Scanning the Savanna

With the as-yet-undefeated Detroit Lions set to face the Chicago Bears in a much-anticipated matchup Monday, Oct. 10, leadership of the Detroit Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago are getting in on the friendly rivalry.

The Detroit Tigers are playing in Game 5 of the American League Divisional Series tonight against the New York Yankees. The Detroit Lions are off to a 4-0 start.

The city and state are excited about their sports teams.

And the Detroit Red Wings, who open the regular season Friday at home against the Ottawa Senators (7 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit) hope to be part of that buzz.

Now, as the team prepares for a home field Monday night date with the Chicago Bears, confidence is at an all time high. Not only will the Lions grace Sports Illustrated’s cover this week, they also crack the the top five in all the major power rankings. You’re not dreaming. Football is back in Detroit, and in a huge way.

On a team that includes young stars such as Matthew Stafford and Ndamukong Suh, Pettigrew is coming into his own.

The 26-year-old tight end has started to produce exactly as the Lions expected when they took him a few picks after Stafford in 2009.

“It’s going to be like an NFC Championship Game,” Detroit receiver Nate Burleson said.

You can hardly blame the 4-0 Lions, who, even more than the Detroit Tigers, have been linked to the city’s civic and sports renaissance. Winners of eight straight games going back to the end of the 2010 season, the Lions are heady with success while at the same time cognizant of the slow building process that has taken place since the ouster of former general manager Matt Millen three years ago and the promotion of Martin Mayhew in December 2008.