Broncos – Lions Preview

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Denver Broncos (3-4) @ Detroit Lions (5-2)

Sunday, November 4, 2007 at 11:00 AM MT
CBS 4 | KOA 850 AM | Sirius 121

Weather: N/A (Dome)

Injury Report: TBA Friday

Scoring Trend: Lions 24.2, Broncos 21.2

The Denver Broncos (3-4) take their first of 6 remaining road trips this Sunday as they travel to face the Detroit Lions (5-2) in Ford Field. The Broncos are looking to bounce back from a Monday Night Football Overtime loss of 19-13 to the Green Bay Packers, while the Detroit Lions are coming off a road win en route to sweeping last year’s NFC North Champion Chicago Bears. Both teams are one game behind their respective division leaders.

The Lions are one of the more surprising teams in the NFL this year, with the preseason prediction posed by quarterback Jon Kitna of a 10-6 season looking more and more likely with each win. On the other end of the spectrum are the Denver Broncos, who are struggling more than most people anticipated.

The Lions defense leads the league in takeaways, and the offense ranks among the highest scorers in the NFL. What once had to be considered a one-dimensional offensive attack has found balance with the return of running back Kevin Jones, who has over 180 yards in the past two games, including a 100-yard effort last week against the Bears.

The Broncos offense has been able to churn up yardage, but hasn’t been able to find the end zone. They will need to do that against the Lions in what could be a shootout, as the Broncos defense has struggled to stop the run all season (ranking dead last in the league).

Stats and notes that probably mean nothing: The Broncos own the NFL’s best record in games played directly after a Monday Night game, at 10-1. … They lead the Lions all-time 6-3-0, including 3-2 on the road. The teams have only played three times since 1990. … This will be Coach Shanahan‘s 200th career game as head coach in the NFL. … The Broncos are 10-2 on the road in November dating back to the 2000 season.

We’ll have much more on the surprising Lions, including breakdowns from around the web and our own thoughts on how to attack this defense and shut down their offense.