1. The D-line is strong » Rookie tackle Ndamukong Suh, the second pick in the draft, has been as good as advertised. He’s a powerful player who will give any line problems. He already has 4.5 sacks. End Kyle Vanden Bosch, a three-time Pro Bowl player in Tennessee, is disruptive. He excelled with the Titans when he was paired with Albert Haynesworth, and he now plays alongside another dominant player. The other tackle, Corey Williams, is solid.
2. The offense has weapons » Wide receiver Calvin Johnson has the size and speed to scare any team, but know this: Of the 48 passes thrown his way, only 29 have been caught. And in his first three years, he has one 1,000-yard season. He caught just five passes for 49 yards vs. Washington last season. Still, he’s averaging 15.1 yards a catch and has five touchdowns. Running back Jahvid Best is an outside threat, but he has been slowed by a turf toe injury that is said to have finally healed. Tight end Brandon Pettigrew has 33 receptions. He’s an excellent blocker with good hands.
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3. They’re playing close games » Detroit is 1-5 and clearly has not figured out how to win games. But the Lions have figured out how to stay in them. Eventually they’ll break through. They’ve lost by a touchdown or less to Chicago (five points), Philadelphia (three), Green Bay (two) and the New York Giants (eight). They’ve outscored the opposition by six points this season, largely because they beat St. Louis by 38.
4. Matthew Stafford has a lot to prove » In his first two seasons, Stafford has missed 11 games because of injuries. Now he’ll play his first game since the season opener when he hurt his right shoulder. Stafford, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft, has a strong arm and the intangibles to be a good quarterback. But the knock on him coming out of college was his accuracy. Last season, he completed just 53.3 percent of his passes and in the win over Washington missed a lot of open receivers.
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