OFFENSE:

On paper, the Vikings and the Lions are practitioners of the same defense - the Tampa 2. The Lions, however, are much more orthodox in their implementation of the scheme made popular by Tony Dungy during his days with Tampa Bay. Mike McCarthy's teams have basically shredded it in his time with the Packers. Although the running game will play a big part, McCarthy will throw a bit more this week than he did during the opener for two reasons.

• Positional Health

There is a very real chance that Ryan Grant will not be able to go this Sunday. That puts the running game in the hands of Brandon Jackson, who suffered a 'slight' concussion Monday night, and undrafted rookie Kreg Lumpkin. Meanwhile, the receiving corps will be getting James Jones back in the fold. A lot of attention has been paid to Rodgers' close relationship with Ruvell Martin (who is dealing with a nagging hand injury of his own) but what is less well known is that Jones spent the offseason catching passes from Rodgers out in California during the brief periods the two weren't in Green Bay for the offseason program. (You may not have noticed, but on the touchdown where Jones lost his helmet, Driver is the primary read - Rodgers looks that way and then goes backside to Jones) With a full complement of receivers, and playing in the weather-less confines of Ford Field (which was not even sold-out until yesterday, and by all counts will have as many Packer fans in attendance as Lions fans) look for McCarthy to use a few more multiple receiver sets. These groupings will allow him to flood the targeted zone on either side of the field and take apart the Tampa 2 in 5 to 7 yard bits and pieces. However, no matter who the tailback is, the Packers will still play this on the conservative side and try to run the Lions out of their two deep shell until they are forced to bring a safety down on first down. When that happens, look for McCarthy to try to get Jennings isolated on left corner Brian Kelly, who is a decent corner, but who has limited speed with no chance of keeping up with Jennings one on one on the perimeter. Which brings us to...

• Personnel Matchups On the Perimeter

Yes, this Lions team is terrible. Everywhere. Yes, the Packers will pound the football between the tackles much more than they did against the Vikings. (The best way to break the Tampa 2 is to shove the football down its throat.) But McCarthy recognizes his biggest advantage is on the outside where he will have Driver, Jennings and Jones going up against what is simply a horrible secondary. Despite the 'patching' the Lions did over the offseason, they have a secondary filled with rookies and journeyman that run a particular scheme in a particular environment that just matches up perfectly for the Packers. I mean, Rodgers might not break Favre's Packer consecutive completion record, but only because he won't need to throw very much. Just a little bit more than last week because it will be the easiest way to move the ball - the Lions simply won't have an answer for the Packers deep receiving corps.

DEFENSE:

Calvin Johnson. He's the entire hope for the Lions in this game. Jarrett Bush handled him in the first Lions game last year, after Woodson left the game due to a toe injury. It's indicative of how poorly Johnson was playing last year - Jarrett Bush not only covered him, but covered him very well. This year will be a different story.

• Woodson/Harris vs. Johnson/Williams

The Packers are lucky that Roy Williams is still considered the #1 wide receiver for the Lions - it means that Al Harris will be assigned to him leaving the much more talented Johnson for Woodson. As I've said before, I think it's folly that Woodson is not considered the number one corner, but what do I know. As stated above, Johnson is the best hope the Lions have of doing much of anything against the Packers. His performace last week was solid, if not spectacular, with most of his damage coming after the Falcons had taken a huge lead and started giving the Lions a lot of real estate underneath. Last year at Ford Field, the Lions offense moved pretty well between the 20's but kept breaking down in the red zone, mostly because the deep crosses Martz liked to use to rub safeties off coverage were taken away, leaving nothing but a crowded box for two admittedly talented receivers to work against a jammed in secondary filled with up to six defensive backs. Look for the Lions to try a much more smash-mouth brand of football down towards the endzone this year. Which brings us to...

• Pickett/Jolly vs. Raiola/Ramirez

Everything the Lions want to do this season on offense can be directly tied to the interior of their offensive line. The Lions want to pound the football between the tackles and pick their spots down field in the passing game and then play tough defense. Basically, they want to be the 2003 Panthers. It's not a terrible brand of football to aspire to - the problem is the Lions don't have near the right personell to implement their plan. Center Dominic Raiola is not a mauler. He's a quick, tough tactictian who can win battles with his smarts and his quick hands. New starting right guard Manny Ramirez is a classic mauler. The kid has not seen much action outside of preseason, but when given the chance to play, he has displayed impressive brute force, if a complete lack of fundamentals. Johnny Jolly and Ryan Pickett need to make life miserable for these two, especially on first down. The line of scrimmage gets a lot of lip service, but rarely do we acknowledge what a nasty place it is. This is a game where Pickett in particular must impose his will early and never allow the Lions any breathing room inside. If the Lions can start picking up yardage up the middle in chunks, it will be a feeding frenzy, with both rookie Kevin Smith and newly acquired Rudi Johnson leading the charge. The Packers need to starve the interior of oxygen and force the Lions to run outside, where AJ Hawk and Nick Barnett can easily make plays toward either sideline.