Detroit Lions: 9 Things We Learned from Week 8's Win over the Denver Broncos

The Detroit Lions found exactly what they needed after losing two straight at home: a blowout road victory over a middling Denver Broncos team.

The win lets Detroit go into their bye week at 6-2, but more importantly, the huge win gave a lot of insight as to how the Lions work.

Heading into the second half of the 2011 season, here are nine things Sunday’s win taught us about the Detroit Lions:

Matthew Stafford Is a Lot Tougher Than He's Given Credit for

Despite a trouble-free college career, thanks to a slew of injuries in his first two years in the league, the Lions franchise quarterback has had to answer a lot of questions about his health. And when, at the tail end of the Week 7 loss to Atlanta, Stafford was seen limping off the field and being examined by team doctors on the sideline, all those questions rose to the surface once more.

On Sunday, however, despite fighting an ankle sprain and what seemed to be some pain in his throwing hand, Stafford had one heck of a day on the field.

He was more accurate throwing the ball than he had been in a few weeks, passing 21-for-30 for 267 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. He even ran the ball once for 21 yards.

The questions about his health will probably not go away until he survives the entire 2011 slate of 16 games (or more), but Week 8 illustrated that maybe Stafford isn’t made of glass after all.

These Lions Are Built for the Road

One of the big things about the Lions in prior seasons has been their complete ineptitude on the road. The franchise is the holder of the top two road-losing streaks in NFL history: 24 losses from 2001 to 2003 and then a series of 26-straight road losses that just concluded last December.

But this year they’re 4-0 on the road at the halfway point, with six straight wins away from Ford Field dating back to last season, showing that this team can finally compete in hostile environments.

Sunday showed that not only can they compete, but they can also dominate. This was definitely a game that the Lions should have won. But that they were expected to win and did spoke wonders about how different this Lions team is from past incarnations. 

Ndamukong Suh Is Not the Lions' Only Playmaker on Defense

The overpowering Ndamukong Suh has been at the center of the Lions’ defensive resurgence, and rightfully so. He’s a force to be reckoned with every play he’s on the field. But while the Lions definitely depend on the big guy, he’s not the only player on defense that poses a real threat to opposing offenses.

Linebacker Stephen Tulloch found himself in the limelight when he "Tebowed" Tim Tebow and has been a source of pressure all season.

Cornerback Chris Houston returned an interception—one of four picks he has already this season—100 yards for a touchdown.

And defensive end Cliff Avril really shone on defense against the Broncos, with two sacks—one of which turned into a veritable defensive triple play: sack, fumble recovery, touchdown.

Suh helps all this happen with his presence distracting offenses, but his teammates are quite capable in their own right.

Quarterback Pressure = Victory

The key thing that separates the Lions' six victories from their two losses has been an inability to really put pressure on the opposing quarterback. That they were in both games to the end despite that detriment speaks to the strengths of the team, but it goes that much further to show how putting the quarterback under duress is vital to their chances on any given Sunday.

The Lions harassed Tim Tebow all day and forced him into a lot of errors. They weren't nearly as able to consistently get to San Francisco’s Alex Smith or Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, and as such, those quarterbacks were able to get to the Lions secondary, handing Detroit a loss. The Lions secondary might be a weakness, but it’s only exposed when a QB has enough time to dissect it.

They're Okay with Being the Bad Guys

Star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh may be using the bye week to pay a visit to Commissioner Roger Goodell to see what he’s been doing wrong to draw so many penalties. But make no mistake, the Detroit Lions are fast becoming an intimidating villain in the NFL – and they seem to be embracing that.

There was a bit of backlash from the team after the matchup with Tim Tebow’s Broncos was labeled as a game between “Good” and “Evil,” and rightfully so. But the play on the field showed why the Lions might be tagged as the “Evil.”

Their take-no-prisoners style of defense is much harder nosed than what is typically seen in these days of babying quarterbacks and star receivers.

And the Lions, with their trash talking after Sunday’s win, maybe shows that they’re settling into being the bad boys of the NFL. To be feared is a great thing for a defense.

Penalties Are Still a Concern

One of the problems with being one of the league’s “bad guys” is that officials seem to have much more cause to see yellow. And the Detroit Lions are near the bottom of the league when it comes to penalties, averaging 7.6 accepted penalties per game for about 65 free yards for their opponents each week.

While they tamped down the issue, drawing only four penalties against the Broncos, they were often inopportune, including two pass interference calls (one offensive, one defensive).

The Lions’ tendency to blow up a big play with an even bigger penalty is one of their biggest weaknesses, and something that will need to be fixed if the Lions want to stay competitive the rest of the year.

Titus Young Is an Explosive Force on Offense

Calvin Johnson can make some crazy circus catches, even when double- and triple-covered, but the best thing about a receiver drawing so much attention is that the others get that much less.

Rookie wide receiver Titus Young, with his good hands and explosive running, has been one of the biggest beneficiaries. He’s averaging 14.5 yards per pass attempt and has rarely dropped a ball this season, acting as a great safety valve for Matthew Stafford. And, of course, when he’s as wide open as he was for his first touchdown of the season on Sunday, he’s a sure thing.

The Offensive Line Is the Key to the Lions' Offense

More common sense, perhaps, but the Lions are, by design, a pass-first offense. The better protection afforded Matthew Stafford, the more likely he’ll find someone open with the multitude of weapons at his disposal. On Sunday, he was given plenty of time in the pocket and had a great day because of it.

Needless to say, an effective passing game opens up lanes on the ground and the Lions were also pretty effective running the ball as well on Sunday. Despite the absence of starting running back Jahvid Best, Detroit ran the ball 28 times for a respectable 113 yards.

Stafford has some mobility, but it’s rarely utilized, as he loves throwing from the pocket. The better the line is at letting him stay there, the better the Lions are going to do.

The Denver Broncos Are Not a Very Good Football Team

This is an important lesson for the Lions to remember as well. Not to kick the Broncos while they’re down, but they aren't a playoff contender by any stretch of the imagination. This was by and large a game the Lions should have won.

While the margin was sizable and the Broncos were riding a wave of good emotion following the comeback win against the Dolphins, this win is nothing to get carried away with by itself. The Lions’ true test comes out of the bye week, with games at Chicago, vs. Carolina, and vs. Green Bay for the month of November. How well they’re doing after Week 12 will go much farther in showing what these Lions are really made of.