Detroit
Lions

But the Browns have scored only five offensive touchdowns all season, worst in the NFL, and have scored six points or fewer in six of their last eight games. In a 16-0 loss to Baltimore on "Monday Night Football," they didn't take shots down the field.

"Well, they're going to take them against us," defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said. "I would, after what we went through there, and then the Green Bay game we had the same problem. They're going to throw the ball up against us. I know they will."

Cunningham knows there are two sides to this story. Whenever the Lions face another weak team, it seems like they finally have a chance to win. But the opposite is also true. Several teams have fixed their problems against the Lions in recent history. The latest was St. Louis, which snapped a 17-game losing streak Nov. 1 with a 17-10 victory at Ford Field.

The Lions are only the second team in NFL history to lose 31 out of 33 games, after the 1982-84 Houston Oilers. They can't afford to take anyone lightly -- not even the Browns.

So how can the Browns hurt them? It starts with running back Jamal Lewis. He isn't the same player he once was with the Ravens. He isn't the Rams' Steven Jackson, who hurt the Lions badly. But he's more than capable of making the Lions look bad.

"He's one of my favorite backs of all time," said Cunningham, the Titans' linebackers coach from 2001-03. "We played him in a playoff game my last year in Tennessee. We handled him pretty good. I hope he doesn't get mad about that so we can handle him. He's still a good back."

Then there is Joshua Cribbs. Assuming Cribbs plays after being carted off Monday night, he can burn the Lions' struggling coverage units on returns or make plays from the Wildcat formation.

"I may be an older guy, but I remember everything in college," Cunningham said. "To me, what it is, is just the option. It's the option, and you've just got to understand the rules. The problem is, you've got to get ready for it and you've got to spend a lot of time on it and make sure the players are on the same page."

The Browns' defense could present a much stiffer challenge than their offense. Led by former Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, the Browns got after Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco on Monday night. Rob Ryan's group can plug gaps and cause a lot of havoc.

Not good for a Lions offense coming off a rough outing against the Vikings, when rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford was harassed, hurried and hit all game long.

"It's going to be a slugfest," Stafford said. "We're going to get two yards a run, one yard a run, three -- just little chunks. Then maybe we can bust one. You've got to pick your spots. They're a good, sound defense. They're big up front. They can stop the run and get after the passer, too."

SERIES HISTORY: 18th regular-season meeting. Lions lead series, 13-4. These teams met four times in the NFL Championship Game in the 1950s, with Lions winning three out of four. But the glory has long faded, and now they mostly meet every preseason to play for a trophy of a sunken ship, the Edmund Fitzgerald.

--Schwartz remains bullish on the Lions, especially rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford, despite the 1-8 start. "We drafted very well this year," Schwartz said. "We're very confident that we have a quarterback that's going to lead us into the future and is going to be very, very successful in this league, and that's a huge part of the equation. ... I've been encouraged by the way things have been going. We're very determined to get this thing turned around. It's going to take commitment from everybody. It's not just players. It's not just coaches. It's not just front office or everybody. It's an entire organization. We're on the right track. It hasn't shown in the win column, and that's the most important thing. But I'm confident that it will soon."

--Does Browns defensive tackle Shaun Rogers want to return to the Lions, who traded him in 2008? Former Browns defensive tackle Shaun Smith said so when he joined the Lions during training camp, and Rogers didn't shoot that down. "I just want to play football in the NFL," Rogers said. "That's been my dream and my goal. That's what I continue to strive to do, to play well in this league, wherever I'm at." Told that wasn't a no, he said: "That's not a yes." Told he wasn't denying it, he said: ""I'm not denying that I want to play this game in the NFL with any franchise that would love to have me." The reason Rogers left Detroit is that former coach Rod Marinelli soured on him. The Lions have gone 1-24 since his departure. "I guess it wasn't all me, then," Rogers said.

