Despite Injuries, Culpepper sees Positives

Heading into their final game before the bye week, the Lions are one of many teams suffering from injuries and several players have been thrust into greater roles than they had taken on previously.

At wide receiver, the injury to Calvin Johnson that took him out of last week’s game vs. Pittsburgh forced other receivers to step up their game. Dennis Northcutt and Derrick Williams, who saw his greatest amount of playing time since being drafted in the third round of this year’s draft, both made plays in the game to give the Lions a chance to come back.

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who also stepped in for the injured rookie Matthew Stafford, believes that the ability for backup players to step in is a positive for the Lions, and expects players to do the same on Sunday against the Packers.

Culpepper: “You’ve got guys who have to step up. It’s an opportunity for certain guys who have made plays in the past and have worked hard to get to this level, they know that when you have an opportunity to go out and make a play you’ve got to step up and do it.”

Since the Lions bye week—and a chance for injuries to heal—is still a week away, those players stepping up will be key to getting a victory at Green Bay.

A Lions win at Lambeau Field which would be the first since 1991, but despite the losing streak, the Lions insist that they’re approaching this one like any other road game and focusing on winning, no matter where it takes place.

When asked if he thought about breaking the streak, Culpepper was quick to rule it out as a factor.

Culpepper: “The thing is you’ve got to focus on what you can handle, and that’s going out and playing winning football. That’s what we’ve got to do to come back with the win, and that’s our main goal. Everything that happened in the past really doesn’t matter. It’s all about us going out, executing our game plan at a high level, and doing whatever it takes to win.”