Just as trade talk and hints that everyone was at risk of getting cut began to surface, the Detroit Lions got their first win of the season as they defeated the Chicago Bears 34-37 in overtime. The win came thanks to the connection between Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford as the two players shook off trade talk surrounding their names to put up a nice performance in Week 6.
Last week several news sources were reporting that if the Detroit Lions had any hope of improving, they needed to dump Johnson, Stafford or both players and get rid of salary cap commitments. Both Stafford and Johnson denied the idea they were heading anywhere by finally putting together a nice performance. The connection between the two players has been in doubt as the Lions were on a losing streak, but the Bears game ended that. Stafford tossed four touchdowns while Johnson had 166 yards including a touchdown and a handful of big plays.
"It was just something that we really put an emphasis on this week, and [I'm] glad we did," Johnson said, via ESPN.com. "[We] went downfield a couple times, had a lot more big plays than we had in the past, so those big plays, they lead to touchdowns."
According to Stafford, that was the Johnson he has been playing with his entire career. If the Lions are going to string together more wins, that connection must continue, especially with the run game struggling. Ameer Abdullah's value continues to drop as the running back deals with ball security issues. Abdullah has fumbled in four of five games this season. With Joique Bell out with injury, Abdullah has to fix the security issues.
"No, it was all on me," Abdullah said, via MLive.com. "The guy came up to me quick, I've got to be ready to adjust at any time. Shoot, it's just like the same story. I've got to look in the mirror and I've got to get this right."
Pressure is Abdullah as Zach Zenner's season is done. According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, the Lions have placed fullback Zenner on injured reserve after he suffered multiple cracked ribs and partially collapsed lung in the win over the Bears. Zenner was not a starter, but he was getting the plays as he was the second-leading rusher with 60 yards through five games. With the run game struggling that means Zenner is going to be missed. Theo Riddick will not get more touches while the team waits for Bell to be fully healthy.
The Lions are hopeful that the win over the Bears leads to some kind of momentum for the team. They face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7 for a very winnable game if Detroit can keep things moving. According to Lance Moore, the Stafford-Johnson connection is what opens the rest of the offense up and the team needs it to keep going.
"It opens up everything else," Moore said, via ESPN.com. "You know, when you have somebody who can take the top of the coverage off like that and make plays in traffic, it helps everything underneath. It gives everybody confidence that we can continue to do those things."
