Detroit Lions Week 8 Preview: Leading Rams to The Slaughter

At some point in the 2009 NFL season, the Detroit Lions needed to find a time to exhale.

With one of the busiest offseasons in recent memory, the Lions overhauled their entire roster and coaching staff and immediately went to work. It isn't an easy task. When practice is not merely practice, but a season-long tryout, it wears on a man—on an organization. When a new coach constantly shuffles the lineup to find where his talent lies, chemistry is that much harder to find.

Currently, the Lions rank 21st in strength of schedule, a rank much lower than one might guess. Yet, the number seems misleading.

To make matters worse, the Lions faced a murderers row for the first half of this year—two division leaders, Minnesota and New Orleans, as well as last year's Super Bowl champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Those three teams have a combined three losses.

The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers are teams which certainly have holes (as witnessed in their fustercluck of a Sunday night game in Week 1). Both, however, are years ahead of the Lions in terms of development, and both were road games.

The Lions had one week to breathe, Week 3 against the Washington Redskins—a game which a healthy Detroit Lions squad won 19-14.

Every game in the NFL is a winnable game. Even this season, when parity has never seemed so distant, the NFL is a league where the Lions can lose by eight to the Steelers. This isn't college football, where New Mexico State accepts a large paycheck to let Ohio State reverse-pass them into submission.

So yes, the Lions could have won every game. But an objective observer must admit that the hurdles the Lions have faced—rookie starters, injuries, scheduling—mean that this young team should have won one game, Week 3 against the Redskins. They did.

This week's game against the St. Louis Rams is another game the Lions should win. The team is healthy, has had two weeks to prepare, and is facing one of the few teams in the NFL with less talent on its roster than the Lions.

The Lions should win this game.

Earlier this week, I took a look at what the Lions should do offensively to win this game.

Defensively, the Lions must stop Steven Jackson—easier said than done. Quarterback Marc Bulger is simply not talented enough to carry the Rams anymore as much of his surrounding talent has jumped ship.

This game has been labeled a "must win." It isn't. The Detroit Lions have a plan which extends far beyond the eighth week of the 2009 season. But, this game is a "should win." Winning this game shows the team, coaching staff, and city that progress is being made—that, perhaps, the Lions are slightly above the bottom of the barrel and are rising.

Detroit Lions Week 8 Injury Report

Out: Jason Hunter (Ankle) Calvin Johnson (Knee)

Game Time Decision: Matthew Stafford (Knee)

Questionable: Sammie Lee Hill (Ankle); Jerome Felton (Ankle); Zack Follett (Illness)

Adam Schefter reported at 8:57 Sunday morning about Stafford and Johnson that "Schwartz says he expects both to play." Follett is also expected to play after being asked to stay home so he would not infect others on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Lions also have numerous people listed as "probable," which means there's a 75 percent chance they'll play. The full list can be found on the Lions' Web site.

UPDATE:11:44

Jay Glazer reports on FOX that Matthew Stafford warmed up and WILL play while Calvin Johnson is OUT

St. Louis Rams Week 8 Injury Report

Out: Richie Incognito (Foot)

Questionable: CJ Ah-Yoo (Ankle)

Neither injury is a severe blow to the Rams' depth chart. Incognito is a starter but his back-up, John Greco, is a solid replacement. Ah-Yoo is a second-stringer coming off a season-high seven tackles against Indianapolis, but isn't any more talented than the depth around him.

News and Notes:

• Jon Jansen will make his 125th start this afternoon, his first at left guard. Daniel Loper will be used as a back up-tackle.
  
• The game is blacked out locally and will not be shown on TV in the Detroit, Lansing, Saginaw-Flint and Toledo, Ohio, markets. If you're looking for an alternative way to watch the game, contact me by e-mail and I will keep you updated. [e-mail]
• The Lions released Tristen Davis from the practice squad this week and signed Cedric Peerman, recently waived by the Browns.
  
• Follow me on Twitter for information, analysis, banter and all your Lions' news needs. 
• This week's DraftTek mock has the Lions selecting fifth and taking Gerald McCoy (DT-Oklahoma) and Trevard Lindley (CB-Kentucky).

Michael Schottey is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and the producer and host of The Average Joe Sports Show on 860AM KNUJ (New Ulm, MN). He is also an NFL Analyst and Senior Writer for DraftTek.com.