Quarter Backs:
While Andy Dalton played better last week in Buffalo and has
a better completion percentage than Stafford (65.1% to 62.8%), Stafford has the
bigger arm and leads in every other category: TDs (12-8), INTs (4-6), yards
(1,772 – 1,552), rating (95.0- 87.2), and sacks taken (9-14).
Advantage: Lions
Running Backs:
Individually, the Lions have the best RB. Bush has 637
all-purpose yards and 3 TDs and he has only played in 5 of the Lions 6 games.
Combined, as much as I like the 1-2 punch of BJGE and Bernard, Bush and Bell
have combined for 1,059 all-purpose yards and 6 TDs compared to BJGE and
Bernard’s 742 all-purpose yards and 7 TDs. Bush and Bell are not only 1 and 2
in rushing yards, they are also the Lions 2nd and 3rd
best receivers (43 receptions, 506 yards, 2 TDs). Bush and Bell are both good
runners and receivers; BJGE and Bernard are both good runners, but BJGE offers
nothing in the passing game (2 receptions for 9 yards).
Advantage: Lions
Wide Receivers:
This game will feature 2 of the top 5 WRs in the game (CJ
and AJ) and should be very entertaining to watch. Before the season, I would
have given the Lions the edge, but with Burleson’s broken arm and Ryan Broyles
invincibleness, I have changed my tune. The Lions 2nd and 3rd
leading receivers are RBs (Bush and Bell), their 4th leading
receiver is injured (Burleson), and their 5th leading receiver,
though he has size (6’6” 216 pounds), has just 16 receptions for 215 yards and
goes by the name of Kris Durham. Who you ask? My point exactly. With the emergence
of Jones and Sanu last week, the Bengals have 2-3 “#2” WRs who are each better
than the Lions current #2.
Advantage: Bengals
Tight Ends:
The Bengals have the best 2 TE set in the NFL with Gresham
and Eifert combining for 43 receptions and 426 yards. The surprising thing is
that neither have a TD. The Lions, on the other hand, have 5 TDs from their TE
– all 5 coming from their 3rd string TE Joseph Fauria. While the
Lions do not use their TEs much, Fauria – at 6’7” - is a threat near the goal
line. He may only have 7 catches for 66 yards, but of his 7 catches, 5 are TDs.
However, though the Lions may be more likely to score with a TE, the Bengals
are more capable of hurting the Lions with their TEs.
Advantage: Bengals
Offensive Line:
While I have a tough time believing the Lions OL is comparable
to the Bengals OL, the stats tell me they are. In the passing game, the Lions
have given up just 9 sacks compared to the Bengals 14, and 5 of those came in 1
game (Packers). In the run game, both teams are averaging exactly 3.7 ypc. The
Bengals do have more yards, but that is simply a product of more attempts. Even
though the stats tell me they are even, my eyes tell me the Bengals OL is
better (slightly).
Advantage: Bengals
Defensive Line:
The Lions have 3 top 13 picks on their DL (Suh (2nd),
Ansah (5th), Fairley (13th)). The Bengals, on the other
hand, have 0 1st round picks along their line. It doesn’t seem to
matter much. The Bengals have the best (and deepest) DL in all of football, and
while the Lions have a DL chalk full of 1st round picks and big
names, their lofty draft status has not resulted in production. The Lions rank
29th against the run (124.8 ypg), 21st against the pass
(268.3 ypg) and 26th in sacks.
The Bengals, on the other hand, rank 10th, 9th,
and 7th in each of those categories respectively. The Lions DL may
get the press, but the Bengals DL gets the job done.
Advantage: Bengals
Line Backers:
This marks the 3rd week in a row the Bengals will
face one of the 4 players tied for the NFL lead in INTs (4). 2 weeks ago it was
Aqib Talib (NE), last week it was the rookie Kiko Alonso (Buff), and this week
it is another LB in 5 year vet DeAndre Levy. Levy will likely have a few
chances given the Bengals use of the 2 TE set, but the Lions other LBs are
nothing to be concerned about. The MLB (Tulloch) is 5’11” and would be a
favorable matchup to get Gresham or Eifert on, and their 3rd LB
(Palmer) has just 12 tackles. The Bengals on the other hand, have an all-around
stud in Burfict, a former defensive MVP (Harrison), and a MLB (Maualuga) who is
playing much better this year.
Advantage: Bengals
Corner Backs:
The Bengals have the advantage in skill, depth, and
surprisingly, health. Chris Houston and Rashean Mathis have been banged up and
not playing particularly well. Houston seems to be getting healthy, but Mathis
is still being limited with a groin injury. That is good news for the Bengals.
Also good news for the Bengals, it looks like they may have all their CBs this week.
The biggest issue for both of these secondarys will be the size difference
between the big receivers and short CBs.
Advantage: Bengals
Safeties:
For not having great safeties, the Bengals have found themselves
having the safety advantage quite often this year (maybe that tells you the
state of the safety position in the NFL). Iloka has played well and Reggie
Nelson is playing like Reggie Nelson plays. Quin and Delmas have 12 combined
INTs over their 10 combined years. Nelson alone has 17 over his 7 years. His could
be a big advantage on Sunday seeing that at least one of these guys will likely
need to cover Eifert or Gresham.
Advantage: Bengals
Kickers:
Both kickers have 2 misses in 2013: Nugent 8/10 and Akers
10/12. However, given Akers’ career success and the fact that Nugent is coming
off a bad (and nearly costly) miss last week, I am giving Akers the advantage
(even if Nugent did redeem himself in OT).
Advantage: Lions
Coaches:
Another spot the Bengals rarely have the advantage, but with
Schwartz having a 26-44 career record and a history with discipline problems
(himself and players), Lewis gets the advantage. If the Lions miss the
playoffs, Schwartz could find himself polishing his resume.
Advantage: Bengals
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