Behind Enemy Lines: Getting to know the Lions from the other side of the fence

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions will square off in Week 8 on Sunday Night Football, and to get ready for the upcoming game, I was able to ask Chris Perfett of Pride of Detroit, SB Nation’s Lions website, a few questions.

You’ll get a kick out of these answers:

Matthew Stafford has always been one of my favorite QBs to watch. Heck of an arm, and a ton of guts. Does Stafford have the weapons and the offensive line to allow him to be as good as he should be?

I think if you get sacked five times against the New Orleans Saints you're probably not allowed to talk about the offensive line being in your favor. Stafford has plenty of weapons, good depth around the receivers, but nothing has really come together this year just yet like it did in 2016. He's still throwing for a good number of yards, but his completion rate isn't the steady boat it was before. Could just be a rough start, and again this offensive line isn't helping. He's getting pressured too hard, too early and taken down too often. But I also see the offensive scheme trying to do things it really wasn't in 2016, so there's plenty going on that could result in Stafford not shining as bright as his big round head usually does. However, I'm not ready to panic in full just yet about his play.

What is the strength of this Lions football team?

Heartaches, panic attacks and sweat-drenched fear. The secondary is pretty good too but they can still get beat now and then. Darius Slay is an excellent corner, and Glover Quin's return from concussion protocol is a sign of optimism for many fans.

On the flip side, what are the weaknesses of this Lions football team?

I've seen harder working turnstiles at Detroit People Mover stations than this offensive line. All you can do is hope they get it together.

With the Lions being an NFC team, give Steelers fans a player fans may not know, but could play a big role on the team?

The surprising producer this year at defensive end is not Ezekiel Ansah, but second-year Anthony Zettel, who likes to tackle trees (not hyperbole). Zettel is versatile, taking advantage of pressure to get a sack or two per game, but also able to drop back into coverage and break up passes. I think most fans had written off Zettel before the preseason, but he's really turned that narrative around. Considering in the past the Lions had a black hole on the edge opposite of Ansah, he's got my nod. Jarrad Davis at linebacker is good too but he was the first-round pick so I think more people know him.

How do you see this game playing out at Ford Field, and what is your prediction?

Very carefully.