Detroit Lions vs Pittsburgh Steelers: What to watch for in week 8

After a horrible loss in week six and a bye, the Detroit Lions are back in action. Let’s look at some things to focus on throughout the game.

Week six was not a good look for the Detroit Lions. The line looked awful and subsequently, made Matthew Stafford have his worst game in a long time. Hopefully, the bye week helped so this Sunday doesn’t look like a bloodbath.

This week the Lions take on the high-octane offense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have had a weird week in the locker room due to Martavis Bryant and his disagreements with the team, but other than that they are looking strong again. So with that, let’s look into some keys for Sunday’s game.

1. Was the bye week good or bad?

Two things happen coming off a bye week. One is that the team is refreshed, has a perfected game plan, and really takes advantage of the other team being beat up. The other is that the team comes out of the gates pancake flat.

I fear that the Lions may have the latter of the two scenarios, and against the Steelers, you can’t have that. Their offense is way too good to not put up points and put them up early and often. The Lions may be the comeback kings, but as we all saw in week 6 against the New Orleans Saints, the deficit can sometimes be too deep.

2. Who do the Lions key in on

The Steelers have two of the best playmakers in football, both of which with some Michigan backgrounds. Le’veon Bell and Antonio Brown both played college ball in the state (Michigan State and Central Michigan) so I feel like they are going to get more cheers than most opposing players do.

Sometimes all a player needs is a little confidence boost to really get themselves going in a game. And those college fans, plus Steelers fans being known for traveling to away games could cause a problem.

So it’ll be interesting to see if the Lions try to stop (or just slow down) one of the two. My bet would be they do everything they can to stop Bell hoping the secondary can do a decent job containing Brown. Luckily, these two rely on Roethlisberger to get going. So if he can be pressured, their offense will struggle.

3. Does Golden Tate play?

Golden Tate left week 6 with an injury to his shoulder. This injury was supposed to keep him sidelined for a few weeks, but now it sounds like he might be playing on Sunday. If this is the case it’ll be interesting to see how well he can play, or if his shoulder is giving him problems throughout.

I don’t think Tate will play if he doesn’t feel like he would help the team. But also he seems to be the toughest guy on the team after this one. This show of leadership might hype the rest of the team up. Playing through an injury can be dangerous, but also inspiring to teammates. Honestly, wouldn’t surprise me to see him out there if am arm fell off. I still think he would make plays then.

Next: 10 keys for a Lions win over the Steelers

If Tate doesn’t play or last throughout the game I think this would mean we all get to see Jace Billingsley for the first time. The undrafted Lions cult hero has shown ability in preseason but has been stashed on the practice squad since last season. If he gets a shot to see the field, I’m sure he’s going to make the most of it.