How Detroit Lions Must Prepare for Each NFC North Opponent

The Detroit Lions are on the cusp of becoming an elite NFL team. Every franchise must begin their quest to greatness by establishing themselves through their respective division.

Unfortunately for the Lions, they play in one of the most difficult in the league, the "Black and Blue" NFC North.

Last season, Detroit finished 3-3 against their division foes. The Lions swept the Minnesota Vikings, split a game with the Chicago Bears and failed to defeat the Green Bay Packers. The Lions had strong efforts in just about each game against their division rivals, but that effort must be taken up a notch next season.

Each team in the NFC North has made noticeable roster improvement, creating a highly anticipated race to first for all these teams. It's beyond imperative for the Lions to come out on top on more than half of these games.

Here is a full analysis on how the Lions must attack each team in the NFC North.

Minnesota Vikings

Offense

Consistent with their season, Matthew Stafford and the Lions offense were extremely successful through the air against Minnesota. Stafford had his way against the Vikings last season racking up 605 yards and four touchdowns.

However, the main X-factor against Minnesota has been tight end Brandon Pettigrew. Pettigrew put up some great performances against the Vikings last season, including a career day with 11 catches and 120 yards in the overtime Week 3 thriller at Minnesota.

Because of the stout Minnesota run defense, and the Lions' unestablished run attack, Stafford will again have to carry the Lions' offense against the Vikings' weak secondary. After a strong connection last season with Pettigrew, Calvin Johnson and other receivers, expect more success against Minnesota through the air.

Stafford, however, was sacked 10 times last season by the Vikings, more than any other division opponent last year. The offensive line has to find a way to keep Stafford upright against Jared Allen and the fierce Minnesota pass rush.

Defense

Just about all of the Vikings' offense happens to be going through the rebuilding stage. As Minnesota continues to experiment with Christian Ponder as their franchise quarterback, the offense will go as he goes. Expect a tougher workload for Ponder next season, especially with the durability concerns of Adrian Peterson.

The Detroit pass rush has the most important assignment against the Vikings this year. Ponder was sacked three times last season against Detroit, and was also guilty for three first-half interceptions before being replaced by Joe Webb.

The Lions don't want Ponder to develop and get comfortable at quarterback. Ndamukong Suh and the deep pass rush of Detroit must stay in the face of the young Vikings quarterback and apply as much pressure as possible. Minnesota's receivers don't strike fear into any defensive game plan. If the defensive line can force bad throws and sack Ponder, the Lions should have plenty of success against the Vikings.

Chicago Bears

Offense

Despite an impressive Week 5 Monday Night showdown against the Chicago Bears, the Lions showed up lifeless in the Week 10 grudge match. Detroit turned the ball over six times, including four interceptions from Matthew Stafford and back-to-back fumbles by Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson.

The Lions' pass attack will find success against any opponent based on all the weapons at Stafford's disposal. However, the presence of a running game will be the turning point for the Lions offense.

Jahvid Best and the Detroit run game kept Chicago off balance all of Week 5. Best finished the day with 163 yards, including an 88-yard touchdown that took the heart out of the Bears defense.

With Best healthy, and a physical runner like Mikel Leshoure available, Detroit can keep the Chicago defense on their heels. With a balanced rush attack, that opens up the playbook for Stafford and the Lions passing game to capitalize and seal the deal.

Defense

In last year's Week 10 Chicago victory, Jay Cutler and the Bears offense didn't accumulate major yards. However, the Bears made the Lions pay, scoring on almost every turnover keeping momentum on Chicago's side. With a healthy Cutler and a new bag of toys for the Bears offense (Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Michael Bush), Detroit can't afford to give the Bears a short field to play with.

The key to Detroit's success last season pointed back to the defensive line. Chicago acquired new dangerous weapons this offseason, but the offensive line is still vulnerable. If the Lions' pass rush can fluster Cutler and disrupt the Bears offense, the better their chances of a victory against Chicago.

The Lions' biggest challenge on defense lies in the backfield against Matt Forte. After a long offseason of contract issues, expect Forte to come out motivated to make a statement—especially against the Lions, against whom he's had great success. Detroit must contain Forte against the run, as well as the screen game. The Lions linebackers must stay disciplined, and always aware of Forte wherever he lines up on the field.

Green Bay Packers

Offense

The picture to the left illustrates the focal point of the Lions-Packers rivalry. The quarterback duel between Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers will ultimately decide the fate of this matchup. Both teams rely heavily on the pass and have an infinite number of weapons. Whichever quarterback has the better game, his team will follow their path of success.

Stafford has had no problem finding the end zone against Green Bay tossing, six touchdowns as well as 796 yards last year against the Packers. While his touchdowns and yards were high, the interception totals were as well.

After throwing five picks last season against Green Bay, Stafford must keep his turnovers down for the  Lions to have a chance. Against an opportunistic, high-octane offense like the Packers, Detroit doesn't want to give up extra chances to Green Bay.

Not that Stafford needs a reminder, but Calvin Johnson must stay active when facing the Packers. Megatron found the end zone in both games last season, and had a monster Week 17 performance with 11 catches and 244 yards. The Packers have instinctive ball hawks in the secondary, but none are capable of guarding Johnson, especially in the red zone.

Defense

The Lions' best defense will be their offense with hopes to keep pace with the high-pace Packers offense. However, at some point this team needs to find a way to pressure and slow down Rodgers.

Rodgers was only sacked twice last season on Thanksgiving by the Lions. The defensive line must find a way to slow down Rodgers' timing and the Packer's offense. If Rodgers is able to stay comfortable and survey the field with no problem, expect more MVP-like numbers against the Lions.

Green Bay's offense doesn't have a certified No. 1 receiving option, making every one of their weapons a threat. This young Lions secondary will get tested a good deal this season, especially by a high-volume pass offense like Green Bay. Cornerbacks Aaron Berry and Chris Houston struggled heavily in Week 17 against the Packers, but mainly versus Jordy Nelson.

The absence of Louis Delmas was quite noticeable in the Lions' pass defense. After the Lions safety injured his knee on Thanksgiving against Green Bay, Detroit's defense was picked apart by Carson Palmer, Drew Brees and Matt Flynn. Delmas makes everyone in the secondary better, and he'll be a major factor when defending against the Packers this season.