Lions taking care of business

Watch out for the Detroit Lions — they’re showing clear signs of potential.

There was much talk about ‘having been here before’ and the preseason not counting toward anything other than warming up. But now the regular season is upon us, and two games into it the Detroit Lions are undefeated. After welcoming Kansas City to Ford Field this past Sunday, the Lions walked off the field 48-3 victors.

Detroit’s winning streak dates back to last season, having finished the last four games with wins against playoff-contending teams. The 2011 season has carried some of the same vibe, but there was something completely different going on here — so much that it was made of historic proportions.

A 45-point margin over Kansas City is the largest in franchise history. Sure, it was largely due to six Kansas City turnovers. But what you do with the ball when the offense gives it to you counts as well and the Lions made the Chiefs pay every time.

By the way, quarterback Matthew Stafford? He’s still standing. No medics required.

Stafford finished his precision against the Chiefs — in the third quarter, no less — 23 of 39  for 294 total yards. The last 15 minutes of the game were so far out of reach for Kansas City that head coach Jim Schwartz let Shaun Hill have a turn. He finished 1 of 1 for 28 yards.

I haven’t mentioned the other big kahuna Calvin Johnson. To give the rest of the receivers credit, Johnson didn’t have the biggest game (3 catches for 29 yards). Nate Burleson had the best game, with seven catches for 93 yards. The rookie Titus Young wasn’t far behind with five catches for 89 yards.

Detroit’s running game wasn’t big, but it didn’t have to be. Javid Best carried 16 for 57 yards and Keiland Williams carried nine times for 25 yards.

While the offense was only mediocre in this game, the success in this match-up was mainly due to the Lions’ defense. The Chiefs scored only once in the first quarter…and it was only a field goal. Detroit never let them into the end zone. As with the offense, it wasn’t the big names doing the work. Rookie (or, not so much anymore) defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh had only one sac and two hits on the quarterback. But it was the pressure applied that counted and forced the Chiefs to turn the ball over.

The bottom line here is the Lions mean business. It’s early in the season and anything could happen the rest of the way. But it’s the determination and faith that seem to be different from last year. They believe in their coaching staff and they believe in themselves. If the Lions can continue playing this way they’ll be a serious threat for the playoffs.