Five Ways the Detroit Lions Can Get Back on Track This Season

Last place in the NFC North going into Week 9 was not what the Detroit Lions had in mind when they came into the season following their first playoff appearance since 1999. 

However, they are heading into their matchup this weekend against Jacksonville with a lot of positive momentum. 

The upcoming schedule would make it appear that the Lions will be able to get their season back on the same track that the expectations from last season laid out for them. 

With issues abound on both sides of the ball, it'll be interesting to see what they do in their weekday practices to improve their play for this weekend. 

While teams like the Kansas City Chiefs (anything on offense) and Arizona (anything on the offensive line) have unfixable problems, the Lions have issues that are mostly preventable. 

Here are five that can be fixed before the season's stretch run. 

Force Feed Calvin Johnson

Madden Curse?

It's a ridiculous theory that has no merit to it, but for whatever reason, Calvin Johnson has struggled—well at least for him—throughout the first seven games of the season. 

It's gotten so bad that he even dropped a pass from Matthew Stafford in the end zone last week—luckily for the Lions, Titus Young caught the touchdown on the next play.

The week before, he dropped a bomb from Stafford against the Chicago Bears in the first quarter and was shut down by Tim Jennings for the rest of the game.  

Incredibly, the dynamic duo of Megatron and Matthew Stafford that accounted for over 5,000 passing yards last season, hasn't connected on a touchdown pass yet. 

The solution? Keep. Passing. It. To. Him. 

Surprisingly, Johnson is on track to catch about 93 balls this year. Last year, he had 96 catches. 

The difference? The touchdowns. He had one a game last year, and only one total this year. 

Injuries are also bothering him a bit, but he has the talent to overcome that as long as it isn't too serious. 

Titus Young and Ryan Broyles' emergence are also good signs. 

A breakout is looming for one of the NFL's best receivers. 

Matthew Stafford's Footwork

While Johnson has played at a relatively high level despite fluky low touchdown numbers, Stafford has flat-out been bad. 

Averaging a full one yard less per average pass, and only eight touchdowns through seven games, Stafford has struggled to live up to expectations that the Detroit Lions accrued from last season. 

He has struggled with his footwork, throwing off his back foot too much as the pass rush is coming up the middle. 

It has thrown off his accuracy and caused the offense to lose its rhythm. 

However, there are signs of improvement. 

After another bad week in Chicago, Stafford took the vaunted Seattle defense down, torching them for 352 yards and three touchdowns. 

If Stafford is on his way back, the rest of the league is in trouble. 

Secondary Help

Not only has the Detroit secondary been bad, they've also been bitten by the injury bug. 

Two of their top players are hurt, Louis Delmas and Bill Bentley for the foreseeable future, as Bentley is done for the season and Delmas may also be on his way to join him. 

Jacob Lacey is also out with a concussion. 

The Detroit Lions have started four different defensive backs in all seven weeks of the season. 

This has culminated into the 27th ranked pass defense, according to FootballOutsiders.com. 

The statistics use a weighted defense ranking that takes into account the opposing team's strength of schedule and the significance of games later in the season. 

However, there is a bright side. 

Last weekend, they found a way to shut down Russell Wilson's passing attack on their way to a 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. 

The down side? They shut down Russell Wilson's passing attack. 

That's not how you want to prove that you're on your way to the top, but it's a start. 

The Lions have a chance to get healthier—numbers-wise—going into Jacksonville. 

Blaine Gabbert is always a good way to get back on track defensively. 

Offensive Balance

Kevin Smith started the season. 

Mikel LeShoure replaced him mid-season and has played decently, but nothing spectacular. 

Joique Bell now plays on passing downs because the Lions don't trust LeShoure catching. 

Jahvid Best is out for the rest of the season—and maybe the rest of his career—with concussion symptoms. 

Put that all together and the Detroit Lion rushing attack ranks 22nd in the NFL, according to ESPN.com, with 97.1 yards a game. 

Without a good rushing attack, defenses have pinned their ears back and rushed Stafford all game long. 

This also explains why Stafford has been rushing his throws, throwing off his back foot and across his body. 

According to FootballOutsiders.com, the Lions own the 14th best offensive line, which is about average.

But they are unable to provide second level or open field plays for their running backs, thus eliminating a big-play threat for defenses to be wary of. 

In order to fix the offense, LeShoure will have to live up to his draft status and Stafford has to keep composure in the pocket. 

Again, force-feeding the ball to Calvin Johnson doesn't hurt either. 

Walk the Walk on the Defensive Line

For a group that prides itself on rushing the passer, the Detroit Lions have accumulated 17 sacks, which puts them 15th in the NFL. 

That is not good news if your defensive line includes Kyle Vanden Bosch, Cliff Avril, Nick Fairley, Corey Williams and Ndamukong Suh. 

If they aren't rushing the passer, they should be able to stop the run right?

They've allowed 112.3 rushing yards per game, good for 18th "best" in the NFL. 

Simply put, there is too much talent on the front four and seven for this to continue. 

Luckily for the Lions, the talent is there and the defensive line has played relatively well. 

According to FootballOutsiders.com, the defensive line is plenty good at stuffing the run at the point of attack, coming in at third in the NFL. 

It is when teams get in the open-field that they've been unable to stop anyone. 

However, this may be attributed to the secondaries' poor play as they haven't been able to even shut down rookie quarterbacks. 

But it works hand-in-hand and as the secondary gets better, the sneaky—who would have thought that a year ago—good defensive line will only become better, improving the defensive side of the ball as well.