NFL Picks Week 8: Detroit Lions Will Handle Tim Tebow and Beat Broncos

Tim Tebow has passed has first test. The question now is whether or not he can pass the next one.

The next one will come this Sunday at home against the Detroit Lions. By all accounts, the Lions are going to present a much stiffer challenge for Tebow than the Miami Dolphins, who are still stuck on zero wins. The Lions are 5-2, and are looking to head into their Week 9 bye with a win.

The oddsmakers like their chances. The spread, according to Sportsbook, has the Lions favored by three points.

Ah yes, but what about Matthew Stafford? Isn't he hurt, and aren't the Lions totally doomed without him?

Glad you asked. While it's true Stafford's status was looking pretty iffy for the bulk of the week, The Oakland Press reported on Thursday that Stafford was back at practice for a second straight day, and that he was running drills with the starters. He was working without a noticeable limp, and he should be good to go by the time Sunday rolls around.

Thus, Lions fans are going to be spared the sight of watching Shaun Hill in action. Stafford has had issues with his accuracy in Detroit's last two games, but the Lions would obviously prefer to have him out there.

Presuming there are not setbacks between now and Sunday, having Stafford under center against the Broncos means the Lions will have at least some offense. They likely weren't going to get much out of the running game, which is still missing Jahvid Best. The Detroit Free Press reported on Wednesday that Best is likely to miss Sunday's game as he recovers from a concussion.

No matter how much offense the Lions are able to generate on Sunday, the key to winning the game will be handling Tim Tebow. He's probably not going to have Willis McGahee to rely on, as the Denver Post reported on Thursday that he is likely to sit Sunday's game out while he recovers from a broken right hand. With McGahee out, Knowshon Moreno would have to handle running back duties, and he simply hasn't been good this year.

As such, the pressure will be on Tebow to be more productive than he was for the bulk of Sunday's game against Miami, in which he really wasn't able to get anything going until the closing minutes of the game.

Tebow's biggest issue against the Dolphins was an inability to make things happen from the pocket, as he took too many sacks and was unable to accurately deliver the ball to his receivers. The Lions collapse the pocket as well as any team in the league, and it's possible that they will make life even tougher for Tebow than the Dolphins were able to do.

Yes, Tebow will make plays with his legs. That's something that all of Denver's opponents are going to have to live with, as the Broncos are not about to discourage Tebow from using what is easily his biggest strength.

The question will be whether or not Tebow can generate enough yardage with his legs to compensate for what will likely be another tough day passing the football. In addition to boasting a beastly pass-rush, the Lions do defend the pass pretty well, as they are allowing just under 205 passing yards per game this season.

The only way Tebow is going to do this is if he is accurate with the football. So far, he's shown virtually no indication that this is something he is capable of.

As such, you have to like the Lions to take this one.

Lions 24, Broncos 16