Detroit Lions: 5 Things That Must Happen for the Lions To Win the NFC North

As Week 4 of the preseason is upon us, we are one week closer to real football.  This preseason, the Lions have stood out above the rest and pretty much dominated when their starters were in.  I know it's only preseason, but man do Matthew Stafford and Co. have it together. 

With the defending Super Bowl champs and both NFC Championship teams in the NFC North, it will be tough to come out of this division with a title.  Here is what the Lions need do if they want to achieve that goal.

Stafford Has To Start All 16 Games

It is clear that Matthew Stafford is playing at an elite level right now. 

Stafford's preseason numbers look like this: 24-of- 31 for 356 yards, five touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 154.0, good for the best in the league. 

That gives him a 77.2 completion percent, good for second in the NFL, 11.5 yards per attempt, also second in the NFL, and a 5-0 TD to INT ratio, first in the NFL.

He has done all this during stretches without Calvin Johnson, Titus Young, Brandon Pettigrew, Tony Scheffler and Jahvid Best. 

It was refreshing to see Stafford finally take some hits, as he did against the New England Patriots in their last preseason game.  Stafford popped back up and the crowd roared, as they will plenty of times this season if he will play in all 16 games and lead the Lions to a NFC North championship.

If he can continue to play at this elite level and play in all 16 games, it will be an easy road for the Lions to be crowned NFC North champs for the first time ever (their previous championships were when the division was the NFC Central and NFL West).

The Running Game Has To Be Established

It was a huge blow to the Lions when they lost Mikel LeShoure to an Achilles injury.  He was going to be the thunder to Jahvid Best's lightning.  The Lions, however, quickly scooped up Jerome Harrison, who has been a nice surprise so far. 

In the last two preseason games, he has rushed for 51 yards on 14 carries and also had a nice 52-yard catch out of the backfield.  It will be interesting to see how Jim Schwartz and Scott Linehan plan to use both Best and Harrison, as they have similar running styles and body types. 

I think Jahvid Best is clearly the better option. When he is healthy, he is one of the most electric players on the field and can bust open any play as he did in the first two games in 2010.  In those games, Best compiled 268 total yards and five touchdowns, including a 75-yard catch and run.

The Lions will use a lot of screen passes and dump-offs to the running backs to open up the running game this year.  If they want to succeed and win the NFC North, that running game has to be established, especially when the other defenses in the division are Minnesota, Chicago and Green Bay.

The Lions Have To Continue Their Road Victory Streak

Last year, the Lions did something they hadn't done since since Oct. 28, 2007. They won a road game. 

Then, right after they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they went on to beat the Miami Dolphins a week later.  If the Lions want to win the NFC North, they definitely have to continue their winning ways on the road. 

The Lions open up the 2011 season on the road to face who else, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  If the Lions can go into Raymond James Stadium and come out with a victory again, watch out. 

It will be a great game, and I'm sure the Bucs want some revenge of their own, as the Lions virtually knocked them out of playoff contention last year. 

The other games the Lions play on the road this year include Minnesota, Dallas, Denver, Chicago, New Orleans, Oakland and Green Bay.  None of these opponents will go down easy, but if the Lions can win at least half of their road games, look for them to be right atop the NFC North standings at the end of the year.

The Secondary Has To Improve

As a clear weakness, the secondary has to improve this season.  The Lions didn't want to overpay for Nnamdi Asomugha or any other corner this offseason. 

They did, however, sign a former starter in Eric Wright and re-signed Chris Houston.  Louis Delmas already looks like a Pro Bowl-caliber player and is only 24. At 23, Amari Spievey is still coming into form as an NFL safety. 

This group, along with Alphonso Smith, Nathan Vasher and Aaron Berry, should improve on last season's 14 interceptions.  The signings of Justin Durant and Stephen Tulloch will also help the defense as a whole, along with the pressure Ndamukong Suh and the Silver Crush will put on the quarterbacks.

If the Lions want to win the NFC North, this group will need to have a major improvement on last season.

Calvin Johnson and Others Need To Have a Pro Bowl Season

If the Lions want to win the NFC North, a few players have to step their game up to the next level and have Pro Bowl seasons. 

Last year, the Packers had six players voted into the Pro Bowl and the Bears and Vikings each had four.  The Lions sent only Ndamukong Suh and Calvin Johnson to Hawaii. If they want to win the NFC North, that number has to increase.

Potentially, Suh, Johnson, Matthew Stafford, Cliff Avril, Louis Delmas, Brandon Pettigrew, Stephen Tulloch and Jahvid Best all could make the Pro Bowl this year.  If all of these players take their game to the next level, it will be hard for the Lions not to win the NFC North title. 

So there you go. If the Lions can achieve all five of these goals, they will go on to win the NFC North.