ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions are alone in first place, and their top competitors in the NFC North have been floundering.Its an opportunity for the Lions to win their first division title since 1993 -- but their outlook could change awfully quickly if the next few weeks go badly.Confidence is building, but one thing we know about the league is, it will humble you, defensive lineman Kerry Hyder said.The Lions play three of their next four games on the road, starting this weekend at New Orleans. With road games against the New York Giants and Dallas also coming up, there are plenty of potential pitfalls awaiting a Detroit team that is in this position only because of its success in close games.The Lions (7-4) havent had a game decided by more than seven points all season. Theyve won enough of them to take a one-game lead over Minnesota in the division, and Detroit has the tiebreaker over the Vikings after sweeping them. But the Lions have room for improvement in all phases.Like anything else in our system, we can get better, coach Jim Caldwell said. We can get better defensively. We can get better offensively. We can get better in our kicking game.Detroit has had its share of chances recently to end its division title drought. In 2011, the Lions won their first five games, but they finished 10-6, well behind Green Bay. In 2013, the Lions were 6-3 and in sole possession of first place. The Packers were dealing with major injury problems, but Detroit lost six of its last seven games, costing coach Jim Schwartz his job.The following season, the Lions went 11-5 but lost a showdown at Green Bay in a regular-season finale that decided the division.Detroit has won six of its last seven after beating Minnesota on Thanksgiving , and the Vikings have dropped five of six. Green Bay is below .500. If the Lions win two of their remaining five games, that might be enough to keep them in first place. They have home games against Chicago and Green Bay still to come.The road games will be tough, though, starting with Sunday at New Orleans.Obviously Drew (Brees) has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league for a long time, pretty prolific. Those guys have been together, Caldwell said. Hes been in the same system.The Saints (5-6) arent in great shape in the playoff race, but unlike Minnesota, New Orleans has been playing fairly well lately . The Saints have won five of eight since an 0-3 start.New Orleans has scored at least 32 points in six of its 11 games. Detroit has reached that total only once.They have a powerful offense, Hyder said. They can run the ball well, they can throw the ball deep well. As a defense, weve got to bring our lunch pails.Game notes TE Brandon Pettigrew, who tore his left anterior cruciate ligament late last year and hasnt played at all this season, spoke for a bit in the locker room Monday. He did not rule out the possibility of returning this weekend. Well see where it goes. Im not going to say for certain, he said. ... The Lions signed TE Logan Thomas to the practice squad and released LB Brandon Chubb from the practice squad.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL .---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister Cheap Miami Dolphins Jerseys . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Cheap Arizona Cardinals Jerseys . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. http://www.cheapjerseys-wholesalechina.com/ . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Cheap Jacksonville Jaguars Jerseys . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. cheap nfl jerseys .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. LANDOVER, Md. -- Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay Packers offense began the game with a trio of three-and-outs.Later, once Rodgers & Co. got going, tight end Jared Cook fumbled away the ball after a catch.The Packers defense gave up passes of 70, 53 and 44 yards and allowed three TD runs to an undrafted rookie. Its special teams had problematic moments, too, including a missed field-goal attempt and a botched kickoff return that resulted in a drive starting at Green Bays own 2.Add it all up, and Green Bay flailed its way to a fourth consecutive loss, this one by a 42-24 score against the Washington Redskins on Sunday night.We see ourselves as a much better football team than this. Its just not panning out, Packers safety Micah Hyde said. We have way too much talent in this locker room to be performing like that. But week in, week out, were doing it. Im speechless.In each game of Green Bays current losing skid, the team has allowed at least 30 points.Coming in here, we knew we needed this game, coach Mike McCarthy said. Our backs up against it.His Packers beat the Redskins in the playoffs last season and are perennially seen as a title contender, but are now 4-6 and in third place in the NFC North, two games behind both the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.Theyre probably not playing like we normally see the Packers play, said Robert Kelley, the rookie running back who carried 24 times for 137 yards and scores from 1, 4 and 10 yards out.The Packers secondary never seemed to be in the right place at the right time Sunday, allowing Washingtons Kirk Cousins to go 21 of 30 for 375 yards, three TDs and zero interceptions.We didnt stop `em. Our pass defense, we didnt get off the field. It was touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, field goal in thee second half, McCarthy said.dddddddddddd. That tells the story.The Packers actually led 10-7 late in the second quarter and, after falling behind 29-17 early in the fourth quarter on Cousins 70-yard TD to Pierre Garcon, pulled to 29-24 on Rodgers 6-yard connection with Cook. Anyones game at that point, right? Nope. The Redskins converted a risky fourth-and-1 at their own 41 on a sneak by Cousins and were on their way.Green Bays next drive ended with Cooks turnover.We put ourselves in a tough spot, said Rodgers, who was 26 of 41 for 351 yards, three TDs and zero interceptions. So weve got find a way to get a win next week and approach it one week at a time. Thats all weve got right now.He was hardly at his best on a wind-whipped evening, putting throws at receivers feet or over their heads, even from short range.But the porous defense is Green Bays biggest issue at the moment -- as it has been while dropping five of their past six games.You cant win ballgames giving up that many points, Hyde said, no matter whos on offense.Now comes another prime-time game next week, this time on a Monday at the Philadelphia Eagles.McCarthy was asked whether he has the right players to succeed on defense.This is not the time for personnel evaluations, coaching evaluations and those type of things, he replied. Were in a rough stretch right now.INJURIESCB Demetri Goodson (knee), OL Don Barclay (shoulder), LB Blake Martinez (knee) and S Kentrell Brice (back) were all hurt during the game.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '