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Set your alarm clocks Saturday night. The NFL wanted to give the Brits a real Sunday football experience, so the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons will be kicking off at 9:30 a.m. ET.
That's not too bad for the fanbases located in Michigan and Georgia. However, for those interested parties who live farther west (like this writer), the 6:30 a.m. start time is brutal.
But that ultimately doesn't matter. The real concern is how will the thousands of miles and multiple time-zone difference affect the participants?
Neither team has much margin for error. Detroit shares the NFC North lead with the streaking Green Bay Packers, and Atlanta's playoff hopes are on life support thanks to a 2-5 start.
And we haven't broached the injury issues plaguing both franchises.
So which team will muster the necessary focus to prevail across the pond? Click through to find out.
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Paul Sancya/Associated Press
Lions fans will never tire of seeing the picture of Corey Fuller grazing the sky as he pulls down the winning score. It was the cap on a crazy four minutes that saw Detroit's offense score 14 points when more than three and a half quarters to put up 10.
The 24-23 win over the New Orleans Saints is initially sweet, but digging into the entire game will leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
Detroit failed to find any semblance of a rushing game (2.5 yards per carry) against the Saints, a team that gives up over 100 yards per game on the ground.
Additionally, quarterback Matthew Stafford was staring down the barrel of a two-interception, zero-touchdown game until the wild comeback commenced with a Golden Tate 73-yard catch-and-run for a score. The offense was declawed without Calvin Johnson and two of the top three tight ends.
The defense did a good job keeping New Orleans out of the end zone but gave up too many yards through the air. Included in Drew Brees' 342 yards is a 46-yard scoring strike to Kenny Stills when the young wideout badly burned Detroit corner Darius Slay.
Detroit faces a similar quarterback this week in Atlanta's Matt Ryan, but the defensive line should find little resistance on its way to the Falcon's quarterback. However, if the offense doesn't find a way to churn out a few first downs, it won't matter.
Marc Serota/Associated Press
Standing Pat
Greg Garber of ESPN.com floated the idea of the Lions trading Ndamukong Suh to the Cincinnati Bengals for first-round rookie cornerback Darqueze Dennard and a second-round pick.
DetroitLions.com writer Tim Twentyman tweeted GM Martin Mayhew's position on the rumors of a Suh trade (h/t SI Wire on SI.com):
Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said at a press conference Thursday that he has no intention of trading defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
Mayhew also said he didn't expect to be active in general at the trade deadline, which is Oct. 28.
Mayhew isn't gun shy. He's pulled the trigger once before on a deal that sent away a Pro Bowl player (Roy Williams). So it's more likely that he didn't hear any offers that gave back requisite value.
You don't trade one of the top defenders in the league for a fourth-string cornerback and a second-rounder. Especially if you think you can re-sign the foundation of the league's best statistical defense to a long-term extension.
Put a Call in to Kellen
The Lions' level of comfort with the overall roster is confidence boosting, but injuries have depleted the tight end corps so thoroughly that Mayhew had no choice but to bolster the ranks.
As Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports, Kellen Davis had better recover from his hectic week of travel quickly.
When he wakes up refreshed, the Lions will need him. He is one of two fully healthy tight ends on the roster with Jordan Thompson as Pettigrew, Fauria and Ebron are all still dealing with some sort of injuries.
Davis has played in 95 games and caught 50 passes for 561 yards and 12 touchdowns since being drafted in 2008. He ended up a free agent when the Giants cut him in the preseason, but it ended up with him back in his home state as a potentially stabilizing player at the position.
We'll dig into this more on the injury slide. The thought of Kellen Davis might not be enticing, but it's better than relying solely on a practice-squad rookie.
Sleepless in Sussex
The Lions haven't played in Europe yet this year so they're entering uncharted territory.
As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press explains, head coach Jim Caldwell didn't just wing it. He found experts in the field of jet lag to limit the effect of transatlantic travel.
To help with the biggest adjustment—the time change—the Lions consulted with military officials and a sleep specialist in recent weeks about how best to keep their bodies in rhythm after the long trip.
The specialist made a presentation to players Monday before they left for London, and the information was downloaded onto each player's iPad for quick reference.
"We got here early enough to be able to adjust a little," Lions cornerback Rashean Mathis said. "I'm a morning person anyway, so I believe the body functions better in the morning than it does late afternoon. We're looking forward to it."
Birkett also mentioned that the coaches started their prep for the Falcons a couple weeks ago. That's a heads-up move by the veteran Caldwell. He removed any excuses for a lack of execution.
And spare me the geography lesson. It's called poetic license.
