Author: Paula Pasche

ALLEN PARK — Playing the Green Bay Packers without Aaron Rodgers does not mean an automatic win for the Lions on Monday night.

Rodgers broke his right collarbone on Oct. 15 so Brett Hundley has taken over starting quarterback role.

“We’re not getting a break we have to play better,’’ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin (in photo) said on Friday. “So, I don’t think we’re in any position to say, ‘Hey, well because Aaron Rodgers isn’t playing, things are going to be easy.’ We haven’t had it easy right now, and we’ve got to play better football than we’ve been playing.’’

Don’t forget when the Lions played against the Packers on Jan. 1, 2012, with Rodgers out, Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn had a career day with 480 passing yards and six touchdowns. Stafford threw for 520 passing yards and five touchdowns but Detroit lost 45-41.

Rodgers is 13-3 playing against the Lions.

Five concerns about playing against Brett Hundley:

1. Jim Caldwell said most people who have watched Hundley can see that he’s fast.In his only start (the loss to the Saints), Hundley had three carries for 44 yards and a rushing touchdown. “Not just — he can run, really run. So, he’s not one of those guys that are easy to get down on the ground because he’s going to be able to avoid and certainly give ground to gain ground in times with some extraordinary ability to run with speed to get outside and that kind of thing,’’ Caldwell said on Friday. “So, we’ll have to do a good job at containing him and do a good job of when we have an opportunity, get him on the ground.”

2. Hundley took over in the Oct. 15 game after Rodgers was carted off and threw three interceptions against one touchdown in the loss to the Vikings. The next game — after a full week of practice with the starters — Hundley was 12-25 for 87 yards and one interception in the loss to New Orleans.

3. Caldwell said there’s no blueprint for going up against an inexperienced quarterback like Hundley. “I think everybody has, you have to look at them and see what they do well, what they don’t do well, where you think your advantages are, and adjust your game plan accordingly,’’ Caldwell said. “This guy, he plays with a lot of poise — and I don’t anticipate — and he’s got a supporting cast.’’ It’s not like Hundley is the only guy on the Packers’ offense.

4.R Hundley is unlike Rodgers since he’s younger and more mobile. “I think you look at (Hundley) and you say he’s a very athletic young man, moves around well. He has good arm strength but I think the biggest thing is when Aaron Rodgers gets out of the pocket, his eyes are scanning down field all the time, like most of the times he runs when he absolutely has to,’’ Austin said. “This guy can take off, and he’ll take off maybe a little bit sooner, and he can really run and get down the field. So, that’s really going to be a big challenge for us.”

5. Matthew Stafford said for him it’s not a different feeling playing the Packers without Rodgers. “We’re going to their place. We’re playing in their house. We know it’s going to be a tough environment. They play well at home. I’m going up against their defense. No question that each game unfolds differently, and you got to kind of figure out how to play that game to give yourself the best chance to win it. But we’re playing against their defense,’’ Stafford said. “They’re a talented defense with a bunch of young guys in the secondary that are really physically talented, and guys up front that can get after the passer.”

ALLEN PARK — Zach Zenner has scored five rushing touchdowns in the last 17 games — none of his teammates are even close to that mark.

Yet, the Lions running back was inactive in Sunday’s 20-15 loss to the Steelers when the Lions were 0-for-5 in the red zone.

Zenner has only been active in four of the seven games this season and yet, at the moment, he appears to be the Lions best chance at a rushing touchdown inside the 10-yard line.

It’s a head-scratcher.

In that 17-game stretch the only other running back to score a rushing touchdown was Ameer Abdullah on Oct. 8 when he ran in from 3 yards out at the Vikings. The only other Lions to score rushing touchdowns in the last 17 games are tight end Eric Ebron on a 1-yard run and Matthew Stafford who ran in from 7 yards out. Both were in 2016.

Dwayne Washington, Sunday’s featured power back, has only scored one touchdown — a 1-yard run —  and that was in his first game as a rookie on Sept. 11, 2016.

Zenner was huge at the end of last season with four rushing touchdowns in the last 10 games and three in the last two games. He had a good camp and preseason, yet was inactive the first two games so he hasn’t had much chance to pick up where he left off.

Here is a look at Zenner’s scores:

Oct. 23, 2016 — 1-yard touchdown run vs Redskins

Dec, 26, 2016 — Two touchdowns including a 7-yard run and a 1-yard run

Jan. 1, 2017 — 1-yard touchdown run.

Oct. 8, 2017 — 1-yard touchdown run against the Panthers

Zenner also excels at pass blocking and in 2016 had 18 catches for 196 yards. He doesn’t have one reception in the four games he played this season.

He has good hands, losing only one fumble in 2016.

Look, the Lions certainly have these stats. They do their homework. So maybe there’s a reason that’s not so obvious that has kept Zenner on the bench. In his four games this season he has 10 runs for 16 yards — one of those was for 14 yards.

Just seems Zenner could provide an option in the red zone.

ALLEN PARK —  Jim Caldwell won’t address rumors about the possibility of trading tight end Eric Ebron. The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday.

“I do my very best not to comment on any rumors or innuendo,’’ Caldwell said on Monday.

Ebron was targeted six times and caught two passes for 58 yards in Sunday night’s 20-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The tight end had a 44-yard pass play late in the fourth quarter, getting the Lions to the Steelers’ 11-yard line. But they couldn’t punch it in. The Lions didn’t score a touchdown in the game.

“He’s a guy who can make plays for us, I think you saw the catch and run he made,’’ Caldwell said. “He’s got ability, we’ve got to get the best out of him.’’

Ebron was booed loudly when he didn’t make the catches, even though a few of them weren’t necessarily on him.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions)

He missed a deep pass down the middle on a third-and-6 in the first quarter.

“In my mind I should’ve dove for it, it was a great ball. I just couldn’t catch up to it, I blame that on me,’’ Ebron said.

He heard the boos.

“There’s nothing I can do about it, like I said they don’t know my story,’’ Ebron said on Sunday night. “I want to always be positive, you can boo me all you want. I don’t think it’s the first time I’ve been booed.’’

He said 99.9 percent of the fans could not come out and make those catches.

“Yes, those were tough grabs, I get paid to make those grabs yes, but too damn tough. Cut a brother some slack, it’s rough. Whenever I get the opportunity and I can make a play I’m going to try to make the play and do what I can with the football in my hands.’’

Ebron has heard the trade rumors but does not seem upset by him.

“I mean it is what it is, they’ve got until Tuesday. This is a business if they want to cut ties with me, then they cut ties. Then if they can continue to use me my skills and abilities, it’s a long season,’’ Ebron said.

Well, not as long as it used to be.

Nine games remaining starting at Green Bay on Monday night.