Lions at Raiders: Ineptitude Personified

To get you ready for week 1, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the Detroit Lions/Oakland Raiders preview.

2006 Records: (Click names for 2007 preview)

Detroit Lions: 3-13 (4th in NFC North)
Oakland Raiders: 2-14 (4th in AFC West)

When the Lions have the ball: Big things are expected of this offense, and the Lions really have no one to blame but themselves for the hype. The Lions have a test, though, because the Raiders' defense is for really-real. They've got the personnel to shut down the Lions' run game, and I'm not sure Jon Kitna can carry this team.

When the Raiders have the ball: Who knows? I don't think anyone knows what to expect from the Raiders offense this year, except that they should be improved. Of course, how hard is it to improve on such a historically bad offense?

The Edge: The Raiders defense should be the difference. While it's hard to imagine their offense becoming prolific, the Lions have a pillow-soft defense and no secondary to speak of. Even the Raiders should have able to score on them, while I imagine it being much tougher for the Lions to find points.

Keep an eye on:

Another game - Because, really, who wants to watch this one?