Les Bowen: Eagles vs. Lions: The Pick

I'm taking the Eagles, pretty much on faith here. That, and I like the possibility of Ernie Sims breaking his 29-game personal loss streak against the team he played for in 28 of those games.

Don't really know what a full game of Michael Vick will look like. Don't really know if the defense can stop even Lions backup QB Shaun Hill, without middle linebacker Stewart Bradley. Don't know how much better the Lions are from the 2-14 team of last season or the 0-16 team the year before.

The Eagles will tell you the Lions are much improved. But no team goes into a game downplaying the opposition. Certainly, they are a team that lost its opener on a technicality, which is more than the Eagles can say. The big danger here is that Detroit's formidable defensive line might dominate the Eagles' ever-changing, struggling offensive line. But I don't think this Lions defense is great on the back end, and Calvin Johnson notwithstanding, I sure don't think they are the equal of the Packers offensively.

Prediction: Eagles 23, Lions 16.

- Les Bowen