Getty Matt Patricia shows frustration during a Lions loss.
The Detroit Lions have been getting a bit of national love lately, but don’t count Sports Illustrated writer Conor Orr as a believer in that whatsoever.
While many have touted the Lions as a team on the rise and hinted they could be a sleeper, Orr is taking the opposite approach. He’s predicting a season for the Lions in 2020 on par with the misery they experienced in 2019. The reason, as he sees it, is mostly due to a complicated schedule.
Orr predicts the team to go 4-12 next season in a prediction piece bringing up the rear of the NFC North. He’s not a believer in the team whatsoever.
Orr writes:
“I am admittedly missing the Lions swoon of late. In looking at their schedule, outside of their dates with the Bears, a matchup with the Jaguars and a second gift against Washington, I’m struggling to come up with a ton of games where they’ll be favored or, really, overwhelmingly competitive. I just don’t see where the wins come from.”
Interestingly, contrary to Orr’s point, a favorable schedule has been named as a major reason the Lions could be better than many people think this season, combined with a weaker NFC North division. That, combined with an offense on the rise and a defense many people figure couldn’t be much worse than it was a year ago, could create a team that will sneak up on many.
Never mind that for Orr, however. He is choosing the approach of writing the Lions off once again. Most years, it works. We’ll see if it’s indeed the best approach this season.
Peter King Sends 2020 Lions to Playoffs
Can the Lions be better than they were last year? That’s the major question on the mind of plenty, but some hope for fans was recently provided by Peter King of NBC Sports. In a recent Football Morning in America piece, King picked out his playoff teams for this coming season, and the Lions were in the mix in the NFC, albeit in the No. 7 slot.
Here’s King on why the Lions could be poised for a huge season:
“Detroit was averaging 391 yards per game on offense at midseason, top five in the league, when Matthew Stafford was lost for the year. Not sure of the ratio in the backfield now that Adrian Peterson is a Lion, but the run game will be good enough. The defense will have four ex-Pats starting, but the most important addition will be cornerback Jeff Okudah, who needs to be a day-one stopper with Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray and Drew Brees on the schedule in the first month.”
The Lions have a chance to start off strong, and have made improvements to their offense and defense this offseason designed to get them over the top. Where it will lead is anyone’s guess, but King thinks the playoffs are a good place to start.
Even though King doesn’t think the Lions win the division or advance far, the postseason would be a big accomplishment given where the team has been lately.
Lions Called Major NFL Sleeper
Several admit to liking the direction the team is trending heading into the season. A few months back, King didn’t have the Lions ranked high in his power rankings at 26th, he does see potential for some large things in 2020.
As King explains, it’s a big season for many with the team and while Matthew Stafford hasn’t accomplished much at this point in his career, the Lions will have a powerful offense. What happens this season from there will be determined by the defense.
King wrote:
“But what will it mean? Detroit basically treaded water in the offseason, trading ace cornerback Darius Slay to Philadelphia and using the third pick in the draft on his replacement, Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah. He’ll play opposite new cornerback Desmond Trufant, who comes from Atlanta after a disappointing end there. Patricia’s D needs to show progress after allowing a gaudy 24.5 points a game in his first two years, not the kind of performance the Lions expected when they hired the Belichick disciple two years ago. He’ll need strong performances from a couple of former Patriots who just arrived this year—instinctive safety Duron Harmon and roving linebacker Jamie Collins. I won’t be shocked if Detroit contends, because the Lions will score. The big question is the D.”
Many think the Lions actually improved their defense this offseason, even as others see the team basically doing nothing more than treading water.
Obviously, not everyone is a believer as Orr proved, but many are.
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