ball:  I have little doubt that the Jets are going to come out running the ball on Sunday.  The Lions are giving up 130.4 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry which means that LaDainian Tomlinson & Shonn Greene are going to get a lot of work.  The Lions have 23 sacks this year so if they can slow down the Jets running game they are going to likely get to Mark Sanchez and force him into making some mistakes.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 27, JETS 24

The Lions are well rested as they had two weeks to get ready for the Redskins due to the bye last weekend.  Matthew Stafford is back and he will be starting this weekend against the Skins.  The Lions are 1-1 at home this year as they have outscored their opponents 75-41!  The Redskins have been good on the road as they are 2-1 despite being outscored 56-50.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  As long as Matthew Stafford has time to throw the ball that’s going to be what the Lions are going to do Sunday against a Redskins’ D that is giving up 292.1 yards passing per game.  I look for Stafford to stretch the field by getting the ball to Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson deep.  After he softens the Redskins deep he will likely try to chop them up on short stuff to TEs Brandon Pettigrew, Tony Scheffler and RB Jahvid Best out of the backfield.  I don’t see the Lions trying to run much this Sunday.

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Redskins are going to try to run a balanced offense on Sunday.  RB Ryan Torain will take aim at a Lions’ D that is allowing 138.8 yards rushing and 4.9 yards per carry.  The Redskins like to throw the ball but Donovan McNabb looks for Santana Moss and Chris Cooley (54.2% of his completions go to them) most of the time so the Lions know who they have to stop.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 30, REDSKINS 27

The Lions won their first game of the year last week, pounding the Rams 44-6 but they are 0-3 on the road so this will be a big test for them.  The Giants have won two games in a row now outscoring the competition by a combined score of 51-13!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  This could be a tough game for the Lions offensively.  The Giants already have 19 sacks and 6 interceptions this year.  That means that Shaun Hill will need to get rid of the ball really quick without throwing into coverage.  That is easier said than done against the Giants’ D.  Hill will likely use his TEs and RBs a lot in the passing game this weekend especially with top wideout Calvin Johnson a little gimpy with a shoulder problem.  The Lions will also likely try to run the ball a little more than usual in this game with Jahvid Best getting most of the action.

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants are a really balanced offense and the Lions’ D is equally bad against both the run (133.2 yards rushing per game, 4.8 ypc) and the pass (235.4 yards passing per game).  That is a recipe for disaster for the Lions.  Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs will try to batter the front seven of the Lions.  The Lions do have 14 sacks this year so Manning will have to get rid of the ball quick to have success but he also has a outstanding set of WRs in Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 31, LIONS 17

The Rams are on a two game winning streak while the Lions are 0-4 on the season.  The Lions have only been outscored by 24 points this year and only one of the losses was by more than five points.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  Jahvid Best still appears a tad gimpy with his turf toe so look for Shaun Hill and the Lions to air it out.  The Rams have 9 sacks and 4 interceptions this year so Hill will have to be careful with the ball.  Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler will likely handle the short stuff with Nate Burleson and Calvin Johnson working the field deeper.  The Rams are giving up 230.8 yards passing per game so Hill should be able to have some success on Sunday.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to try to be balanced this weekend.  Steven Jackson will likely have a heavy workload both running and receiving against a Lions’ D that is giving up 134.5 yards rushing and 4.8 yards per carry so far this year.  The Lions have 13 sacks and 5 interceptions already this season so maybe they can pressure Sam Bradford into making some mistakes.  Mark Clayton, Danny Amendola and Brandon Gibson are all solid receivers so the Lions’ secondary better be ready for action.

PREDICTION:  RAMS 30, LIONS 27

The Lions got absolutely punished by the Packers last season as they were swept and outscored 60-12!  The Lions could only muster 421 total yards of offense in the two games against the Packers last season and they will have to do better than that to have any chance of winning this game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions would be smart to run the ball this weekend.  The Packers are giving up 116.7 yards rushing and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year.  Jahvid Best is dealing with a case of turf toe but he vows to play on Sunday.  Look for the Lions to watch his workload with Maurice Morris and maybe Kevin Smith getting in on the action.  The Packers already have 13 sacks and 3 interceptions so far this year so the Lions don’t want to have to throw every down like it seems they have done recently.  If the Lions do throw the ball a lot this Sunday they need to keep the passes of the shorter variety to give Shaun Hill a chance at having some success.

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers will likely be tempted to run the ball more than usual because the Lions give up 148.7 yards rushing and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year.  Make no mistake however, the Packers are going to air it out this Sunday.  Aaron Rodgers will likely spread the ball around, probably throwing a lot of shorter passes like he did last week against the Bears because the Lions have 11 sacks so far this year.  If the Lions sneak up to stop the shorter passes look for Rodgers to look deep to Greg Jennings.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 38, LIONS 10