--Center Dominic Raiola knows what he's up against when he faces Rogers. The Lions drafted them both in the second round in 2001 -- Raiola 50th overall, Rogers 61st. Raiola battled Rogers in practice for seven years, until the Lions traded Rogers in 2008. "It's going to be fun," Raiola said. "I watch film. I see how guys block him. It's going to be a good matchup." Raiola won't go it alone, though. "Obviously we'll try to do as much double-teaming as we can within the scheme that we're trying to run, but we're always aware of where he is because he's a one-man wrecking crew," offensive line coach George Yarno said. "He's a really large human being that can move like a linebacker, and that combination doesn't come along very often. He's going to be someone we have to deal with, no question."

BY THE NUMBERS: 8 -- Defensive backs the Lions have added since Sept. 4, when they acquired safety Ko Simpson in a trade with Buffalo. The latest is DeAndre Smith, signed off Chicago's practice squad to replace safety Marquand Manuel, on injured reserve with a shoulder problem.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I thought it was 800. I guess it's eight." --Defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham on the number of defensive backs the team has added since Sept. 4.

"We're going to see him back on the field on Sunday in a lot of different roles," coach Jim Schwartz said. "He's multidimensional. He can play outside at corner. He can play nickel. He could also play safety, and we have some injuries. He may have to play a lot of different roles for us."

Asked if Henry would play safety, defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said: "Yeah, we're going to work him in there. We told him to get ready both at corner and at safety. Will James will probably have to play some nickel, probably. If we have anything happen again, if that doesn't work, we'll have to play more linebackers, I guess."

PLAYER NOTES

--S Marquand Manuel was put on injured reserve with a shoulder problem suffered Sunday at Minnesota.

--DB DeAndre Smith was signed off Chicago's practice squad to replace Manuel on the roster. He can play corner and safety. He also has spent time this season with the Browns, whom the Lions play Sunday.

--LB Zack Follett was added to the injury report Thursday. He did not practice because of a neck injury.

--S Kalvin Pearson did not practice Wednesday or Thursday because of a hamstring injury. He plans to test it Friday but seems doubtful for Sunday.

--G Stephen Peterman did not practice Wednesday or Thursday because of a significant ankle injury. He is out indefinitely but has not been put on IR.

--LB Ernie Sims did not practice Wednesday or Thursday because of a hamstring injury. He is unlikely to play.

--DE Dewayne White did not practice Wednesday or Thursday because of a toe injury. He played with it Sunday at Minnesota, though.

--WR Derrick Williams returned to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday because of a hip injury. He was listed as limited.

GAME PLAN: The Lions have one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. Still, they need to force the Browns to pass by stopping the run and taking a lead. The Browns' passing attack is that bad, and the Lions' chances are better against Brady Quinn than Jamal Lewis, even at this point in Lewis' career. The offense must protect quarterback Matthew Stafford much better than last week at Minnesota, when the Vikings were all over him. The Browns' defense, led by defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, a former Lion, can be tough to handle.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Lions C Dominic Raiola, whom the Lions drafted 50th overall in 2001, vs. Browns DT Shaun Rogers, whom the Lions drafted 61st overall that year. Raiola faced Rogers in practice for seven years. He knows how dominant Rogers can be, and he knows he's going to need help from his guards. He gives up at least 60 pounds in size, and as athletic as he is, he isn't close to Rogers. If he can't handle him -- or at least slow him -- the Lions' offense could struggle.

Lions WR Calvin Johnson, who is struggling to get the ball, vs. Browns CB Eric Wright, who is having a strong season. The Lions need to get the ball to their best playmaker more often, but teams have been sitting back in Cover Two or double-teaming Johnson. If Johnson gets a one-on-one matchup with Wright, the Lions need to target him, even if Wright is playing well. Johnson should win that matchup.

INJURY IMPACT: The Lions have started to acknowledge that quarterback Matthew Stafford is playing through a right knee injury. "Being a quarterback in the NFL is a tough business, and you're going to get hit and you're going to have guys that are gunning for you and trying to knock you out of the game," coach Jim Schwartz said. "So we didn't know how he would deal with an injury and how he would play through it. So he's proved that through the last couple weeks." Stafford often doesn't put any weight on the knee when he gets up off the turf after a hit. But he remains elusive, and he hasn't been squeamish about fighting for yardage.