Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers

1 P.M. * WRAZ, WFXI * WRBZ-850, WZTK-101.1

3 THINGS TO WATCH

LIONS INJURIES: Detroit's winless streak has been exacerbated by a spate of health problems. Three starters on the defensive line -- Dewayne White (calf), Jared DeVries (hand) and Cory Redding (groin) -- are questionable today, as is starting center Dominic Raiola and linebacker Ernie Sims.

CULPEPPER'S BACK: Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper probably doesn't have great memories of Bank of America Stadium. That's where he tore up his knee in 2005 as quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings. That injury led to Culpepper's brief retirement last season. The Lions signed him last week.

THANK GOODNESS FOR THE CHIEFS: If the Lions' defensive line is indeed decimated by injury, the Panthers should move the ball much more easily than they did last week against Oakland. Running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart will certainly be used early to soften up the Lions defense, which is the worst in the NFC. Only Kansas City's ranks lower in the entire league.

KEY TO THE GAME

CALVIN JOHNSON

LIONS WR

A second-year player out of Georgia Tech, Johnson is developing into one of the NFL's top receivers and is perhaps the Lions' only legitimate offensive threat.

Johnson uses his size (6 feet 5, 239 pounds) to be an extremely physical receiver. He's also got plenty of speed and can stretch a defense by getting downfield in a hurry. He's got 39 catches this season for 774 yards and six touchdowns.

CHRIS GAMBLE

PANTHERS CB

Gamble is having one of his better seasons, although he's intercepted just one pass. He's got the speed and size (6 feet 1) to stay with Johnson and to go up with him after high balls.

The Panthers have the luxury of having another outstanding corner -- Ken Lucas -- on the other side. So Johnson won't necessarily have an advantage when he switches from one end of the line of scrimmage to the other.

THE LIST

With high school football playoffs in full swing, Panthers players talk about their favorite prep postseason memories.

DEFENSIVE END HILEE TAYLOR (SCOTLAND COUNTY): "Almost beating Independence when they had Chris Leak. Almost. We came pretty close (21-7) but fell hard, it was the third round. That game got me into North Carolina, because a lot of colleges were there looking at Leak and a few of them noticed me."

PUNTER JASON BAKER (FORT WAYNE, IND.): "My junior year we won the state. We beat the best team in the semifinals, then went to the RCA Dome [in Indianapolis] for the championship. We had the whole road-to-the-dome mentality."

RECEIVER DWAYNE JARRETT (NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.): "What I remember most is that, after we clinched the title my senior year, all the fans and the people in my town were just the happiest they'd ever been. My school hadn't won a championship since, like, 1926."

RECEIVER STEVE SMITH (LOS ANGELES UNIVERSITY): "We were one game away from the championship. We lost. It was hard. But California, Texas, Florida -- there's no high school football like it. All the best athletes come from there."

PANTHERS INSIDER

Watch the Panthers' Jason Baker today if he punts inside Detroit Lions' territory, where he'll want to kick the ball high and near the goal line.

Baker will use what's called a "rugby" punt. He'll point the nose of the ball downward -- so it's at a right angle to the ground -- as he's punting and it will take a high trajectory. It will go almost straight up, end over end.

The rugby punt allows Baker to kick the ball hard, but for it not to travel too far and into the end zone.

"It's kind of like when they invented the lob wedge in golf," Baker said.

KEY STATS

LIONS

1: Former Panther on roster (tight end Michael Gaines)

9: Kicker Jason Hanson's spot on NFL's all-time scoring list (1,704)

16: Losses in last 17 games over last two seasons.

96: Yard touchdown reception by Calvin Johnson against Houston on Oct. 19, longest in NFL this season.

121: Consecutive starts by offensive tackle Jeff Backus (NFL's second-longest active streak among offensive linemen).

TEAM

1: Tackle needed by linebacker Na'il Diggs to reach 700 in his nine-year career.

2: League rank in scoring defense (14.8 points per game).

4: 200-yard passing games by Panthers quarterbacks in team's four previous games against Lions.

13.0: Sacks allowed by offensive line (league average is 19.0)

56: Points allowed in first five home games.