(My Sportsbook) - The city of Detroit has been distracted enough with the success of the Tigers that it seems few have taken notice of the struggles of the Lions thus far. Or, perhaps, the fans have simply grown used to their baby blue boys losing games. But with Thanksgiving about five weeks away and the World Series scheduled to be over by Halloween, the spotlight in the Motor City is bound to shift back onto the Lions at some point. And, fortunately for first-year head coach Rod Marinelli, his club won't be winless when it does.

"I look at it as that marathon," Marinelli said after his team's 20-17 home victory over the now 2-4 Buffalo Bills. "It's just that I'm driving a marathon, that's what it's all about - to win. I love winning, obviously. But I'll watch the game and you go to be 'we got to do this better,' so that's (what) my process is."

Marinelli's postgame comments essentially carry the same message as those of previous weeks, only with the words "love" and "winning" in place of "hate" and "losing." No one believes that Detroit is well on its way to making a run for the postseason just yet, but the attitude in the locker room is certainly brighter than the team's 1-5 mark.

"We've been so close in four of the five games to really taking control of football games and winning football games," said quarterback Jon Kitna, who was 24-of-36 for 278 yards with a touchdown and an interception. "It's never easy in this league."

Fans should remember that a majority of games are close in the NFL and winning late in the fourth quarter is generally the difference between a good team and a bad team. But they should also remember that effort and team chemistry matter more in the NFL than any other sport, and Detroit appears to be in better shape in this department than in previous years.

"You can't measure character in guys and that's what's been built in the first five weeks," said Kitna. "And, hopefully, it will continue to build."

DEFENSIVE LINE COMES ALIVE

Prior to Week 6, there were probably some people out there who didn't even realize that the Lions still had a defensive line. Detroit posted a total of just one sack in weeks 2-5. On Sunday, with Cory Redding starting at tackle in place of an injured Shaun Cody (toe), the front four reached Bills quarterback J.P. Losman five times. Speed-rushing end James Hall was credited with 3.5 sacks. He also had a forced fumble that was recovered by Shaun Rogers.

In an effort to get some solidarity and focus, the defensive line refused to speak to the media in the week leading up to the game.

"I can't say if (not talking) worked or not, Hall said. I just know we did perform well and we did win."

(Let's hope it wasn't the silence that helped, because Hall had to talk to someone for this quote to be published.)

KEVIN JONES BREAKS OUT

Coming into Week 6, the last time Kevin Jones had rushed for 100 yards was in the second-to-last game of his rookie year, back in 2004. Since then, the former first-round draft pick had gone 19 consecutive games without surpassing double-digit yards on the ground. Jones finally came alive against a respectable Bills defense, rushing for 127 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.

WHO'S HOT

It was quite a week for Lions receiver Roy Williams, who came into Sunday nursing a sore neck that he suffered early in the loss at Minnesota the previous week. On Wednesday and Thursday he was away from the team due to an illness in his family. On Sunday, he came out and had a career day, catching ten passes for 161 yards and a touchdown in Detroit's win over Buffalo.

WHO'S NOT

Wide receiver Mike Williams was inactive...again.

NEXT UP

Detroit travels to the Meadowlands to face the 3-3 New York Jets.

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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