(My Sportsbook) - Five up, five down - as in the Detroit Lions have gotten up for five opponents and now find themselves five games back in the NFC North division. Week 4's loss to the Rams was about a defense that was struggling to stop anyone. Well, against the Vikings on the road in Week 5, Detroit's defense allowed just 13 points. The problem is so did the offense.

After leading throughout most of the afternoon (including a 17-3 advantage in the fourth quarter), quarterback Jon Kitna and the Lions had a late-game meltdown that was sparked from Kitna getting pressured by a hyper-active Minnesota front seven. Kitna had a sack-and-fumble near the Vikings goal line that was scooped up by Ben Leber for six points, and the quarterback ended the game with a desperation flick that looked like a cross-breed between a fumble and a shovel pass. That, too, resulted in a Vikings touchdown.

But it wasn't about Kitna - the Lions offense was in disarray from the get-go. In the first quarter, receiver Roy Williams caught a pass and didn't celebrate immediately afterward. Lions coaches and officials must have originally thought that perhaps the ultimate me-me-me warrior had just experienced a breakthrough in maturity. As it turned out, Williams had just experienced a stinger in his back that would leave him out for the rest of the game. Two plays later, guard Damien Woody (the team's best offensive lineman) went down with a foot injury. Woody's loss was extra detrimental because starting tackle Rex Tucker and guard Ross Verba did not play due to injury.

"We're struggling right now," said Kitna. "We're a beat-up team, but nobody gives a crap. We have to find a way to win."

"That's life," said head coach Rod Marinelli. "I'm not going to feel sorry for myself or for them. I expect us to respect our game, come back to work, watch the tape, make corrections on it, teach off those corrections. Some of the areas we were able to improve today and some areas we faltered a little bit in. We have to go back and re-teach it, make sure they understand it and move on to the next game."

For the Lions, the next game is at home against the 2-3 Bills. The injury report comes out on Wednesday - what it says may ultimately decide the expectations for this team in Week 6.

LIONS LOSING THE RUSHING BATTLE

The loss to Minnesota came down to the two oldest adages in the NFL: turnovers and the ground game. The Lions lost the turnover battle four to three (again, Minnesota scored 13 points defensively off those four turnovers). More disheartening though was the disparity in the rushing statistics. Detroit ran the ball just 11 times for 16 yards; they allowed 135 yards on 30 carries to the Vikings.

After two encouraging weeks, running back Kevin Jones had the most unproductive outing of his career, gaining just eight yards on 10 carries. He was also shaken up late in the fourth quarter.

Detroit ranks 14th in the league in run defense, allowing 96.2 yards per game, but offensively, their 59.6 yards per game output is worst in the NFL - by far. The 31st-ranked rushing attack of the Arizona Cardinals is managing over 70 yards per game.

WHO'S HOT

Just weeks after joining the club, wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim stepped up big in the absence of Roy Williams, catching eight passes for 92 yards.

WHO'S NOT

Quarterback Jon Kitna was 23-of-43 for 225 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions Sunday. He also had a costly sack-and-fumble near the Vikings goal-line that resulted in points for Minnesota, and nearly gave up a safety on another play near the sideline when Detroit was backed up in its own end- zone.

NEXT UP

The Lions return to Ford Field to face Dick Jauron - their interim coach from a year ago and defensive coordinator of 2004-05 - and his 2-3 Buffalo Bills.

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Andy Benoit is the author of Touchdown 2006: Everything You Need to Know About the NFL This Year. For more information or to contact Benoit, visit www.touchdown2006.com