Match Info: Date: 27-09-2015, Time: 4:25 am, Watch Live on Fox
It's been a deflating start to the season for the Lions, who blew an 11-point lead to the San Diego Chargers in Week 1 and fell to the Minnesota Vikings, 26-16, last Sunday. Adrian Peterson ran all over the Detroit defense in his first home game since 2013, gaining 192 yards from the line of scrimmage.
But perhaps even more troubling for the Lions has been their offensive struggles. Franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford has four touchdowns and three interceptions through two games and has constantly been under duress. He took a number of nasty hits Sunday but is expected to play this week. Though Calvin Johnson has gotten his touches –– 12 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown so far –– this offense hasn't been as potent as Lions fans are accustomed to seeing.
One of the reasons for that is a patchwork offensive line, whose performance was so bad last week, left guard Manny Ramirez said he apologized to Stafford after the game. As Andrew Luck's performance last Monday night demonstrated, it's nearly impossible for a quarterback to perform well when he doesn't have any time to throw –– regardless of how good he is.
Manning's arm strength clearly isn't what it once was, but it seems as if some analysts may have written him off prematurely. After struggling at times in Week 1, Manning came back strong in the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs last Thursday night. His final drive was a thing of beauty, leading the Broncos down the field in less than two minutes to tie the game up at 24. Manning capped off the 10-play, 80-yard sequence with a 19-yard slant pass to Emmanuel Sanders, who caught it in the end zone untouched.
