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Lions host Redskins still searching for first win

Oct 21, 2008 - 7:06 PM Washington (5-2) at Detroit (0-6), 1:00 pm EDT

DETROIT (Ticker) -- If the Detroit Lions aren't desperate for a win, they should be.

The Lions will try to avoid starting 0-7 when they host the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

Detroit, which has lost 13 of its previous 14 contests, faces a tough schedule for the rest of the season, and the possibility of an 0-16 season will seem possible with a few more losses in a row.

Over their last 10 games of the season, the Lions' opponents have a combined record of 41-26 - with each of those teams owning at least three wins.

Hoping to avoid comparisons to the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers - the only NFL team in the Super Bowl era to finish the regular season without a win - Detroit needs to put an end to the losing streak soon.

The Lions quickly dropped behind 21 points last Sunday en route to a 28-21 loss to the Houston Texans, who entered the contest with just one win on the season.

"I feel that there were some things that were a lot better this week than in other weeks," coach Rod Marinelli said. "I will have to go back and look at the tapes, but overall I feel that the progression of the team was a good one."

Detroit tried to mount a comeback behind Calvin Johnson, who hauled in a 96-yard TD reception and the ensuing two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 28-18.

Making his second career start, Dan Orlovsky passed for 265 yards and one score for the Lions, who surrendered 29 first downs and were dominated in time of possession. Detroit controlled the ball for less than 20 minutes.

Clinton Portis recorded his seventh rushing touchdown of the season as the Redskins defeated the Cleveland Browns, 14-11, last Sunday. Portis, who rushed 27 times for 175 yards, opened the scoring with a 3-yard run with 7:30 remaining in the third quarter.

Portis notched his fourth straight game of more than 120 rushing yards for the first time since Weeks 12-15 of the 2003 season, when he was with the Denver Broncos.

"They are playing excellent without the ball," Portis said of his teammates. "If you look at our team, it's structured that you never know who is going to get the ball. Somebody is going to have a big day and somebody's not."