I'm still giddy over last night's win, but I thought I'd start some discussion on the upcoming Sunday match up.
Detroit lost to the Falcons on Sunday, who were led by rookie Matt Ryan. Ryan played well, completing 9 of 13 passes for 161 yards and 1 TD. Obviously, being a rookie, Ryan's play book was reeled in a bit, but in his first start he wasn't bad.
Running backs Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood did most of the heavy lifting for the Atlanta offense. Turner ran for 220 and 2 TDs, and Norwood provided 93 yards and a TD. Essentially, the Lions D was run over, around and through, leaving nothing but a greasy spot on the floor of the Georgia Dome.
The offense of the Lions was mostly successful through the air. Kitna threw 22 passes for for 262 yards and 2 TDs. He also had an interception and was sacked by John Abraham 3 times.
Detroit's rushing offense still pines for Barry Sanders, as their top runner, Kevin Smith, managed 48 yards on 16 carries. He did provide one TD however. Rudi Johnson, in his Lion debut, carried 3 times for 14 yards.
Stacking the Lions against the Packers, it will be interesting to see how Ryan Grant and co fair against the Lions run defense. If Turner and Norwood can do what they did, I'll be interested in seeing what Mike McCarthy has cooked up.
Aaron Rodgers, of course, will be one to watch as well. The last time Green Bay fans were able to watch a quarterback mature, was a long long time ago. I hope that Rodgers displays more of the same play that he had on Monday night and last year's game against the Cowboys.
I really hope that Rodgers doesn't have the same tendency to go nuts in a dome like Favre did. Say what you will about Favre outdoors, when he stepped into a dome, he just seemed out of his element. Last season in Dallas, Rodgers played fine in a stadium that's half-dome and half-not. I hope he displays the same tenacity in Detroit.
"I wouldn't root for the Minnesota Vikings to win a chess match against Nazi Germany."