National Football League

Three storylines to follow in Lions-Bills

Published Oct. 3, 2014 11:10 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

The Detroit Lions, with a one-game lead in the NFC North, will try to win their third straight game Sunday for the first time since late in the 2011 playoff season.

They'll have to take down the Buffalo Bills and Jim Schwartz, the Lions' former coach who is now the Bills' defensive coordinator.

Here are three storylines to follow plus a prediction:

--- Despite their 3-1 start -- and coming off back-to-back victories over Green Bay at home and the New York Jets on the road -- the Lions do have some concerns to address if they're going to sustain this run into October.

The focus for offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi is on getting more production out of the run game on early downs, along with reducing the number of hits on quarterback Matthew Stafford.

The Lions have run the ball well late in games, but it's been a struggle early on. They've constantly been behind the chains while averaging only 2.9 yards per rush on first-and-10, which ranks 22nd in the NFL in that category.

"Our success on early downs has been my biggest concern," Lombardi said. "We're doing very well on third down (52.4-percent conversion, fourth in the league) but we have way too many of them. We've got to do a better job of skipping third downs."

Stafford, meanwhile, has taken 23 quarterback hits and gotten sacked eight times over the last three weeks.

The Lions are giving up an average of 2.8 sacks per game, tied for the third-most, compared to 1.4 a game last year, which was the second-fewest.

"Anytime the quarterback gets hit, it's concerning," Lombardi said. "It's something that we are paying attention to. We all have to get better at it. Sometimes there's been a breakdown in protection. One last week was lack of preparation on my part. The pressure that we saw for the protection we had wasn't covered so I'll take that as the coach.

"The quarterback can have a better clock in his head (and release the ball quicker) and sometimes we just need to block longer. So everyone's responsible."

--- With Schwartz back at Ford Field, the Lions would like to show that they're indeed a more disciplined team than they've been in recent years when they were known for self-destructing.

"We've had some mistakes, but we're definitely limiting those things," receiver Calvin Johnson said. "I know we're very conscious of it. We're doing better and better every week, trying to limit those penalties. Our penalties are going down. It's just being smart and playing in-between the whistles.

"I think it's as simple as addressing it, going back to our history, looking at the stats, where have we received penalties at, whether it be pre-snap, we've had some personal fouls, stuff like that. Like coach (Jim Caldwell) says, just be smart about everything.

"From the very beginning, it's just the discipline that Caldwell came here with. He let us know that, basically, the last couple years, this is how we beat ourselves."

The Lions certainly need to prove it over the long haul, but so far, so good.

They committed an average of 6.9 penalties (tied for eighth most) for 57.8 yards (ninth most) a year ago in Schwartz's final season.

In four games under Caldwell, they're averaging six penalties a game (11th fewest) for 47.8 yards (10th fewest).

It's a small sample size, but a step in the right direction nonetheless.

Even defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has settled down, so far getting called for only two penalties, one of which was declined, while costing the Lions only five yards.

"We talk about it," Suh said. "We understand what we have to get done. It's something that we've emphasized, we work on. Not saying we didn't work on it in years past, but obviously we're executing (now). We're not having issues."

--- Rookie receiver Sammy Watkins, the fourth pick overall by the Bills, became a fan favorite around Detroit before the draft last spring.

There was constant speculation that the Lions might try to trade up to take Watkins.

"I think it was more driven outside of this building than inside," Caldwell said.

Watkins is tied for the third-most receptions among rookie receivers with 17 catches for 197 yards and two touchdowns in four games.

Brandin Cooks (New Orleans) has 23 receptions, Kelvin Benjamin (Carolina) 21 and both Mike Evans (Tampa Bay) and Allen Robinson (Jacksonville) also have 17.

"He had one of the best (pre-draft) workouts I've ever seen," Caldwell said of Watkins. "He's a natural."

The Bills (2-2), who rank 25th in scoring, are hoping a change in quarterbacks, from EJ Manuel to 10-year veteran Kyle Orton, will jump-start their offense.

To this point, Buffalo has been hanging in games because of Schwartz's defense, which is led by a fierce front four that includes two standout tackles, Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams, and a top edge rusher in Mario Williams.

Mario Williams (6-foot-6, 292 pounds) was the No. 1 pick overall by Houston in the 2006 NFL Draft, one spot ahead of running back Reggie Bush, now with the Lions.

"If you were to create a defensive end on Madden, he's the specific body type that you want to create," Bush said. "He's big, he's strong, he's fast, he's powerful."

Mario Williams and Dareus each has two sacks and four tackles for loss through the opening month. Kyle Williams, who is hampered by a knee injury, has one sack and three tackles for loss.

They will be a formidable challenge for that Lions' offensive line, which hasn't been keeping Stafford as clean as it did a year ago.

PICK

Lions -7

(Dye's season prediction record: 3-1)

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League