The Lions got back on the winning track this week with an absolute beat down of the Denver Broncos. The game was one of the first complete games of the year for Lions, every aspect of the game was strong, defense, offense, and special teams. It was a great day to be a Lions fan, player, or coach.

 

Tim Tebow was all the talk coming in to the game. After his incredible comeback against the Miami Dolphins people were wondering whether it was just against a bad team in the Dolphins or if Tebow had finally turned a corner in his development. Well the Lions defense decided to quiet that talk for now with a completely dominating effort.

 

It all started with the pass rush. After two disappointing games for the Lions vaunted defensive line, Ndamukong Suh and company took it upon themselves to remind everyone what they can do. The Lions finished the game with 7 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, and 7 quarterback hits. They kept the Broncos offense in check nearly all day, the only exceptions were the very first drive and one fourth quarter drive that led to the Broncos only touchdown of the game. The defense also showed up with 2 touchdowns on two Broncos turnovers.

 

Cliff Avril was the defensive star of the game. In what amounts to a grand slam for a baseball player, Avril had a sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery, and touchdown return on a single play. Once in the endzone he "Boilered Up" with the iconic fist pump that Big Ten fans everywhere should recognize (full disclosure, I went to Purdue). Avril's final line was 3 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 1 QB hit, and a touchdown. He had a monster day, taking advantage of being the blind side blitzer, which he rarely gets to do.

 

Chris Houston also had a monster game with a 100 yard interception return for a touchdown to go with 6 tackles and 2 passes defended. Those two were the headliners on a defense that played well top to bottom. Stephen Tulloch was all over the field getting 8 tackles and 1 sack. The sack was great if for no other reason than the Tebowing celebration afterwards. In the Tebowing vein, the Lions were depicted as "evil" by the NFL going against the "good" that was Tebow and the Broncos. This team, while saying they do not appreciate being labeled as evil, they did nothing to quiet that perception. The Lions swagger comes through in games like this with dancing, celebrations, hard hits, and an attitude that will never be popular outside of Detroit. Ask anyone that is a Detroit fan, however, if they do not like the swagger, and you will hear an emphatic NO.

 

But it was not all about the defense today. The offense finally got back on the track they started the season on. Stafford's accuracy seems to be back, at least this week. Given the questions surrounding the health of his legs were quieted when he ran for 21 yards, and stood in the pocket and hit pretty much everyone (except Maurice Stovall), completing passes to seven different players. Johnson had another massive game bringing in 6 catches for 125 yards and another touchdown, bringing his total for the season to 11. 

 

The surprise of the game was success of the rushing game. Maurice Morris had 13 carries for 58 yards and a one yard touchdown. The Broncos have a top 10 rushing defense and the Lions were able to use the space the passing game created to have more success than they have been used to the last few weeks. The talk around the Lions team was that without Jahvid Best this offense would be pedestrian. What this game showed was that the Lions need Mikel LeShoure to have a successful running game. The offensive line is too slow to block the edges for Best, but they are so strong they can get push straight ahead. With a power runner on this team the Lions will be averaging closer to 130 yards a game. It appears that the combination of the concussions and inability to get a consistent 4 to 5 yards a carry means that next year and on Best will be the change of pace back. More of a Darren Sproles or Reggie Bush type player. LeShoure will shore up this running game (see what I did there).

 

As easy at it would be to say the Lions are completely back on track and start looking at playoffs again, be careful. Don't forget the 2007 season where the Lions went in to Denver, won 44-7, got to 6-2, then went 1-7 the rest of the season and set the stage for the 0-16 season. The Lions look so much better today than they have the last two weeks, but the Broncos are really bad. With that said, I still believe in this team, I think they will make the playoffs.