Beyond the Superdome

Eleven months ago the Green Bay Packers became only the second franchise in the history of the NFL to win a Super Bowl crown having entered the playoffs as the number six seed.

Their victory was built on a balanced offense that could explode at any moment; an opportunistic defense – that accounted for 11 turnovers in four games and a consistent special teams performance.

On Saturday the Packers divisional foes Detroit will begin the same journey that Mike McCarthy’s men faced last January with the same intention – to lift the Lombardi trophy on February 5th in Indianapolis.

“This isn’t college bowl season where you’re getting a watch and a new warm-up suit and taking a tour in the chamber of commerce and it’s like a reward for the season,” as head coach Jim Schwartz said bullishly this week. “This is the tournament. This is the chance to win the championship, and that’s the only thing that’s important.”

But can the Lions really repeat what the Packers accomplished last season and be crowned Super Bowl XLVI Champions?

Well, their journey to the game would be no less arduous than the one Green Bay took last season.  First up for the Lions is a trip to the Superdome to face the red-hot New Orleans Saints, a team that they have already lost to on the prime-time stage at the start of December.

While the Saints are, at least with the bookmakers, double-digit favourites to win in the Superdome; the match-up has the same feel of last year’s divisional round game when the Packers travelled to the Falcons.

On that occasion Aaron Rodgers and the offense rolled into the Georgia Dome and scored 41 points on the Falcons defense and went the whole game without punting while the Packers defense forced four turnovers. It was Mike McCarthy’s statement game, the fixture which told the whole of the NFL that the Packers were the team to beat and it isn’t inconceivable that the Lions can do the same again this weekend.

Yes the Saints, and in particularly Drew Brees, are unbeaten at home this year but the Lions performances since the defeat in the Superdome have shown that Schwartz’s men can challenge Sean Peyton’s team.

Matthew Stafford is in outstanding form, having thrown 15 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions in the last month, and with the QB’s connection with Calvin Johnson flourishing – any defense will know it will be tough to stop the Lions.

But what will be even more encouraging for Lions fans is the composure that the University of Georgia product is playing with and his willingness to spread the ball across his receiving core. A QB rating of 106.5 in the last five weeks is just another sign that the 23 year old is ascending into one of the league’s elite passers.

While Stafford will need to continue to play at this level for the Lions to have a chance at the Super Bowl crown, the defense will need to step up and find a way to slow down Brees and the Saints explosive offense.  It won’t be easy – many teams have tried and many have failed this season – but Saturday will be the time Jim Schwartz, a so-called defensive guru, will earn his stripes.

Safety Louis Delmas’ return is a major boost to the secondary but the onus will be on the dynamic and physical front-seven to lead the charge and turn the game into a dogfight.

The signs aren’t promising with Saints offense, who have scored an average of 41.1 points and put up an average of 492.6 yards in their eight home games this season, going against a D that has surrendered on average 451.4 yards throughout December.

But if they can make New Orleans one-dimensional, i.e. stop the run, and harass Brees, which is certainly in the Lions capabilities they stand a chance.

A victory, which is unlikely, would still send the message that the Lions are dangerous and a divisional match-up against the Packers would be intriguing.  Green Bay may have been the better in the two previous occasions the teams have met this year but as many an expert will tell you the hardest thing to do is beat an opponent three times in one season.

That and the Lions know the Packers inside out and have already proved in one half of football on Thanksgiving that they can disrupt and slow down Aaron Rodgers and the offense.

However the hardest thing for the Lions will be that they have to do this away from the Motor City and win in two venues (Superdome and Lambeau) where they have already lost this season.  It will be a test of Schwartz and of his young team but as the Packers proved last season, it doesn’t matter what number seed you have next to your name – on the day anything can happen.