Getty Matt Patricia and Bill Belichick shake hands in Detroit.
The Detroit Lions have made a habit of doing work with other teams in training camp, and they want that to continue in 2020 despite the uncertainty that’s currently swirling thanks to the coronavirus.
Last season, the Lions and New England Patriots did joint practice work in Michigan and they want to do so again this year in Massachusetts. ESPN’s Mike Reiss explained in a piece that the Lions and Patriots are hopeful for another round of workouts this offseason, but don’t know how things will work out at this point given the pandemic.
Reiss wrote:
“The Patriots and Lions got their wish with a Week 1 preseason game against each other, which sets things up nicely for the teams to get together for joint practices leading up to it. But while Belichick and Lions coach Matt Patricia would like that to be the end result, everything is essentially on hold as of now. Just too many unknowns with the coronavirus pandemic.”
It will likely be a while before much is known about the fate of training camp and the preseason, but it is clear that the Lions often do like to match wits with other teams, and the Patriots are often a favored foe and will continue to be so this year.
Whether the tangle will happen is anybody’s guess.
Lions 2020 Preseason Slate Revealed
Last Friday, the Lions finalized things for their exhibition games in 2020. The team will kick things off on August 13, and proceed from there.
The games go as follows:
Thursday, August 13: at New England Patriots (7:30 p.m.)
Thursday, August 20: vs. New York Jets (8 p.m. on ESPN)
Thursday, August 27: at Miami Dolphins (7:30 p.m.)
Thursday, September 3: vs. Buffalo Bills (7 p.m.)
Will the Lions play games in front of fans at Ford Field? That’s open to interpretation, especially after Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer recently cast some doubt on that by admitting there isn’t likely to be full football stadiums this fall.
Obviously, this preseason slate, if it happens, could give the team a crash course in how to be ready for hosing games and what the season could look like.
Lions Projected For Terrible 2020 Finish
Many aren’t especially high on the Lions having a great year whatsoever. One such person is Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report. Recently, Davenport predicted records for every team in the league by division, and when it came to the NFC North, he saw the Lions occupying a familiar spot.
Last place.
Davenport had Detroit with a 5-11 record, which would be an improvement on 2019’s finish, but only a modest one, and likely not the type of strides the team needs to make in order to satisfy ownership ahead of a critical season on the field.
Davenport wrote:
“The Detroit Lions have made the playoffs only three times since the turn of the century. They haven’t won a playoff game since 1991 and haven’t won 10 games in a season since going 11-5 in 2014.
The Lions aren’t winning 10 games in 2020, either—or making the playoffs.
Fresh off a 3-12-1 mess of a 2019 season, the Lions are tied for the league’s fifth-hardest schedule this year. Beyond four games against in-division playoff teams in Minnesota and Green Bay, the Lions face three more teams that made the postseason in 2019—the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints at home and the Tennessee Titans on the road.
The Lions may be marginally better in 2020, but they aren’t going to be especially good.”
Obviously, this type of season would be bad news for the Lions, but it’s par for the course of what many expect coming into this season on the field.
Lions Top Opponents During 2020 Season
The Lions will play a schedule that many folks might say is on the easier end, but the team has to understand that there are many challenges to come this season. Perhaps the biggest might be from the Buccaneers, a team that has become a chic Super Bowl pick after a huge offseason of additions. Battles against AFC foes that made the playoffs last year like the Titans, Texans and improved Colts figure to challenge the team as well. As usual, it will be important for fans to watch the NFC North battles given the intensity of those battles. Matchups against the Saints and Cardinals will be very interesting to note as well.
Though the Lions and Patriots don’t play during the 2020 regular season, it’s still an anticipated matchup to see the sides battle on the practice fields.
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