Top 5 Reasons the Detroit Lions Will Beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 1

In Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season the Detroit Lions will travel to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers.

There is a lot of buzz and momentum surrounding the Motor City. Many analysts are touting Detroit as a "sleeper" or "dark horse".

Tampa Bay is also an upstart team which showcased their talent last season with an impressive 10-6 record.

A late season loss to the Lions was a contributing factor to Tampa Bay's exclusion from the postseason.

The odds makers have the Bucs as slight favorites in this game. However, Detroit is the team which will ultimately prevail.

Let's take a look at the top five reasons the Lions will start the season 1-0.

5. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Are Not an Impressive Home Team

Over the last two seasons Tampa Bay has only a 5-11 record within Raymond James Stadium.

Granted they were .500 in 2010, but those wins came against subpar teams such as the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and St.Louis Rams.

There is no reason to believe the Tampa Bay crowd will give the Buccaneers any sort of home field advantage against the Lions.

4. Detroits Defensive Line/Tampa Bays Offensive Line

The Detroit Lions have one of the most formidable defensive lines in the NFL. Nick Fairley is yet to take a snap for the Honolulu blue, but Ndamukong Suh, Cliff Avril, Kyle Vanden Bosch and Corey Williams are more than capable of wreaking havoc in his absence.

Suh alone demands a double-team, which should open up lanes for the speedy Avril off the edge.

Couple that with the fact that the Buccaneers do not have any standouts on the offensive line and the Lions should have an easy time getting to Josh Freeman and LeGarrette Blount in the backfield.

3. The Lions Beat the Buccaneers 23-20 Last Season

The past is the past, but many valuable lessons can be learned from the Lions overtime win in Week 15 last year.

Maurice Morris rushed for over 100 yards in that matchup, the only time a Lion reached that benchmark all of last season. If Morris can do it, then this year's stable should have a successful day on the ground as well.

Perhaps more important is the fact that the Buccaneers were racing towards the playoffs going into that game while the Lions were merely fighting to avoid the basement of the NFC North division.

Detroit showed resilience and toughness in that game, which will surely be on display again in Week 1.

2. Calvin Johnson vs. the Buccaneers Secondary

Last year Calvin Johnson torched the Buccaneers with 10 catches for 152 yards.

He put up those numbers while Aqib Talib, the top defender in the Tampa Bay secondary, was injured.

This year Talib is healthy and will attempt to shut down Johnson. It is unlikely he will be successful, but even if he is, the Buccaneers do not have enough depth in the secondary to contend with the rest of the Lions receivers.

With Talib trying to handle Johnson, Nate Burleson and Titus Young will be free to exploit the aging Ronde Barber and free safety Cody Grimm.

1. Matthew Stafford

Stafford has the proverbial chip on his shoulder, and as long as he keeps that shoulder upright he is poised for a great game.

In the preseason Stafford threw five touchdowns compared to zero interceptions.

His passer rating was an astounding 154.0 and his completion percentage was over 77 percent.

Those numbers may not mean much in the preseason, but it does show that Stafford has moved on from the shoulder injuries that have plagued him over the past two seasons.

The Buccaneers secondary does not seem to have the ability to shut down the Detroit passing attack for four quarters.