The Detroit Lions host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday after a bizarre week on and off the field. The Falcons will look to string together consecutive wins for the first time this season.
Ndamukong Suh Calls Matt Ryan’s Injury ‘Karma,’ But Denies Taunting
From Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:
Avril took to Twitter after the game to clear his name, asking why the Falcons didn’t react to any alleged taunting as it happened:
Read Article >Matthew Stafford Injury: MRI Scheduled For Lions QB
Neither the extent or exact nature of the injury was immediately known. He appeared to injure either his right knee, right ankle or both joints, but he refused to share with the media after the game exactly what area of his leg was hurting, according to Justin Rogers of MLive.com.
In any case, Stafford did reveal that he plans to undergo a precautionary X-ray, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that he’ll undergo an MRI. Stay tuned this week for more information as it becomes available.
Read Article >Matthew Stafford Injury: Detroit Lions QB Leaves Game With Undisclosed Leg Injury
After the game, neither Stafford nor coach Jim Schwartz commented on the particular nature of the leg injury (via mlive.com):
Stafford, however, planned to attempt a return to the field had the Lions controlled the ball one more time. That might have sent deep chills down Lions fans’ backs given the quarterback’s long history of injuries. Stafford played just three games last year and 10 as a rookie in 2009.
Read Article >Brandon Pettigrew Fantasy Update: Detroit Lions TE Has Quiet Day With 31 Yards
Pettigrew was averaging 53 receiving yards a game with 321 receiving yards on the season and 2 touchdowns through his first six games of the 2011 NFL season. Pettigrew’s receiving yards per game is up nearly 15 yards per game from last season.
Pettigrew was ranked by Yahoo! as the 4th ranked tight end heading into Week 7 taking on the Atlanta Falcons.
Read Article >Julio Jones Fantasy: Falcons WR Misses Game With Injury
If you played Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones today in fantasy, you didn’t get very many points. Jones didn’t play as he’s still nursing a hamstring injury.
Jones was enjoying a fine rookie campaign until he incurred a hamstring injury two week ago against the Green Bay Packers. He finished that game with one reception for 16 yards and then missed the team’s victory over the Carolina Panthers. Before the Packers game, Jones had put together back-to-back games of 100-plus yards, 127 against the Seattle Seahawks and 115 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While he had 25 receptions for 358 yards, Jones is still looking for a touchdown catch.
Read Article >Calvin Johnson Fantasy: Johnson Has Another Big Day
For more on the Lions, check out Pride of Detroit. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams and SB Nation’s fantasy football hub, and follow @sbnationfantasy on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates and advice.
Read Article >NFL Scores Week 7, Falcons Vs. Lions: Atlanta Survives Against Detroit, 23-16
But Atlanta conceded just one third down conversion on 12 Detroit attempts, short-circuiting a number of drives and keeping the Lions’ offense off the field.
Calvin Johnson had 115 receiving yards and a touchdown in the loss.
Read Article >VIDEO: Calvin Johnson Scores 57-Yard Touchdown


DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 10: Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions leaves the field after defeating the Chicago Bears 24-13 at Ford Field on October 10, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Getty ImagesThat was Stafford’s 11th completion on 20 attempts. The Lions quarterback has 142 passing yards. Johnson has four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Detroit got the ball back via a Matt Ryan interception in the red zone on the very next drive.
The Lions are hungry for the win after watching their undefeated streak come to an end against San Francisco last week. Johnson was shut out in that game, the only game this season in which he did not score a touchdown. With one quarter to play in Detroit, he might not be finished.
Read Article >ANIMATED: CaLOLvin Johnson Dunk FAIL
Hit the jump for the hiliarous GIF. It’s nice to see that the one they call “Megatron” might be human after all.
Of course, it’s hard to make too much fun of the guy. Look how he got into the end zone ...
