Five things to watch as the Detroit Lions face the Jaguars

Detroit Lions running back Theo Riddick (25) gets a block from teammate Eric Ebron (85) as he runs from Minnesota Vikings free safety Harrison Smith (22) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

By Paula Pasche | The Oakland Press

PUBLISHED: November 19, 2016 at 11:17 a.m. | UPDATED: June 17, 2021 at 6:37 a.m.

In his eighth season in Detroit, Matthew Stafford has seen good and bad with the Lions.

While it appears the 5-4 team is on a roll and has its best chance of getting to the playoffs since they went in 2011, Stafford does not see it that way.

“We’re just trying to work hard and find a way to win this week, that’s our goal. I’ve honestly, to tell you the truth, I’ve been through all sorts of ups and downs with this team in this League. The best thing I can do for our chances is focus week to week, and play as well as I can this game.”

Sunday’s game against the lowly 2-7 Jaguars looks like a lock for the Lions to win.

Stafford and his teammates will not take the Jaguars lightly.

Five things to look for as the Lions face Jacksonville on Sunday at Ford Field:

1. Stafford has proven he’s tough over and over again. The quarterback should be rested and ready following the bye week. Even though he won’t say so, perhaps this game will give the Lions their best chance to win a game by more than one touchdown. In all five wins he’s led a fourth-quarter comeback that pushed the Lion over the top.

2. The run game has room for improvement. They should make the most of playing againt the Jaguars run defense which is ranked 29th i the NFL allowing 124 rushing yards per game. The Lions will stick with the run. “I think it’s beneficial from the perspective of being able to play-action, from the perspective of having the threat of the run, but at the end of the day we’d like to have success with the run,” offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. “We’d like to have a very efficient run game that’s kind of consistently producing positive results and occasionally producing big plays. That’s the ideal.”

3. Darius Slay will return after being out for two games. His presence is huge especially against a quarterback like Blake Bortles. There’s a chance that linebacker DeAndre Levy will play after missing eight games. Again, his return could light a fire under the defense which has been inconsistent.

4. The Jaguars have trouble holding onto the ball. They’ve got 19 giveaways which is tied for 29th in the NFL. The Lions must take advantage of this. “That’s an area that like anything, we’re always trying to get the ball back for our offense. We’re always trying to get turnovers, and it’s like anything. If you struggle in an area you try to attack that team’s weakness,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “We struggle in certain areas and teams attack us, so we’re going to do the same. We’re going to try to make sure that we do some things to cause some turnovers somehow, some way. We think it gives our team an advantage.”

5. Watch Eric Ebron to see if he can continue his red-hot streak from the last two games. The tight end had seven catches for 92 yards in the last game and seven catches for 79 yards. “He continues to improve. I think that was one of the things that we kind of talked about before the season. How was he going to perform better than the previous years? I think he’s almost doubled his catches each of those years, he’s performing better,” Caldwell said. “Still young yet in the season but what he does for you, is certainly teams that want to roll up on the outside and stop your two guys on the outside, there’s an individual component on the inside.”