The Detroit Lions need some kind of spark and it certainly is not coming from Matthew Stafford. As doubt rises over the quarterback's abilities this season along with the struggles of Calvin Johnson, the Lions need someone on offense to begin making plays as the team sits winless on the season. With Stafford under fire, the run game could get a lot of focus as Ameer Abdullah and Zach Zenner battle it out.
Overall the Detroit run game is struggling along with the rest of the offense. That is to be expected considering the team has yet to get a win. However, as they prepare to go up against the equally down Chicago Bears, the run game could be where the team puts their focus. The Chiefs had success against Chicago and the Lions hope to duplicate that. The question is who gets the nod and the most carries.
Zach Zenner earned the start in Week 5 and was generally unimpressive. He rushed for a quiet 30 yards while Ameer Abdullah struggled with fumbles and was benched. In his blog on the official Detroit Lions website, Abdullah stressed he is moving on and ready to start.
"We got the running game going a little bit," Abdullah said, via the team website. "But then obviously, I put the ball on the ground, twice, so I got pulled early. I didn't really get to play and show what we had in the game plan and what we had in the arsenal. I'm disappointed, especially in myself. But from this point on, I know what we can't do to win games, which is turn the ball over. That's everybody. We had minus six in the turnover battle. Anytime you're minus six you can't expect to win the game. It's definitely something as a team we need to improve on."
Abdullah, Zenner and Theo Riddick could be the keys to breaking the losing streak for the Lions. The trust in Stafford is starting to fall as the quarterback was benched in Week 5. He has yet to make anything happen with Calvin Johnson while Golden Tate has been quiet as well. Stafford still plans on letting the ball rip despite the benching as he made it clear his confidence has not been shaken this week. Head coach Jim Caldwell stressed his confidence in the quarterback.
"We had a couple of discussions, which you have to do," Caldwell said, via ESPN.com. "You better have some communication with that guy, particularly as a head coach with the quarterback. So he and I sat down and we talked. ... He'll be fine. You know everybody is different. You guys, better than most, know how tough Matthew is mentally. And Matthew [will] bounce right back."
According to MLive.com, the Lions would like a more even split with Abdullah and Zenner. If the team can get the run game going, the passing game will improve with Tate and Johnson. While Eric Ebron is still out, Tim Wright could be a fantasy sleeper pick with Corey Fuller also impressing.