Getty Kenny Golladay celebrates a score against the Chiefs.
The Detroit Lions are getting set to tackle the rest of the 2019 NFL season after the bye week concludes, and thus far, a 2-1-1 start has many folks fired up about what the team can do moving forward.
But what will the Lions do with the rest of their slate? Here’s a look at predicting what will happen in the rest of Detroit’s games following their bye week on the season.
Week 6: at Green Bay Packers (Monday Night Football)
Loss 24-17 (2-2-1)
The Lions will come into Lambeau Field owners of a tidy two year winning streak head to head against the Packers. Last season, Detroit shut out the Packers on the road while also upending them at home. All streaks are meant to die at some point though, and while the Lions are not scared of their personal house of horrors any longer, they . The Lions don’t put together quite enough offense to get the job done in a narrow defeat against the Packers under the lights.
Week 7: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Win 31-17 (3-2-1)
Needing a bounce back after a few straight losses, the Lions come home to tangle with the Vikings, who have some major offensive questions at this point in time. Detroit’s defense should be able to feast against Minnesota in this game, and it will be a huge effort for the defense who will score once to help the offense put away a key divisional win which will keep the Lions firmly in contention.
Week 8: vs. New York Giants
Win 23-14 (4-2-1)
Daniel Jones has been a revelation since taking over under center for the Giants, but he has never had to play in such a rowdy NFL environment as he will when he gets things going with the Lions under the Ford Field roof. Jones will make some rookie mistakes against the brilliance of Matt Patricia.
Week 9: at Oakland Raiders
Win 34-21 (5-2-1)
The Raiders are an up and down team, and the Lions will make a west coast trip to tangle with them in this affair. Luckily for Detroit, their offense and defense is capable of traveling well. Detroit gets the job done with a sterling effort on the road and continues their hot midseason run with yet another clutch victory.
Week 10: at Chicago Bears
Loss 23-17 (5-3-1)
The Lions are ready to compete with the Bears as evidence of their narrow defeat on Thanksgiving last season. Detroit had a tough time stopping the Chicago offense last year at Soldier Field. This year, they will fare better, but the Bears defense is very tough and will prove that by stymieing Detroit’s offense multiple times on the afternoon.
Week 11: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Win 27-20 (6-3-1)
Dallas has shown some spunk lately, but they also have a few offensive problems to nail down ahead of this matchup with Detroit. Detroit played the Cowboys closely on the road in 2018 and arguably should have been able to put that game away. They get a measure of revenge with a late touchdown and some quality defense this year to run their record to an impressive mark pushing through the second half.
Week 12: at Washington Redskins
Win 30-13 (7-3-1)
The Lions don’t get many blowouts in Washington, but with the Redskins looking the part of a mess, this might prove to be one of their easier games on the second half slate. Detroit will be galvanized and ready to play at this point on their slate, and hitting their stride. That’s bad news for the Washington defense, who will give up a ton of points on the day without mustering many of their own.
Week 13: vs. Chicago Bears (Thanksgiving)
Win 20-10 (8-3-1)
Thanksgiving is always a special day for the Lions and they will no doubt remember last year’s near miss at home against the Bears on the holiday. This time, they clean things up defensively and offensively. There is no heartbreaking interception late for Matthew Stafford and the Lions roll on through with another massive win which is sure to keep them in the playoff hunt, plus could keep them in the mix for their first division title in decades.
Week 14: at Minnesota Vikings
Loss 27-24 (8-4-1)
It wouldn’t be a Lions season without an inexplicable loss somewhere. Even though the Vikings could be a disaster by this point and have struggled on offense, they catch Detroit at the right time for an upset at home. It’s tough to win at U.S. Bank Field, and Minnesota trips the Lions up with a late field goal this time around to dent their record. This will be a tough pill for the Lions to swallow after a big win.
Week 15: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Win 37-23 (9-4-1)
The Buccaneers don’t have much of a defense, but they can put up some points. They will hang with the Lions at Ford Field late in the season, but Detroit will be able to pull away and survive a scare with a nice win which keeps them in pursuit of the playoffs and late season glory. Detroit will prove here they know how to bounce back under Matt Patricia very well.
Week 16: at Denver Broncos
Loss 20-13 (9-5-1)
Denver isn’t an easy place to play late in the season, and the Lions have classically had trouble with Vic Fangio defenses dating back to his time in the NFC North. Unfortunately for them, things catch up this week in the thin air and the Lions lose a narrow one to the Broncos, likely with playoff hopes on the line. It might not damage them much, however.
Week 17: vs. Green Bay Packers
Win 28-17 (10-5-1)
With revenge on their mind, the Lions grit out a nice win against the Packers at home and run their final record to an impressive 10-5-1 on the season. That should be good enough to get them in the playoffs, and could be good enough for NFC North contention depending on what happens to the other hopefuls. All told, a solid finish to the season for the Lions which will leave folks very happy in the Motor City, and prove that folks were right to be pumped about Detroit all along.
READ NEXT: Lions Surge in Week 5 NFL Power Rankings