Rick Osentoski/Associated Press
Position |
Player |
Injury |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Status |
RB |
Reggie Bush |
ankle |
LP |
NP |
NP |
doubtful |
TE |
Eric Ebron |
hamstring |
NP |
NP |
NP |
out |
TE |
Joseph Fauria |
ankle |
NP |
NP |
NP |
out |
TE |
Brandon Pettigrew |
foot |
NP |
NP |
NP |
doubtful |
OT |
LaAdrian Waddle |
concussion |
NP |
NP |
FP |
questionable |
DE |
Ezekiel Ansah |
toe |
NP |
LP |
LP |
probable |
WR |
Calvin Johnson |
ankle |
LP |
LP |
LP |
questionable |
RB |
Theo Riddick |
hamstring |
LP |
FP |
FP |
probable |
*All injury reports are sourced from DetroitLions.com. **All statuses are projections until the official statuses are released.
That's an awful lot of tight ends, but they're not the main concern.
The offensive line has struggled all year to create rushing lanes. The Lions were hoping to get the ground game working against a soft Atlanta defense.
That may be a lost cause on the right side if Waddle can't play. Backups Cornelius Lucas and Garrett Reynolds were more like cops directing traffic than capable blockers during their time at right tackle.
Compounding that problem is the prospect of playing without a single opening-day tight end. Pettigrew seems the most likely candidate to play since he did gut it out last week, and there have been reports that the youngsters are getting healthier.
Still, Detroit must prepare for the possibility that Kellen Davis and Jordan Thompson will be charged with helping out an inadequate duo at right tackle. That's a scary proposition, but Atlanta doesn't create much of a pass rush (seven sacks).
There is hope that Megatron will make his return. However, the Lions will probably be cautious with him and Reggie Bush. The Lions need both for the stretch run, and Golden Tate and Theo Riddick will help offset their absences.
X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press
Detroit LT Riley Reiff vs. Atlanta OLB Jonathan Massaquoi
The Falcons defense doesn't do much in the way of defending, considering they give up the third most yards per game. A lot of that stems from a lack of pressure on the quarterback. The team has seven sacks—or as many as former Lion Willie Young.
Massaquoi has put up one sack, five quarterback hits and five hurries the last two weeks and looks like he's heating up. Reiff has been Detroit's steadiest offensive lineman—he is rated as Pro Football Focus' 13th-best tackle out of 71 tackles who qualify (subscription required)—and is responsible for only two of Detroit's 24 sacks allowed.
Detroit DTs Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley vs. Atlanta C James Stone
Stone has logged a total of 62 snaps in his young career. That level of experience doesn't bode well for Atlanta's third-string center.
The undrafted free-agent center from Tennessee will presumably be tasked with calling protections before the snap. However, once the ball is in Matt Ryan's hands, he'll face off against a pair of top-10 defensive tackles. Good luck.
Detroit FS Glover Quin vs. Atlanta WR Julio Jones
The key to stopping Matt Ryan—aside from bringing pressure—is to take away his only reliable receiving option. Jones has almost twice as many yards as any other Falcon offensive player and leads the league with 14 catches of 20 or more yards.
Ryan has a devastating long-range game. He completes 52.8 percent of his deep passes (20 yards or more), but has completed only two such tosses to somebody other than Jones.
Darius Slay will get a chance to lock up with the league's fourth-leading receiver. However, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will have Quin keep an eye and a lid on Jones' longer routes.
Lions' X-Factor of the Week: RB Joique Bell
As the list of offensive weapons on the injury report grows longer than the one on the active roster, the Lions will have to rely on the running game and screen passes to move the ball.
That will be Bell's domain this week against Atlanta.
Bell racked up 18 carries last week, and should see even more against a defense giving up an average 137.7 rushing yards. Theo Riddick is set to return and should see some action in the passing game, but Detroit offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi would be smart to let his bruiser soften up Atlanta's weak front seven.
Paul Sancya/Associated Press
The injuries will cause a lot of bettors to stay away from this game. That's good news for the more astute gambler, as Detroit is only giving four points as of Thursday night, per OddsShark.com.
Detroit's injuries are the equivalent of a nail in a good tire. The car will still get you from point A to point B, but it'll take more gas and time.
The Falcons' losses along their OL are more like a large leak in the fuel line. Atlanta doesn't have enough talent to overcome its injuries, especially when using third-stringers against arguably the best defensive line in football.
These mismatches up front will make it tough for Matt Ryan to engineer enough scoring drives for Atlanta to surpass double digits, barring Julio Jones packing a season's worth of frustration into one Sunday morning. That's not a winning recipe for a team giving up more than 28 points per game.
Score: Detroit 23, Atlanta 10