Most prognosticators are calling for the Detroit Lions to finish at the bottom of the NFC North once again. The Lions haven’t won a division title since 1993, and they haven’t won a playoff game since 1991, so it’s hard to find fault with that prediction. However, they haven’t been abysmal this decade, only mediocre. That sounds like very faint praise, but after finishing no better than 7-9 during the 2000s, at least the Lions have had four winning seasons this decade.
2019 NFL Season Win Totals
Detroit Lions
Over 6.5 Wins -135
Under 6.5 Wins +115
The other three teams in the NFC North all have win totals of nine or more per the oddsmakers, but the sharps seem to think that one of them will fall off given the action on this over. Detroit has won seven or more games five times in the past six seasons.
Detroit Lions 2019 Schedule
|
Week
|
Date
|
Opponent
|
|
1
|
September 8, 2019
|
@ Arizona Cardinals
|
|
2
|
September 15, 2019
|
Los Angeles Chargers
|
|
3
|
September 22, 2019
|
@ Philadelphia Eagles
|
|
4
|
September 29, 2019
|
Kansas City Chiefs
|
|
5
|
BYE
|
|
|
6
|
October 14, 2019
|
@ Green Bay Packers
|
|
7
|
October 20, 2019
|
Minnesota Vikings
|
|
8
|
October 27, 2019
|
New York Giants
|
|
9
|
November 3, 2019
|
@ Oakland Raiders
|
|
10
|
November 10, 2019
|
@ Chicago Bears
|
|
11
|
November 17, 2019
|
Dallas Cowboys
|
|
12
|
November 24, 2019
|
@ Washington Redskins
|
|
13
|
November 28, 2019
|
Chicago Bears
|
|
14
|
December 8, 2019
|
@ Minnesota Vikings
|
|
15
|
December 15, 2019
|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
|
|
16
|
December 22, 2019
|
@ Denver Broncos
|
|
17
|
December 29, 2019
|
Green Bay Packers
|
This schedule does help the Lions’ chances of finishing with seven or more wins. While the AFC West has two good teams, Denver and Oakland aren’t anything great, and the NFC East seems likely to have just one team finish over .500 this season. It will hurt to play three playoff teams in the first four weeks though, and an early bye isn’t great.
Detroit Lions 2019 NFL Draft Picks
|
Round
|
Pick
|
Player
|
Position
|
College
|
|
1
|
8
|
TJ Hockenson
|
TE
|
Iowa
|
|
2
|
43
|
Jahlani Tavai
|
LB
|
Hawaii
|
|
3
|
81
|
Will Harris
|
S
|
Boston College
|
|
4
|
117
|
Austin Bryant
|
DE
|
Clemson
|
|
5
|
146
|
Amari Oruwariye
|
CB
|
Penn State
|
|
6
|
184
|
Travis Fulgham
|
WR
|
Old Dominion
|
|
6
|
186
|
Ty Johnson
|
RB
|
Maryland
|
|
7
|
224
|
Isaac Nauta
|
TE
|
Georgia
|
|
7
|
229
|
PJ Johnson
|
DT
|
Arizona
|
The goal for the Detroit Lions this offseason was clear. Detroit made a real effort to make one of the league’s most underrated defenses even better, and the Lions gave Matt Stafford plenty of tight ends in the passing game.
Detroit signed Jesse James away from Pittsburgh, but then they used a top ten pick on the best tight end in the draft, TJ Hockenson. They weren’t content to stop there either, selecting former five star prospect Isaac Nauta in the seventh round. That will give this offense some interesting options when it comes to personnel groupings.
Detroit Lions 2019 Prediction
The offense took a big step back in 2018, and Matt Stafford will look to get it going again. Darrell Bevell was brought in to be the new offensive coordinator in place of Jim Bob Cooter, and there is a lot of talent for him to use at the skill positions.
Kenny Golladay became a go-to receiver in his second year in the league, and the newfound depth at tight end has been mentioned. Staying healthy will be key though as two of the team’s big weapons missed the last half of 2018 with injuries.
Marvin Jones was the first to go down, and the Lions missed having him in the line-up. He was the team’s leading receiver in 2017, so pairing Jones and Golladay together will give Stafford options.
Kerryon Johnson was the big loss. The Lions have not had a great running back since Barry Sanders retired two decades ago, and Johnson showed flashes of being the best runner Detroit has had since No. 20 was juking defenders to the turf. Johnson averaged 5.4 yards per carry in 10 games, and the running game took a significant hit once he was injured. If he stays healthy, Johnson could have a breakout campaign in 2019.
The Lions drafted well on defense, and it will be interesting to see if this team continues to improve. I was not a big fan of the Paul Pasqualoni hire in 2018, but Detroit ended the season ranked in the top ten in terms of total defense.
There is a good bit of talent along the defensive line, and the Lions added depth in the draft. They made a big move with the addition of Trey Flowers from New England, but former Patriots usually don’t perform well once they sign somewhere else.
The linebacker corps is decent, and Darius Slay was a Pro Bowl cornerback last year. For the back seven to really improve, the team needs another corner though. Teez Tabor has been underwhelming in two seasons with Detroit, and we have seen mediocre receivers get the better of him time and time again.
I don’t think the Lions are a playoff team, and I’m not a big believer in Matt Patricia. However, I think this offense will be good enough to get them to seven or eight wins, so over is the play for me.
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