NFL Preseason Schedule 2011: Patriots-Lions a Potential Super Bowl Preview?

Week 3 of the NFL preseason features only one matchup of undefeated teams, as the New England Patriots travel to face the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in front of a nationally-televised audience on CBS.  The kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST on Saturday night.

No team has been more visually impressive in the opening two weeks of the exhibition season than the Patriots, outscoring their opponents by a 78-26 margin. 

New England captured a 47-12 home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars to open the preseason as three-point favorites, before jumping out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead in a 31-14 road underdog (+1.5) victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2.

Detroit has tallied back-to-back games of scoring 30 or more points in wins over the Cincinnati Bengals (34-3) and Cleveland Browns (30-28)—two teams that are not going to strike fear in many teams around the NFL.  The Lions are also a perfect 2-0 against-the-spread heading into this contest.

Let's take a closer look as to why this week's contest may lead to a potential rematch in Super Bowl XLVI.

New England Patriots, Super Bowl Favorites

The New England Patriots (+590) are currently the betting favorites to win Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis on Feb. 5, 2012. 

It's certainly no surprise with the team coming off a 14-2 regular season and being supplied offseason motivation by dropping a 28-21 contest to the New York Jets in the AFC Divisional round in last year's playoffs.

The Green Bay Packers (+635) and Philadelphia Eagles (+787) are the next two teams in terms of wagering to win it all. 

Detroit (+4275) has the 16th-best shot of winning the Lombardi Trophy in the eyes of the lines maker.

Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions QB

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford must remain healthy for an entire season in order for the franchise to even think about reaching Indianapolis. 

The No. 1 pick of the 2009 NFL Draft has played just 13 combined games in his first two seasons, throwing for 19 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.

Stafford was showing signs of becoming an elite signal-caller early in 2010 before re-injuring his right shoulder in a 23-20 overtime loss at home to the New York Jets in Week 9.

The last six Super Bowl champions have been led by quarterbacks taken in the first two rounds of the draft, which should give this team confidence entering the third year of the Stafford era.

Tom Brady, New England Patriots QB

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has already lifted the Lombardi Trophy three times in his career, but he hasn't tasted victory since Super Bowl XXXIX on Feb. 6, 2005.

The Patriots were handed a surprising 17-14 loss by the New York Giants just four years ago in Super Bowl XLII, ending a chance to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the NFL's second undefeated team.

Tom Terrific was named the unanimous 2010 NFL MVP after completing 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,900 yards.  He also threw 36 touchdowns against just four interceptions.

The former Michigan Wolverine completed 11-of-19 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week in his first appearance of the 2011 preseason.

Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions WR

Former Detroit Lions president Matt Millen got this one right in the 2007 NFL draft: selecting Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson with the No. 2 pick overall. 

The selection gains even more strength when considering the Oakland Raiders chose LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the first overall pick.  The highly-scrutinized signal-caller isn't even found on an NFL practice field this year.

Johnson has stayed relatively healthy over his first four seasons, playing in 61 of 64 potential contests.  He has averaged 67.5 catches and 1,047 yards over that span.

With 4,171 yards, the 25-year-old has the most receiving yards by a Lions player in their first four years the club.

Wes Welker, New England Patriots WR

During his first three years in New England, wide receiver Wes Welker caught a combined 346 passes for 3,688 yards and 15 touchdowns. 

His productivity dropped off in 2010 by catching just 86 passes for 848 yards, which many believe was a direct result of the franchise trading away future Hall of Fame wideout Randy Moss. 

The Patriots are attempting to fill the void that Moss supremely filled by bringing in Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco. 

It's debatable if the move will free up the mid-level routes that Welker runs to perfection, as Ochocinco has failed to catch more than 72 balls in a season since 2007-08. 

Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions DT

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was selected with the second-overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft out of Nebraska. 

The 6'4", 307-pound immovable force was named a starter in the 2011 Pro Bowl and was also named the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year.  He finished last season with 66 tackles and 10 sacks. 

The Lions defensive unit improved from being the worst defensive unit in 2009 by giving up 392.1 yards per game to the 21st-ranked defense last year (343.6 ypg).

Suh's accomplishments demonstrated to the franchise that building a defense was vital in reaching a potential Super Bowl—leading directly to the selection of Auburn Tigers defensive tackle Nick Fairley with the No. 13 pick in this year's draft.