Scanning the Savanna

Jim Schwartz is aware of the athletic success around him in Detroit.

These days, it’s hard to avoid. When WXYZ Sports Director Don Shane asked the Lions head coach if the Tigers recent accomplishments have an effect on him, Schwartz said the fans’ excitement carries over from team to team.

Which brings us to the Lions, who are second in the league in both points scored and points allowed. Bill Simmons fretted that too many people liked them as sleepers, but that’s a straw man. The Lions, hard as it may be to imagine, were full-fledged playoff favorites going into 2011.

What We Learned:

1.       Matthew Stafford can take a hit.  Even though the Chiefs did not register a sack…Stafford took quite a few big hits.  It was nice to see since Stafford ability has never been questioned…only his ability to stay healthy has been questioned.

Guess which NFL team currently has the best point differential. What’s that? You know it’s the Lions because they’ve already been mentioned above and doing that whole “I bet I can surprise you with this little fact/stat” routine is a hallmark of hacky sportswriting? Ah. Yes, that’s true. Still, LOOGIT ALL THOSE POINTS!