Lions vs Bengals: 10 Thing To Watch for in Tonight's Game

Tonight's preseason game between the Lions and Bengals will showcase two teams many believe are going in opposite directions.  Analysts believe the Lions are trending upwards, while the Bengals are in for a tough season.

Predicting the outcome of preseason games is difficult; no one really knows how long the starters will be in the game.  The thing to look for in these games, is how certain players perform in key situations.  This game will also serve as a first look at some of the newcomers to both teams.

Detroit’s New Linebacking Crew

This has to be the one area most Lions fans are excited to see.  Martin Mayhew has managed to turn a weakness from last season into a strength.  In essence, there are three new starters for the Lions.  Stephen Tulloch is manning the middle while being flanked by Justin Durant and DeAndre Levy. 

Levy started last year in the middle, but has now been switched to the outside.  Look for him to perform significantly better out there as he has quite a bit less responsibility. 

Replacing Jonathan Joseph

The Bengals took a big blow to their defense when they lost Jonathan Joseph to free agency.  They are going to attempt to replace him with veteran Nate Clements.  It will be interesting to see if Clements can perform to the same level as Joseph, who was one of the better corners in the league.

Amari Spievey

Watching Spievey in camp has been a treat.  He looks like a totally different player. His speed has really shown during practice.  He also is recognizing plays and reacting quickly.  The big question is, how well will he do once the lights are on? Is he going to revert back to his 2010 form where he looked lost or will he transfer what he has done so far in practice into games?

A.J. Green

I believe that Green is the best offensive player to come out of last year’s draft, and that is good news for the Bengals. The important thing for Green to do is not to try to be Chad Ochocinco.  While he will have a lot of pressure replacing No. 85, he and Bengal fans need to realize that rookie receivers struggle.  This is not an indictment against Green, it is simply because WR is the second hardest position to learn on offense after QB.

Who Will Be the Lions' Backup Running Back?

There are very few spots up for grabs on Detroit’s roster this year, but with Mikel Leshoure’s  injury, the door has been opened up for someone to grab the backup running back spot. 

The candidates are Jerome Harrison, Mike Bell, Maurice Morris and Aaron Brown.  Brown is too much like Best and that hurts his chances and Bell has only been successful behind zone blocking schemes like Denver’s. That leaves Morris and Harrison.  Morris started some games last year, and did well, however I believe it will be Harrison who will step up and grab the job .

Andre Smith

Smith looks like a changed guy from last year.  He showed up in camp in pretty good shape, and that was an absolute necessity if the Bengals are to do well this year.  He will be needed in the run game, but more importantly, to protect their prized rookie quarterback. 

It looks like Smith will be lining up as the starting right tackle, where he will have a tough assignment in blocking Lions DE Cliff Avril, who so far has been unbelievable in training camp.

Jahvid Best

Best was the Lions' best offensive player early on last season, but turf toe injuries to both of his feet sapped him of his elusiveness.  The question is, will he be as effective as he was early on now that he says his feet are healthy again?  The Lions need him to step up in a big way this year.

Derrick Williams

Every time I look up in practice I see Derrick Williams making a catch.  He is making them all over the field, and it just makes me wonder where this guy was last year.  He was given many chances to win the No. 3receiver spot and he fumbled it away every time.  I am looking forward to seeing him out there today.  Before camp started I figured this guy had no chance of making the roster.

Andy Dalton

This has to be the most intriguing story of this game.  As a result of absolute stubbornness on the part of Carson Palmer and the Bengals' ownership, Dalton has been thrust into the starting quarterback spot.  While it will be fun to see what he can do, fans cannot get too excited or too discouraged no matter how he does.

There are a few things to keep in mind when grading his performance.  First, he is going to be facing arguably the best defensive line in football.  The Detroit D-line can give any QB nightmares; imagine how a rookie will handle it.  Second, both teams will be playing with a “vanilla” game plan. 

Teams don’t really showcase their game plan for the first preseason game.   They don’t want to show anything in terms of what plays they will run in the regular season.  Three, his top receiver is also a rookie, and this will be the first time either of them is facing a live defense. 

I believe Eventually Dalton will be a good NFL QB, but he is going to have some growing pains, and unfortunately for him, in his first taste of action, Ndamukong Suh is going to be gunning for him.  Good luck rookie, try not to watch what Suh did to Jake Delhomme in the preseason last year.

Matthew Stafford

It will be interesting to watch how Stafford will react to the pass rush around him.  So far in camp, he has looked oblivious to it, but now he will no longer have a red shirt that says no hitting allowed.  With left tackle Jeff Backus out, and right tackle Gosder Cherilus also ailing, will Stafford get happy feet, or will he still be the same confident player?