(Sports Network) — Flush with young talent, the Lions are nothing if not dangerous, as has been proven with a 26-plus points per game average that’s sixth-best in the league. The great majority of their 332.9 total yards per week have been through the air, with quarterbacks Shaun Hill, Matt Stafford and Drew Stanton accounting for at least 300 yards three times and 200 or better in three other games. Only twice, in losses to Philadelphia (Week 2) and Green Bay (Week 4), has Detroit reached triple-digit yards on the ground. Coming back from an early-season injury, Stafford returned last week to pass for 212 yards and four scores against the Redskins, raising his touchdown output to 11 in his last five games. Wideout Calvin Johnson was the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week after catching three touchdown passes from Stafford, and he’s tied for second in the league with eight scoring catches. Running back Jahvid Best leads all NFL rookies with 613 yards from scrimmage this season and is tied for the rookie lead with five touchdowns as well.
No team has surpassed 23 points in seven games against the Jets this season, with last week’s nine points allowed dropping the weekly average to 15.7 per game. That clip is second-best in the league, while the Jets’ yardage total of 303.7 per week is seventh overall. New York led the league in both categories last season. A Week 3 defeat of Miami saw the Dolphins record a season-high 352 passing yards, though no other foe has surpassed 240 on the Jets and two teams — including the Packers last week — were held below 200. The Jets have forced 14 turnovers and are tied for second in the AFC with a plus-7 turnover margin. Linebacker David Harris leads the team with 49 tackles (35 solo) and recorded his first sack of the season last week. Veteran end Shaun Ellis leads in that category with 3 1/2 of the team’s 15, while outside linebacker Jason Taylor has netted three. Taylor has also forced a pair of fumbles in his initial season with New York. End Vernon Gholston and linebacker Bart Scott are both natives of Detroit.