Chiefs vs. Lions Week 2: 4 Things to Expect After Dominating Victory

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This week's NFL power rankings should take a huge turn, as the Lions should soar near the top.  After man-handling the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit looks primed to have the season everyone thought they may have. 

Looking forward, let's see what this victory will mean and find four things to expect heading deeper into the season.

The Lions Will Improve as They Gain Confidence

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Up 45 points, Jim Schwartz still won't even crack a smile.  Even though the Lions clearly dominated Kansas City, he is still not content with his team. "We didn't play our best football, and we still won by a large margin," coach Jim Schwartz said in a post-game interview.  Clearly there is still room to improve because hey, no team is perfect.  It was only one game though, and as far as I know the season doesn't end in Week 2. 

According to Yahoo! Sports, the 45-point win over the Chiefs was the largest ever by the Lions in a regular season game.  The Lions forced six turnovers in the game, which they turned into 38 points, and lowered their number of penalties from six to four as well, so look for them to keep becoming more disciplined. 

All the Lions can do is build on this victory and take it into Minnesota, which leads me to...

A Victory over Minnesota Vikings Week 3

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The Lions could not have picked a better time to go into the Metrodome and play the Minnesota Vikings.  After jumping to a 17-0 halftime lead, the Vikings got booed off their home field when they ended up losing 24-20 to the team the Lions just convincingly beat, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

The Minnesota Vikings are at rock bottom just as the Lions are soaring.  It is easy to predict a Lions victory, but realistically I don't see any way they can lose.  McNabb looks like he should go back into retirement, their only sources of offense are Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin, and their defense looks suspect after giving up 48 points in two games. 

Unless a major change happens this week to the Minnesota Vikings' organization, look for the Lions to cruise into the Metrodome with monster confidence, and come out with their first victory in Minnesota since 1997.

A Victory over the Dallas Cowboys

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Once again, the Lions could not have picked a better time to play the Dallas Cowboys.  After an exciting Week 2 comeback over-time victory you would think the Cowboys would have superior confidence, but San Francisco actually beat them up pretty well physically, and they won't be recovered by Week 4. 

Tony Romo will not be fully recovered from his fractured ribs, Miles Austin will be recovering from a hamstring injury, Felix Jones has a separated shoulder, center Phil Costa is out with a knee injury and Dez Bryant could still be hobbled with a leg injury. 

Two weeks from now, these injuries will not magically go away, so look for the Lions to take advantage while they can and get their third straight road victory against a less than 100% Cowboys team.

Matthew Stafford Making an MVP Push

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Yes, I know Tom Brady looks great so far this season, but Matthew Stafford is not far behind.  With the same number of touchdown passes through two games, the Lions' high-powered offense looks as if it can keep pace with New England's.  Had Stafford stayed and played the whole game, he could have easily thrown for another 100 yards, but he sat for most of the fourth quarter. 

After an early interception, Stafford was nearly perfect for the rest of the game, finishing with almost 300 yards and four touchdowns. He once again spread the ball around, hitting seven different receivers.  Titus Young played great, and so did Nate Burleson, so it will be hard for teams to focus solely on Calvin Johnson. 

If Stafford and the Lions can keep playing like they are, his name will be on the ballot for MVP.