Read Article >Matt Ryan Injury: Falcons QB Returns To Game
For many watching the Atlanta Falcons versus the Detroit Lions, it looked like Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan’s day was over for sure, maybe even his season, when he went down with a knee injury in the third quarter. Ryan’s offensive tackle stepped on his foot, pushing the quarterback’s leg backwards. Ryan went down in pain, but did manage to limp off the field and into the locker room for further evaluation.
Apparently, everything checked out with Ryan because he was back on the field after one Atlanta defensive series, looking no worse for wear.
Read Article >Matt Ryan Injury: Falcons QB Injures Knee, Return Questionable
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan injured his knee on a play in the third quarter. As you can see from the video below, it looks like a pretty nasty injury. Stepped on by his own lineman, Ryan writhed in pain on the field for awhile after the injury. He did manage to leave the field, limping, but the status of his injury is unknown.
Falcons tackle Will Svitek is the one who stepped on Ryan’s foot. Chris Redman will replace Ryan at quarterback for Atlanta. Ryan’s ankle looked as though it was bent sideways, making it that much more surprising that it is being called a knee injury at this point.
Read Article >Matthew Stafford Fantasy: Slow Start For Lions QB
For more on Stafford and his matchup with the Falcons, check out Lions blog, Pride of Detroit, and our Falcons blog, The Falcoholic. Also be sure to check out all of our fantasy football news and video highlights of the best Week 7 action.
Read Article >Tony Scheffler Status Update: Detroit Lions TE Ready After Concussion
For more on Scheffler and his matchup with the Falcons, check our Falcons blog The Falcoholic and our Lions blog Pride of Detroit. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams. Follow @sbnationfantasy on Twitter.
Read Article >Jahvid Best Injury Update: Lions RB Out With Concussion
Falcons Vs. Lions: TV Schedule, Game Time Announcers And More
Julio Jones Status Update: Falcons WR Doubtful With Hamstring Injury
Jones did not participate in any of the Falcons’ practices this week, but unlike when he was ruled out last week, Falcons head coach Mike Smith has left open the possibility of Jones playing this week.
”Julio is the kind of guy who is going to push the envelope,” Smith said on Thursday according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He wants to get back in there. We are going to have to make sure the people in the athletic-performance department and the doctors make the final decision.
Read Article >NFL Picks And Predictions Week 7: Falcons Vs. Lions


DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 10: Head coach Jim Schwartz heads onto the field after beating the Chicago Bears 24-13 at Ford Field on October 10, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Getty ImagesAtlanta has yet to score more than 15 points against opponents with a .500 or better record. Needless to say, that isn’t how they envisioned the season starting. A win in Detroit would put them back on track.
Peter King goes with the Lions to get back to winning this week. Only two from ESPN’s panel pick the Falcons to win this game.
Read Article >Falcons-Lions, Bears-Buccaneers Highlight A Week 7 Filled With Consequences
This week’s best games carry consequences. For some, the nagging inconsistencies might morph into full-time problems. For other teams, this week gives them an opportunity to confirm their legitimacy as contenders or have their stories written in just another footnote from the early part of the 2011 NFL season. Firings, new quarterbacks, the draft...week 7 will provide fans and the media with so much more to talk about than just the simple mechanics of winning and losing.
As for Tebow himself, the Broncos now have a free pass to tell Tebow devotees “I told you so.” I never really got the impression that the Denver brass sees Tebow as their future, setting up a crash course with a sizeable portion of their fans. What happens if Tebow is solid down the stretch? Trade, keep...the Broncos have options. Either way, they’re starting a new chapter this week; we’re just waiting to see how long this chapter lasts.
Read Article >NFL Odds And Lines Week 7: Falcons Vs. Lions
For all of the odds on this week’s NFL games and all kinds of other sports, check out Odds Shark. SB Nation also has all of the Week 7 NFL Odds. For more on the Lions, check out Pride of Detroit, and get all your Falcons news and talk at The Falcoholic.
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