Quick Take: Lions at Falcons

Last meeting
The previously struggling Lions exploded against a Falcons team that appeared to be on the upswing at the 2006 season's midpoint, **winning, 30-14**, in Detroit..

Streaks
The Lions have enjoyed a dominant run of success against the Falcons, taking two of the past three meetings to up their overall series advantage to 23-9. See the historical **head-to-head matchup**.

Keep your eye on ...

Lions WR Calvin Johnson: Big things are expected from the imposing wide receiver as he enters his second season. He appears ready to handle those lofty expectations after a sensational preseason and he will be a tough cover for the young and inexperienced Falcons secondary.

Lions offensive line: The unit struggled last season, both in run blocking and pass protection, as the team averaged only 4.0 yards per rush attempt and surrendered 54 sacks. Under new offensive coordinator Jim Colletto's rush-happy, play-action offense, the offensive line plays a critical role and Colletto is counting on it to improve from last season.

Falcons QB Matt Ryan: Atlanta thinks its rookie signal caller is ready to go from Day 1 as he has been named the starter to begin the season. The Lions could be a good first regular-season opponent for Ryan as they ranked 22nd in pass defense last year.

Falcons coach Mike Smith: As the defensive coordinator in Jacksonville, Smith was with a team that had Super Bowl aspirations. Now, the rookie head coach's expectations are a little different as he is simply trying to rebuild a Falcons squad that fell to last place in 2007.

Did you know?
Lions quarterback Jon Kitna is the first player in franchise history to have recorded back-to-back 4,000 yard passing seasons. ... Falcons kicker Jason Elam, formerly of the Broncos, has scored at least 100 points in 15 straight seasons -- an NFL record.