Detroit Lions Second Half Prediction

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...

The National Spotlight Is On Detroit Today

Detroit sports fans have waited an eternity for this day. These two nationally televised games will show why Detroit truly is the BEST sports city in America. The Lions are on ESPN Monday Night Football, and the Tigers are on FOX.  This city has put up with a lot of grief in its recent sports history, but this Monday has Detroit sports fans feeling ecstatic. 

The Lions haven't been on MNF since 2001, every other team in the NFL has made at least one appearance since 2007. The Lions have certainly earned it this year after starting 4-0. They match up against Da Bears who have to be shaking in their boots looking at this Detroit D-Line which I predict will sack Cutler at least 4 times tonight. I think the Lions will manhandle Chicago with all the energy buzzing in Detroit right now. 

PREDICTION: Lions 31, Bears 13. FINAL: Lions 24, Bears 13 - I was close!

I am feeling 100% more confident in the Tigers ability to advance to the World Series after hearing they activated Delmon Young today. He gets the start in left field and takes the roster spot of Magglio Ordonez. While Maggs was having a great postseason, his fractured ankle was re-injured forcing him to miss the remainder of the playoffs. Having D.Y. Jr. (my nickname for Delmon) back is HUGE. He was the MVP of the ALDS and gives the Tigers another right handed power bat against this lefty-heavy pitching of the Rangers. I honestly really like the Tigers odds to make some noise in Arlington today and win game 2 of this rain-delayed series. 

PREDICTION: Tigers 6, Rangers 3. FINAL: Rangers 7, Tigers 3

There will certainly be some trending topics about Detroit sports tonight on Twitter, and the bandwagon will be full very soon. The loyalty of Detroit fans will pay off today because we can say we were fans BEFORE our teams were good.

With that, I'm going to have my eyes glued to my TV for the next 6 hours starting promptly at 4:19 EST.

GO TIGERS

GO LIONS

The New Era Of Lions Football

Many of us saw a brand of Lions football we have not been accustomed to in the past decade. They came back to beat the Vikings 26-23 in Minnesota, ending a losing streak of 13 games in the Twin Cities. This is the first 3-0 start for the Lions since 1980. The Lions outscored the Vikings 26-3 after the first half, and the credit goes to Stafford, Megatron and the D.

People have been crediting Stafford for how good he is when he stays healthy, and he proved it again today. His game line reads as follows: 32-46 for 378 yards and 2 TDs with 0 picks. On the season he has 977 yards and 9 TDs to go with only 2 INTs. The best stat that proves his efficiency is the blistering 66.7% completion rate he's displaying. The maturity of this kid after making only 16 NFL starts is mind-blowing. The future is very very bright for #9. 

Megatron is just a freak athlete. The catch he had in overtime was unbelievable to go with his 108 yards and 2 TDs. According to ESPN, Calvin has 2 TDs in each of his team's first three games to start the year which is a FIRST IN NFL HISTORY. Pretty cool that not only are the Lions good, they are setting records too. I still am waiting for someone to match up physically with him on the field, I don't see it happening anytime soon. 

The D was the weak point in the first half but righted the ship at halftime. God knows what Schwartz said to them at the break, but it worked. Awesome job shutting down Peterson in the second half for only five yards. It goes to show how shutting down the run is the first and foremost task of a defense in order to be consistently good. 

While the 1980 team only finished 9-7 after starting 4-0, I think this Lions team proves they have what it takes to win 10 games and make the playoffs three years removed from having the worst season in NFL history. This era of Lions football is restoring the roar in the Motor City.

Restoring the Roar in Detroit

How did that feel today Lions fans? I still think I'm dreaming after looking at the box score repeatedly and seeing 48-3 as the final score. These Lions are GOOD though, and are living up to the hype so far after opening up the season 2-0. They played like a pissed off teenager and stuck it to KC.

Today they set a franchise record for having the largest margin of victory, 45 points, during the regular season. I mean this game was close in the first quarter when the Chiefs D kept stopping the Lions, but then all hell broke loose at Ford Field. Detroit shut the Chiefs out 41-0 through the final three quarters. With the "swiss cheese" defense of the Chiefs this afternoon, Detroit Mercy's football team could have scored on them (get it? UDM doesn't have a football team HA).

Stafford looked great after the first interception, and Jahvid continued to prove his naysayers wrong with two TDs and 123 combined yards from scrimmage. Megatron was Megatron as usual with another pair of touchdowns. Seriously, if you're inside the 10 yard line just throw a fade route to Calvin and he will snag it out of the air. There is no defensive back in the league that can hang with him. The dude is a physical specimen with his size and speed. Young receiver Titus Young played exceptional today as well. He had a couple great catches and looks to be the slot receiver Detroit has been looking for.

Up next is the Minnesota Vikings, and I like the Lions in that game as well. If they stop AP, then there is no way the Vikings led by my former favorite player, McNabb (sorry for not being sorry), will be able to beat them. All is good in Detroit right now concerning the Lions, and I am excited to see how loud they can roar the rest of the way.