If the playoffs started today, the Lions would be on the road in New Orleans and 3 NFC North teams would be in the playoffs. Say what you want about the Lions not playing anybody good, but having 3 teams from your division in the playoffs means something. The Lions are 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the NFC and undefeated in the NFC North but haven't played the Packers yet. Personally, the game on Thanksgiving will show me how far these Lions will go in the playoffs, assuming they qualify for them.
They are 2nd in the league in point differential, outscoring their opponents by 92 with only Green Bay having a bigger difference of 96. That's an impressive stat to me because it shows they have been consistently good for the majority of the year. Their losses have been close and winnable which is reflected by the point differential.
Lets take a look at the remaining games on their schedule...
@CHI: Winnable
CAR: Win
GB:Winnable
@NO: Loss
MIN: Win
@OAK: Winnable
SD: Win
@GB: Loss
I count 3 "should win" games, 3 "winnable" games and 2 "predicted losses".
According to my predictions, if we give them the 3 wins and just 1 winnable game, that puts them at 10-6 which should be enough for Detroit to make the playoffs in the NFC. I say this should be good enough because I honestly only see Philadelphia and Atlanta as the two other teams competing for a wild card spot along with Detroit and Chicago.
The key to the second half of the season for the Lions is the RUNNING GAME and JAHVID BEST. These have been two of their biggest problems in the first half. They need to get Best back healthy who has been sidelined for weeks with a concussion, and they are ranked a dismal 27th in the NFL in rushing offense. I personally think if you can; stop the run, have good special teams, and run the ball, you are setting yourself up for success.
They are prolific at throwing the pigskin, but this one-dimensional offense won't fool opposing D-Coordinators too much longer. The argument that Stafford needs to stay healthy in order for the Lions to win is irrelevant, and beat to death by now. You can say that about every NFL team, that if their starting QB isn't healthy then their team won't be successful. It's an obvious statement to make that if your starting QB goes down, your team will suffer. DUH!
Fact: Detroit has given up an average of 193 passing yards per game, 6th best in the NFL. I'm not worried about their pass defense because they have proven if you pressure the QB and clog running holes the passing defense will take care of itself. FYI, The Lions have given up only 147 points this year, 4th best in the NFL.
They are prolific at throwing the pigskin, but this one-dimensional offense won't fool opposing D-Coordinators too much longer. The argument that Stafford needs to stay healthy in order for the Lions to win is irrelevant, and beat to death by now. You can say that about every NFL team, that if their starting QB isn't healthy then their team won't be successful. It's an obvious statement to make that if your starting QB goes down, your team will suffer. DUH!
Fact: Detroit has given up an average of 193 passing yards per game, 6th best in the NFL. I'm not worried about their pass defense because they have proven if you pressure the QB and clog running holes the passing defense will take care of itself. FYI, The Lions have given up only 147 points this year, 4th best in the NFL.
This Lions team looks and plays a lot different than the 2007 team that started 6-2 as well but missed the playoffs. I am not worried at all about Detroit in the second half and that's something I can't say I've EVER felt. Even if they play the same brand of football they did the first half, the Lions are certainly going to make their presence felt in the playoffs.
The 2011 Detroit Lions - Restoring the Roar in Detroit
No comments:
Post a Comment