Here we are again, football is back and what better way to open up a new Lions season than on Monday Night Football? Detroit comes into the season with a win now mentality after last year being a total letdown. To cure the issues Detroit had they added to the offense bringing in WR Golden Tate from the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks and drafting TE Eric Ebron from North Carolina. The Lions also went for an upgrade at OLB drafting Kyle Von Noy from BYU, but it looks like he will miss the first 8 weeks of the season with abdominal surgery. After that Detroit is hoping younger players step in and natural progression takes over.
Vegas has the Lions over/under at 8 ½ so lets see if that’s the case here:
Game 1: vs. New York Giants
There’s NO reason Detroit doesn’t roll here as they usually play their best football in the first half of the year and I see no reason to think otherwise with this match up. The Giants stable of running backs looks like a graveyard and outside of Victor Cruz the Giants will not feature an impact player on offense. The New York defense is better than fan boys think with the secondary three deep at corner and Pierre-Paul is still a force to be accounted for, but the Lions options on offense should prove too much to cover.
Lions win 24- 20
Game 2: at Carolina Panthers
Good time to catch the Panthers here. Greg Hardy is suspended the first 6 games of the season, a rookie might be the No. 1 wide out, and Cam Newton has cracked ribs. Yes friends, I got the Lions 2-0. The Panthers have a defense to slow down Stafford and Company but the Detroit defense should match up well against the Cam and…
Lions win 23- 20
Game 3: vs. Green Bay Packers
Despite being at home, I don’t see the Detroit secondary being able to stop Rodgers and Nelson/Cobb. That Packers’ defense is venerable and Detroit’s high powered attack should put up points. This is a shootout in the making. Whichever QB takes better care of the ball wins here. I’ll go with track record and take Rodgers.
Lions lose 35-31
Game 4: at New York Jets
The Jets Defense is better than fans realize. Last season they were one of the better teams in the league against the run and you can bet a Rex Ryan team is going to do two things, get pressure and stop the run. Geno Smith is nothing to fear and Detroit should be looking to force him into bad throws and create turnovers. Should be a close game as both teams look to go 3-1 but I’ll give Detroit the benefit of the doubt early.
Lions win 20-13
Game 5: vs. Buffalo Bills
4-1, that’s the record after this game, barring Stafford and Calvin Johnson getting kidnapped by ex-coach Jim Schwartz. I like nothing about the Bills offense against Detroit. Spiller can’t stay healthy and sooner or later the borrowed time Fred Jackson is on runs out. I do like Buffalo’s D-Line but it’s not enough stop this team. I think this is one of Detroit’s better games of the year.
Lions win 31-13
Game 6: at Minnesota Vikings
Which Viking team do we see here? 2012? 2013? Is Cassel the QB? Or is it Bridgewater? AP is still the best runner in the league and Detroit should be 5-1 at this point of the season. Minnesota is a talented team but no ones name on defense pop’s out at you. By season’s end I think people will respect the Vikings, however I give the nod to Detroit solely on Stafford over the Minnesota’s QB situation.
Lions win 27-24
Game 7: vs. New Orleans Saints
Detroit is now 5-1, fans are getting excited and the playoffs are expected at this point. Brees and Company gives Detroit fans a dose of reality though. The Saints have too much offense for Detroit to even begin to know how to stop and Saints coach Sean Payton is one of the brightest offensive minds in the game. The New Orleans D isn’t great but it’s good enough to keep Detroit off the board fewer times than Brees is able to get the ball to Jimmy Graham.
Lions lose 34-24
Game 8: at Atlanta Falcons (England)
This is the beginning of the gauntlet for the Lions with 3 of 4 on the road starting with Julio Jones, Roddy White, and Harry Douglas. I fully believe Atlanta is back after mailing it in last year. It’s a huge game for Detroit and at 5-2 everyone is watching. A 5-3 record is on the horizon though for Detroit as Atlanta simply has too much at wide receiver to handle.
Lions lose 24-21
Game 9: vs. Miami Dolphins
The good part of the schedule is drawing the AFC East and the Lions should pull off a 3-1 record against that division with Miami being the 6th win of the year. Detroit shouldn’t fear what Miami has to offer at wide out with Mike Wallace chasing the money to Miami while leaving his game in Pittsburgh. Miami is a 7-9 team that wishes it didn’t run into a team that can spread it like Detroit.
Lions win
Game 10: at Arizona Cardinals
Detroit traveling to the desert hasn’t suited them well in the past. Not to the extent of Lambeau but Arizona is a house of horrors for the Lions in its own right. Not to mention the Cards have a good squad and probably win any other Division in the NFC except the one they’re in. Floyd had a better year than Fitzgerald last year but I don’t expect that to be the trend this year. Palmer knows he needs to take better care of the football and with the emergence of Ellington at RB, ‘Zona is going to be a lot to handle.
Lions lose 27-26
Game 11: at New England Patriots
Arizona to New England is tougher on a team than fans realize. I don’t think the Pats are a legit threat for the Super Bowl but I still see a playoff team and a team getting back to its roots on defense, something we saw with early 2000 New England teams. Brady can still throw it and knows how to put his team in a spot to win. Revis on CJ, Browner on Tate… It is enough for a win against the Lions.
Lions lose 24-17
Game 12: vs. Chicago Bears
Cutler to Alshon, Cutler to Marshall, Cutler to Forte, over the middle and first down to Bennett. This is just another one of the five shootouts I see Detroit getting into. The Bears got a revamped D-Line and a lot of young bodies in the secondary. I think Jared Allen gets to Stafford enough to rattle him and keep the Bears ahead. I’m not shocked to see multiple TD’s and INT’s from both QB’s here. Calvin will have a big day but the problem is the Bears will have a big day from their wide out duo as well. It’s .500 for the Lions and the Bears are in control of the division at this point.
Lions lose 30-27
Game 13: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is where Caldwell earns his money. This game from last year is still fresh in Stafford’s mind as well as the rest of the Lions. The team has gone from a 5-2 start to 6-6. Second half collapse continues? Not so much here.
Lions win 28-20
Game 14: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Detroit is looking to save its hot start at this point. Not to mention Minnesota and Detroit will both be sitting at or about .500 so this is a meaningful game for both teams. AP is going to get his yards but the youth on defense should have gained valuable experience as the Vikings have managed to surprise some at this point in the year. Minnesota will still be looking for an identity at QB though and Detroit will be poised to play meaningful games after this one.
Lions win 24-20
Game 15: at Chicago Bears
Solider Field, 8-6, looking for a playoff wildcard, and they already lost at home. What more of a storyline will football fans in Detroit want? Assuming both teams are healthy this is not a match up Detroit wants late. The hope for Lions fans is Caldwell can stop the second half meltdowns Detroit seems to have. I’m not saying the Lions disappear like in year’s past, but Detroit doesn’t have the depth to contend with a Chicago team that is closer to a playoff team than them.
Lions lose 31-28
Game 16: at Green Bay Packers
I don’t need to go through the numbers here as Lions fans know about playing in Green Bay. Nine wins are possible here and maybe a wildcard is on the line. Also the Lions very well at this point in the season could be better than last year’s squad. But the schedule and Detroit’s weaknesses stacked up against them aren’t playing in their favor. Like earlier in the season the Packers are just as loaded offensively and probably worse off defensively than Detroit but the problem is Rodgers has done it before with no defense. And if it comes down to Rodgers vs. Stafford at this point I’ll take ARod every time.
Lions lose 34-31 and finish with an 8-8 season
