Garrett Seeks Second Win Against Detroit

Who can ever forget. It was the last day of 2006 and Dallas hosted the 2-13 Lions. Then, Jon Kitna was their quarterback and he was throwing to wide receiver Roy Williams.

Who can ever forget when Williams scored a touchdown and knocked the Dallas Star off of the sideline padding. The commentators talked about it for the rest of the game as Detroit slowly established an upset and left Dallas with a 39-31 win.

Well times are different now.

There is a new coach at Dallas and at Detroit. Kitna is instead leading the opposite team — the Cowboys. And it is an entirely different stadium then it was last time, though still in Dallas.

But there are some similarities. Williams is still one of Kitna’s targets and the Lions have two wins — just like they did last time.

And after tomorrow one more thing will either be different or the same — the winner.

Dallas is coming off of a huge win against the New York Giants. The Cowboys showed an explosive offense in Garrett’s first game and the defense played much more conservatively.

On the other hand, the Lions are coming off of another road loss against the Buffalo Bills, which was their 25th straight road loss. There are a few things that the Cowboys have to do to defeat the Lions. Most importantly, the offensive line has to step up.

Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is currently on pace to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. The kid is deathly.He poses an aggressive pass rush that may cause Dallas’s offensive line to jump, hold and do whatever else they can to protect Kitna.

Even more deadly, is that this week, Lions coach Jim Schwartz said they plan on using Suh in the outside linebacker position too to confuse the Cowboys’ offensive line. That could all be problematic.

However, if Dallas can win that battle up front on offense Kitna can do awesome things down field. The Detroit secondary is weak to say the least. They are all undersized and the Cowboy’s receivers should eat them up. Dez Bryant is more physical than all of them and so is Roy Williams.

Miles Austin is quicker and also bigger. Kitna can not hesitate to go down field to his X, Y and Z if he expects to beat the Lions. Those guys will be the key to big plays, and they will happen often on Sunday.

The Lions offensively have to use receiver Calvin Johnson. No one this season has had difficulty picking apart the Cowboy’s secondary. And when you have a receiver like Johnson, that means there is going to be a lot of big game through the air. Not only is Johnson needed, he is more preferable. The Lions run game won’t work .

Detroit is averaging 81 yards a game on the ground, which is the third worst in the NFL. Likewise, they are averaging 3.4 yards a carry, which is second worst.

What makes matters worse for Detroit is that if they fail to solidify a solid running presence then Dallas is relentlessly going to hunt the quarterback. Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer are going to alternate blitzing from each side.

And if the Cowboys bring the heat, the Cowboys will sack the quarterback — that is just how it works.

Hopefully for the Cowboys, the Lions either are forced to play a one dimensional and Dallas handles it well or we get another close game and the Lions shoot themselves in the foot like they always do. Either way expect this one to be a good one.

Who can ever forget. It was the last day of 2006 and Dallas hosted the 2-13 Lions. Then, Jon Kitna was their quarterback and he was throwing to wide receiver Roy Williams. Who can ever forget when Williams scored a touchdown and knocked the Dallas Star off of the sideline padding. The commentators talked about it for the rest of the game as Detroit slowly established an upset and left Dallas with a 39-31 win. Well times are different now. There is a new coach at Dallas and at Detroit. Kina is instead leading the opposite team — the Cowboys. And it is an entirely different stadium then it was last time, though still in Dallas.But there are some similarities.

Williams is still one of Kitna’s targets and the Lions have two wins — just like they did last time. And after tomorrow one more thing will either be different or the same — the winner. Dallas is coming off of a huge win against the New York Giants. The Cowboys showed an explosive offense in Garrett’s first game and the defense played much more conservatively.

On the other hand, the Lions are coming off of another road loss against the Buffalo Bills, which was their 25th straight road loss. There are a few things that the Cowboys have to do to defeat the Lions. Most importantly, the offensive line has to step up.

Detroit defensive end Ndamukong Suh is currently on pace to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. The kid is deathly. He poses an aggressive pass rush that may cause Dallas’s offensive line to jump, hold and do whatever else they can to protect Kitna.

Even more deadly, is that this week, Lions coach Jim Schwartz said they plan on using Suh in the outside linebacker position too to confuse the Cowboys’ offensive line. That could all be problematic.

However, if Dallas can win that battle up front on offense Kitna can do awesome things down field. The Detroit secondary is weak to say the least. They are all undersized and the Cowboy’s receivers should eat them up. Dez Bryant is more physical than all of them and so is Roy Williams.

Miles Austin is quicker and also bigger. Kitna can not hesitate to go down field to his X, Y and Z if he expects to beat the Lions. Those guys will be the key to big plays, and they will happen often on Sunday.

The Lions offensively have to use receiver Calvin Johnson. No one this season has had difficulty picking apart the Cowboy’s secondary. And when you have a receiver like Johnson, that means there is going to be a lot of big game through the air. Not only is Johnson needed, he is more preferable. The Lions run game won’t work .

Detroit is averaging 81 yards a game on the ground, which is the third worst in the NFL. Likewise, they are averaging 3.4 yards a carry, which is second worst.

What makes matters worse for Detroit is that if they fail to solidify a solid running presence then Dallas is relentlessly going to hunt the quarterback. Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer are going to alternate blitzing from each side. And if the Cowboys bring the heat, the Cowboys will sack the quarterback — that is just how it works.

Hopefully for the Cowboys, the Lions either are forced to play a one dimensional and Dallas handles it well or we get another close game and the Lions shoot themselves in the foot like they always do. Either way expect this one to be a good one.