The Sports Xchange

With Denver edge rushers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware coming to Ford Field this week, the Lions know they have to shore up their offensive line in order to keep ailing quarterback Matthew Stafford healthy in Week 3.

Against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, the Lions allowed eight quarterback hits, and Stafford had just one pass travel 20-plus yards from the line of scrimmage as the offensive line struggled mightily, particularly left tackle Riley Reiff and right tackle Cornelius Lucas.

Lions left guard Manny Ramirez said he even apologized to Stafford during the game as he continued to take a beating, dealing with a ribs injury in addition to ailments with both arms.

“You can’t really go up there and continue to apologize,” Ramirez said. “You know you’ve got to get it fixed. If not, we’re not going to be able to compete.”

The Lions failed up front in every aspect of Week 2. They had just 38 rushing yards on 16 carries, a 2.4-yard average. Of those, 20 yards came from the poky Stafford, who had to scramble as Vikings pass rushers regularly forced him out of the pocket. With the run game struggling early, the Lions ended the game with just 12 handoffs.

Ramirez said the Lions aren’t in panic mode despite the early struggles on offense, and multiple players said they can correct the issues up front.

“Probably our biggest problem is communication,” Lucas said Monday. “We had a lot of success in our one-on-one matchups, but communicating our calls and stuff like that, that’s probably what it was.”

No matter the cause for the offensive line problems, and right guard Larry Warford not playing up to his standard in his season debut was among them, it’s critical the Lions fix them by Sunday when they’ll try to win their home opener at Ford Field for the fifth straight year. Playing in front of a raucous crowd on “Sunday Night Football” should help, too, after playing in enemy territory the first two games.

However, even if the Lions blockers can keep Stafford on his feet, he’ll have to be more precise than he’s been against a Broncos secondary that boasts one of the NFL’s top cornerback tandems in Chris Harris and Aqib Talib.

“As of right now at this point in the season, they’re probably the best secondary we’ve faced so far,” wide receiver Calvin Johnson said of the Broncos. “Very opportunistic, they have a lot of playmakers on that defense. They’ve amped up their defense a lot. They haven’t gone from being a very good offensive team to a very good defensive team; they’re a good all-around team.”