Enemy Intel: Jaguars vs Lions

Can the Jags get their first win in their black uniforms?  Source: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

"Editor’s Note: Being a part of the Fansided Network, we have the opportunity to interact with the other NFL sites that can give us insight into their teams.  Before each game we will be providing you with a quick questionnaire that the opposition’s site editor has provided us."

This week we have the opportunity to talk with Side Lion Report editor Zac Snyder who took the time to answer five questions for us here at B&T.

We’ll see how the Jags do against the Lions tomorrow but for some insight now, let’s get to the questions!

1)  Mike Thomas is with the Lions now, what is the team expecting to use him for?

It sounds like the Lions will use him to add the speed dimension that they are missing without Jahvid Best. I imagine they will look to use Thomas in a variety of positions on the field and put the ball in his hands in space. Opposing defenses have given the Lions a lot of room over the middle while protecting against the deep ball but the Lions haven’t been able to exploit that consistently. Mike Thomas may be able to change that.

2)  Obviously the Lions haven’t lived up to expectations based on last year, how can they make sure the second half of 2012 is better than the first?

Offensive consistency has been a big problem for the Lions. Too often they have done very little in the first three quarters only to explode in the fourth. Unfortunately that means they always seem to be playing from behind (they have trailed at the half in every game this year) so they haven’t made life easy on themselves. Stafford needs to be sharp out of the gate and his targets can’t be dropping passes like they have so far this year.

3)  Matt Stafford has been less consistent than he was last year but still has the ability to break open games, which receivers do you see him utilizing to beat the Jaguars defense on Sunday?

Calvin Johnson is always a threat and while it would be nice to see him have a big game, he is still valuable as a decoy. The underrated cog of the Lions’ offensive machine is Titus Young. He has struggled through most of the season but had a game filled with career highs last week. If Titus is able to put together another solid effort, watch out.

4)  The Lions are a highly unbalanced offense (first in pass attempts, 25th in rush attempts), will the running game even be a factor on Sunday?

There have been times this year where the Lions have shown a much greater commitment to the run than they have in the past. They still don’t run very often, but at 4.0 yards per carry on the year they have shown that they have some ability to run when they want to.

5)  How will the Jags/Lions game turn out?  Who will the MVP be?

The Lions will leave Jacksonville winners, I’m thinking with a final score somewhere around 30-16. It finally feels like the Lions are ready to put together a complete football game in all three phases of the game and the Jaguars are just the type of opponent to do that against. Simply put, the Lions are the better football team and will show it on Sunday. As for game MVP, it’s hard to pick against Matthew Stafford.

We’ll have to see if Zac’s prediction comes true or if the prediction I had will.

Go Jags!

– Luke N. Sims