Lions preview and Prediction for week 2 at Arizona

When you look at the schedule as a whole, and you are trying to make a case for the Lions to go to the playoffs, this game in Arizona becomes a must win.  The Lions cant qualify for the playoffs by winning on Sunday but a loss could eventually keep them out.  Its very early in the season but just like last week against the Vikings, I believe the Lions are overall the better team, but playing on the road will make it tough, especially in a place you haven't won in 20 years.  That includes last year, when the lions travelled to the desert lost 38-10, and walked away with their worst played game since a 2009 beat down by the Ravens, that was a 2-14 Lions team who started Donte Culpepper.  So needless to say there are some demons that need to be exercised this week.  As for Ndamukong Suh, did he go low, yes.  Should he have put his shoulder into Sullivan's shoulder instead, yes.  But all this talk about how it was from behind is just absurd, and I think Jeff Saturday sounded like a cry baby on ESPN talking about the Lions being bullies, and then having the nerve to go on and pick the Lions to win the game.  We fortunately have Suh available for this week, so let's move on and take a look at five major keys to the game:

Peterson vs. Johnson:  There's been a lot made of Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson taking some snaps on offense this week, and while that doesn't really concern Calvin Johnson, it goes to show how dynamic of a player Peterson truly is.  Arizona gave up the 5th fewest passing yards per game last year and held quarterbacks' to an NFL low passer rating of just 71.2.  Last year, Matthew Stafford had a passer rating of 37.6, while throwing three interceptions and completing less then half of his throws.  One of the main reasons Arizona's pass defense is so stout is because of Patrick Peterson.  If he is able to single cover Calvin Johnson, the rest of the Lions receivers, tight ends and running backs will feel the squeeze.  If Calvin can shake loose from Peterson for a big play, or consistently get open on intermediate routes, the Cardinals will have to alter their game plan to shift coverage his way.

Reggie Bush effect:  On the other hand, Arizona's run defense was 5th worst in the league a season ago and now the Lions seem to have players on the offensive line and at the running back position who can take advantage of that.  While bush's 77 yard touchdown catch was the type of big play the Lions were missing a season ago, I'd argue the 91 yards he racked up on the ground were equally important in the lions maintaining a semblance of balance in their offense.  With his break out performance last week it will be interesting to see how teams game plan to stop the Lions going forward, starting with the Cardinals this Sunday.  You cant double team everyone.

Arizona's O-line vs. Detroit's D-line:  The Cardinals last week gave up four sacks, five additional QB hits, and Carson Palmer fumbled the ball twice and threw an interception.  While most of the pressure last week came from the edges, Detroit relies on its push up the middle to collapse the pocket allowing the outside rush to cave in on the quarterback.  Last week against Minnesota, the Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder was able to roll out and escape pressure at times because he is a solid athlete.  This week the results should be different as Carson Palmer is basically a statue.  However, if you don't get to Palmer he will absolutely pick you apart so it will be imperative that the Lions make it uncomfortable for the Arizona QB on a regular basis.

Fitzgerlad vs. Detroit's secondary:  Darius Slay had a mixed bag of results last week during his first NFL start, before being benched late in favor of veteran Rashean Mathis.  Slay deflected a pass to DeAndre Levy for an interception, but was beat deep once and called for one pass interference penalty.  The same criticism could be placed on Chris Houston, but this was against Jerome Simpson and Greg Jennings, two smaller, quicker wide receivers.  The test this week will come from big physical receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd.  The Lions should be able to slow down Arizona's running game so the secondary will be tested early and often in the desert.   

Kicking game:  Neither kicking unit had a perfect week last week.  Detroit rookie punter Sam Martin dropped a hold of the Lions first field goal attempt of the season, while Jay Feeley missed a 53 yard attempt and the Cardinals lost by three.  Which unit rebounds and executes this week will most likely go a long way to determining the winner. 


Other notes:

• As far as injuries are concerned, Larry Fitzgerald is listed as questionable by Arizona but expect him to start.  The Lions ruled  Jason Fox out so Hilliard will start in place of Fox at right tackle.  Louis Delmas and Nick Fairely as questionable.  I expect Delmas to start and Fairley returned to practice Friday and appears to be on course to start as well.

• Calvin Johnson and Adrian Peterson got off to slow starts last week, Johnson caught just four balls for 37 yards while Peterson had 93 yards on 18 carries.

• Teams that start the season 0-2 make it to the playoffs only about 12% of the time, whereas teams that have started 2-0 have made it 66% of the time.  That's what's facing the Cardinals and Lions this week.

Prediction: 
The Lions Defense should be able to control the running game and apply pressure on Carson Palmer but it will be on the offense to take care of the ball, open up running lanes and make enough big plays to squeak by the Cardinals.  A late FG by David Akers wins it for Detroit 23-20.