Bears vs. Lions: Will Short Week Doom Detroit vs. 49ers in Week 6?

Thanks to their 24-13 win over the Chicago Bears on Monday night, the Detroit Lions are 5-0 for the first time since the days of the Eisenhower administration.

And there is much rejoicing in the streets of Motown. Rightfully so, if you ask me. Poor Lions fans have suffered long enough.

But even the most joyous Lions fan has to know that all good things must come to an end sooner or later. So it will be with the Lions' perfect start.

The unfortunate part is that the end could come rather swiftly. The Lions have precious few hours to prepare for their Week 6 opponent, and it just so happens that their Week 6 opponent is a very, very tough one.

If you don't feel like taking a look at the schedule, the Lions are hosting the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6. These, of course, would be the same 49ers who are 4-1 and keepers of one of the league's stingiest defenses. Even it is not the best, it might just be the most physical defense.

It's a tough draw for any team playing on a short week, and that includes the Lions. The more distressing part for Lions fans is that the 49ers just played a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that was coming off a victory on Monday Night Football. The 49ers dismantled them, 48-3.

If there is hope for the Lions, it's that their strength of passing the football plays into one of San Francisco's only weaknesses, which is stopping the pass. The 49ers rank 23rd in the NFL against the pass, and that doesn't bode well going up against the likes of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, the latter of whom is utterly indefensible.

My guess is that the 49ers will try to limit Stafford and Johnson by keeping them off the field as much as possible. Nothing the 49ers do on offense is fancy, but they have shown in each of the last two weeks that they can wear opponents down like nobody else. Frank Gore will pound away, Alex Smith won't make mistakes, and before long the Lions will be gasping for air.

Things obviously won't be this cut-and-dry once Sunday comes, but you get the gist. The Lions are going to be facing their toughest challenge yet, and the short week puts them at a disadvantage.

For what it's worth, I do think the Lions can win. They're at home, and they're pretty damn good.

I'm just not entirely convinced that they will win. The Lions may be 5-0, but they're not perfect.