Detroit Lions get second win of season

Kyle Vanden Bosch lays the smack down on Donovan McNabb

The Detroit Lions came into the game with only one win, but were favored by one point in Vegas. Quarterback Matt Stafford came back healthy, but not 100%, but close. Linebacker DeAndre Levy also came back from injury, and provided a huge impact to a linebacker crew that needed a lot of help. The newly-aquired front four of the D-Line showed their impact, as KVB had two sacks, Cliff Avril having a sack, and Defensive Rookie of the Year canidate Suh having two sacks and a fumble recovery for a TD. It was an exciting contest through all facets of the game: offensivly, defensivly, and special teams.

My Grades for the Lions second win of the year are as follows:

Offensive: B+
I give them a B+ only because they couldn't run the ball very well. Kevin Smith did a wonderful job coming in with a reserve role and making an impact. Matt Stafford started off a little rusty, but showed why the Lions drafted him number one just a year ago, finishing with four Tds and only one pick. Jahvid Best needs to pick up his running game to give this offense more dimensions.

Defense: A-
They put a ton of pressure on McNabb all game, and most of the time they were bringing just the front four. They were also forced into bad situations because of big plays on special teams. This is a defense now looking to be a starting team for fantasy options.

Special Teams: D
There were way to many big plays that were returned on them. The Redskins started with good field position throughout the day, with kickoffs and also punt returns. They were saved on a return that was taken back because of a block in the back penalty.

Coaching: B
I really like the trust that Jim Schwartz had in his offense to go for it near the end of the game, a play on which they ended up scoring. I knocked them down some grades because of the bad special teams, and keeping people in their lanes, maybe they should not have kicked to the 'Skins.

Overall I really like this team in the second half. They now have more wins than the hopeful Super Bowl-contender Cowboys. Suh is so-far, so-good when he said the Lions were not going to lose any more games at home this year.