• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Lions look to keep pressure on Packers in NFC North

Nov 4, 2007 - 11:54 AM Denver (3-4) at Detroit (5-2) Sunday 1:00 pm EDT

DETROIT (Ticker) - After six straight seasons of double-figure defeats, the Detroit Lions enter November in the thick of the NFC playoff race.

With Kevin Jones leading an improved running game, the Lions look to stay close to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North when they host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

At 5-2, the Lions are only one game behind the Packers. Detroit hosts Green Bay on Thanksgiving, then visits Lambeau Field in the regular-season finale.

With a victory on Sunday, the Lions will double last season's win total (3-13). They have not won more than six games since going 9-7 in 2000, their last winning season.

Last week, a healthy Jones rushed for 105 yards on 23 carries in a 16-7 victory over the Chicago Bears.

It was the first 100-yard game of the season for Jones, who missed Detroit's first two contests while recovering from offseason foot surgery.

"We didn't even know we were going to have (Jones) at all this year," Lions quarterback Jon Kitna said. "To have him and to have him play at the high level he's playing at it, it's great for our team. It's a big boost to have him back."

Jones will look for more success against a Broncos' team that has had trouble stopping the run all season. Denver ranks last in rushing, yielding 166 yards per game.

Even the Packers, who have abandoned the run for most of the season, had success on the ground against the Broncos on Monday. The Packers ran for 105 yards - above their season average of 71.3 yards - in their 19-13 overtime victory.

Denver, which has won its three games on last-play field goals by Jason Elam, pulled off more dramatics against the Packers as Elam kicked a 21-yard field goal as time expired in regulation.

However, Denver was in position to win, failing to convert a 2nd-and-1 at the Packers 4. Jay Cutler threw an incomplete pass on second down, then was stopped for no gain on third down. With no timeouts, the Broncos scrambled to get Elam on the field before time expired.

The Packers won the toss to start overtime and Brett Favre burned the Broncos with an 82-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings on the first play of the extra period.

Now, Denver has the difficult task of trying to hand Detroit its first loss of the season at home.

The Lions are 3-0 at Ford Field, where they will play three of their next four four games. They play at Arizona next week, then host two of the NFC's elite teams in the New York Giants and Packers.