Falcons say no bad blood with Lions from last year
Posted by Josh Alper on December 18, 2012, 3:05 PM EST

Earlier this year, Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh drew the ire of Colts guard Mike McGlynn for appearing to celebrate after Suh’s block forced Colts tackle Winston Justice out of the game with an injury.

Suh denied that he was celebrating the injury, but it wasn’t the first time his reaction to an injured opponent led to heated words from one of the injured players’ opponents. Suh and Lions defensive end Cliff Avril got slammed by members of the Falcons last year for allegedly taunting Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan while he was hurt on the turf. The Lions players denied that and accused Falcons offensive linemen of playing dirty in an incident that would be forgotten the next month after Suh’s stomp on Thanksgiving Day against the Packers.

The Lions and Falcons meet in Detroit on Saturday night, which could be an opportunity to renew hostilities. The Falcons aren’t looking to stoke the flames, however. Coach Mike Smith said the incident “wasn’t a big deal” and said it would have no bearing on who wins this year’s game between the teams. Ryan also isn’t looking to revisit what happened last year.

“That’s a long time ago, and we’re a different football team right now; they’re a different football team,” Ryan said, via Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News. “I have no idea (what they said). I was just kind of collecting myself, trying to get myself back onto the field, so I have no idea.”

With the Falcons securing home-field advantage in the NFC with a victory, they probably don’t need to rehash something from more than a year ago to find motivation this week. The Lions might need some, though. They haven’t shown much motivation during the six-game losing streak they carry into this game.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... last-year/

Either unfortunately or fortunately, I'll be at work for this game. I predict we'll be in it til the end then find a way to lose.

MNF on Sat night? Yup, must be late December

Hmm, it would be a great time for the Lions to 'payback' Matt Ryan and the Falcons for their last visit to Ford Field

MNF on Sat night? Yup, must be late December

Hmm, it would be a great time for the Lions to 'payback' Matt Ryan and the Falcons for their last visit to Ford Field

Detroit Lions Four Downs: Team must limit mistakes against Atlanta Falcons
By Justin Rogers | jrogers@mlive.com
on December 21, 2012 at 8:45 AM,
updated December 21, 2012 at 8:48 AM

First Down: Play with pride
This has been a difficult season for the Lions, falling well short of expectations, but they owe it to the fans to close strong.

Beating the NFC's top team might be a tall order, but Detroit can't get blown out like they did last week against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Lions must maintain their focus, play hard for 60 minutes, and give the fans that paid admission their money's worth.

Second Down: Someone not named Calvin needs to step up
Calvin Johnson has been carrying the Lions offense like a backpack. He's responsible for nearly half of the team's receiving yardage over the past two weeks because no one else has stepped up to share the load.

Kris Durham, Mike Thomas, Tony Scheffler, even Brian Robiskie, someone from that group needs to make some plays against the Falcons if the Lions want any shot to pull off the upset.

Third Down: Next man up at cornerback
Lions cornerback Chris Houston has played well all season, but the Falcons have two elite wide receivers in Roddy White and Julio Jones. Detroit will need its other defensive backs to be at the top of their games, otherwise Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan could have a field day.

Fourth Down: Play a clean football game
The Falcons have thrived this season because they limit the number of mistakes they make on the field. Atlanta commits the fewest penalties in the NFL and they do a decent job protecting the football.

Detroit was sloppy in last week's loss to Arizona and can't afford to make the same mental mistakes again this week.

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/20 ... atlan.html