The Weekend Spotlight - Week 16 Edition - 2011

All I want for Christmas is a WIN in week 16!

Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to the week 16 edition of YOUR Weekend Spotlight!  I am your host, KDawg.  This installment of your weekly WS will feature THE must win game of the season, between the Detroit Lions and the San Diego Chargers, at home in Detroit, MI, at Ford Field.  I am going to greatly shorten this week's post, as Santa is coming to our house one day early (my wife has to work on Christmas Day), and there is still a lot to do in order to be ready for him!  Last week's heart attack win over the Oakland Raiders left the Lions with a regular season record of 9-5.  The Chargers are 7-7 on the season, and while they have certainly been on fire lately, finally looking like the team that many expected them to be, they have also had their low moments this year.  With just 2 games left of the regular season, not only are the Lion's are playing to keep their playoff hopes alive, but they are also playing to CLINCH a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 1999!  With one more win the Lions will do just that, and I think most people will agree that their best chance for one more win is this week, when they face the Chargers, rather than next week when they will face the Packers for the 2nd time.  I will once again reveal to you who my picks for key players are, on the Lion's offense and defense, for another Lion VICTORY!  However, as I said, I am going to keep the logic and explanations brief this time, but I will still make a final prediction at the end.  Read on, after the jump...

THE SKINNY:
Lion's offensive rankings: #9 total offense (380.1 ypg), #5 passing (282.8 ypg), and #28 rushing (97.4 ypg).


Charger's defensive rankings: #11 total defense (327.6 ypga), #6 passing (201.5 ypga), and #21 rushing (126.1 ypga).   
Lion's defensive rankings: #18 total defense (354.6 ypga), #12 passing (218.8 ypga), #27 (135.8 ypga).


Charger's offensive rankings: #7 total offense (390 ypg), #6 passing (272.6 ypg), and #15 rushing (117.4 ypg).


On paper this looks like a matchup for the ages, as the Chargers are slightly better than the Lions at running the ball, the Lions are slightly better at passing the ball, and the Chargers have a defense that is slightly better than Detroit's all the way around (statistically).  What I see coming is a shootout, and the team that wins will be the team that made the fewest mistakes.  The Lion's ultimate keys to victory here are going to be playing a well disciplined game, winning the turnover battle, executing efficiently and effectively on offense, and limiting explosion plays on defense while putting a lot of pressure on Rivers and forcing him to make mistakes.


Here are this week's injury reports, for informational purposes only:

Detroit Lions Week 16 Injury Report
POS.	NAME	INJURY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	STATUS
S	Louis Delmas	Knee	DNP	DNP	DNP	Doubtful
DT	Corey Williams	Hip	DNP	DNP	DNP	Questionable
DT	Nick Fairley	Foot	DNP	DNP	LP	Questionable
CB	Aaron Berry	Shoulder	LP	LP	LP	Doubtful
CB	Don Carey	Concussion	DNP	DNP	LP	Probable
DE	Willie Young	Ankle	LP	DNP	LP	Probable
S	Chris Harris	Concussion	DNP	LP	FP	Probable
T	Gosder Cherilus	Hamstring	DNP	LP	FP	Probable
CB	Chris Houston	Knee	LP	LP	FP	Probable
DE	Kyle Vanden Bosch	Neck	DNP	LP	FP	Probable
LB	Justin Durant	Hamstring	FP	FP	FP	Probable
DE	Lawrence Jackson	Thigh	FP	FP	FP	Probable
G	Rob Sims	Shoulder	FP	FP	FP	Probable
RB	Kevin Smith	Ankle	FP	FP	FP	Probable
S	Amari Spievey	Knee	FP	FP	FP	Probable

San Diego Chargers Week 16 Injury Report
POS.	NAME	INJURY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	STATUS
WR	Vincent Jackson	Groin	DNP	DNP	DNP	Questionable
LB	Travis LaBoy	Knee	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
DT	Antonio Garay	Toe	DNP	LP	LP	Questionable
LB	Donald Butler	Foot	LP	FP	FP	Probable

I'm not going to go into much depth here.  I'll just say, "There it is.  The Lions are a lot more banged up than the Chargers, but I am confident that the guys we do have healthy can get the job done."


KEY PLAYERS:
Offensively, the Lions are going to have to put it all on the line this week.  As such, there are no two other players to name here in my mind, other than Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson.  All season long I have said that Matthew Stafford is ALWAYS the key player on the Lion's offense, and this game is no different in my mind.  If Stafford is in the game and plays poorly, but does not get injured (I certainly do not foresee him getting benched for ANY reason), then Calvin Johnson can't do anything.  If Calvin Johnson is in the game, and does not get injured, then certainly he is always a threat, and key to the success of the Lion's offense.  However, if he gets hurt or is double and tripled teamed, as long as Stafford brings his A game, we have plenty of other weapons.  That is why I have to go with the young gunslinger in this one...Matthew Stafford will be the key player for the Lions this week.


Defensively, the Chargers will test the Lions in all different aspects in this game.  They will run up the middle, they will run outside, they will pass over the middle and test our linebackers and safeties, they will test us in the flats, on crossing routes, on screens, and they will test us deep.  The Chargers, led by Norv Turner, are going to try everything once, just to see where the Lions are the weakest.  Then, once they find it (hopefully if, but I'd be a liar if I said I thought they wouldn't), they will keep going back to that well until either we stop it, or it runs dry.  They have a 1000 yard back in Matthews, a power back in Tolbert, a solid QB in Rivers, an All Pro TE in Gates, and a questionable Vincent Jackson among other receivers that can be hot or cold.  Clearly they have a pretty well rounded offensive line as well, as they are #6 and #15 in passing and rushing respectively.  The key to stopping, and beating, the Chargers is simple.  The Lions must rattle Phillip Rivers, and they must stop the run.  Rattle Rivers, and the game is half won.  Stop the run and you will dominate.  As such, I am going to say that the entire defense is going to have to play an excellent game, but the key player will be Cliff Avril.


PREDICTION:
This is it Lion's fans.  This is the moment we have all been waiting for since 1999.  The Lions are going to come into Ford Field tomorrow, and they are going to be ON FIRE.  The Lions are going to jump out to an early lead on the Chargers, and the crowd is going to be going NUTS.  The Lions will use that to their advantage, and pull off another close win.  Final score 31-28, LIONS WIN and clinch a playoff spot for the first time in over a decade.


I want to thank all of you who read this post.  As always, I hope the refs do not beat us, and I hope that the Lions play a well disciplined game.   This has been KDawg, and you have been reading the week 16 edition of the Weekend Spotlight!  Happy Football Sunday ladies and gentlemen, and GOOOOOOOOOO LIOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNSS!!!!!