Only 2 Lions Projected as NFL’s Top 100 Players for 2020

Kenny Golladay Matthew Stafford

Getty Kenny Golladay celebrates a score with Matthew Stafford.

The Detroit Lions don’t typically draw much attention in terms of elite players on their roster, but ahead of the 2020 season, they’ve gotten a little bit of love.

Recently, ESPN put together their list of the 100 top players in the 2020 season. Detroit had a pair of players on the list in Matthew Stafford and Kenny Golladay, though they didn’t place that highly at all on the list. Stafford came in 52nd position, while Golladay was in the No. 76 spot.

In terms of the Lions, writer Michael Rothstein handled the write ups, and said that Stafford’s 2019 season being cut short will push him to greatness, as will his offense. As for he statistical prediction, ESPN puts him down for 4,223 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

“Stafford was playing at a Pro Bowl level through the first eight games of last season, on pace for a 5,000-yard season after completing 187 of 291 passes for 2,499 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. A back injury forced him to injured reserve, but he returns in 2020 saying he’s healthy. Darrell Bevell’s offense, which allows Stafford to use his arm strength for downfield throws, and Stafford’s better decision-making, honed from his years with Jim Caldwell, set the veteran QB up perfectly for a big year.”

As for Golladay, the projection was for the wideout to put up 1,113 yards and 8 scores, and Rothstein said that no matter who is playing the quarterback, he figures to feast this season.

“Golladay made his first Pro Bowl last season and led the NFL in touchdown catches (1,190 yards, 11 touchdowns) — and that was with David Blough and Jeff Driskel throwing to him for half the season. His ability to make contested catches is among the best in the NFL, as his skill at high-pointing catches makes it easier for Stafford or whoever is throwing him the ball.”

As for the Lions perhaps having snubs on the list, the fact they only had 2 players seems like a fair total. The team traded away Darius Slay, and while they have plenty of solid and good players, this list was all encompassing with the league.

If Stafford and Golladay have big seasons, it makes sense to say that the pair will be the most important members of the team and are justified to be on this list.


Matthew Stafford Named Potential 2020 NFL MVP by ESPN

A back injury ended up costing Stafford the rest of the 2019 season, but now that he has healed up, the sky could be the limit for the quarterback during the 2020 season. In fact, some already see Stafford as being in the mix for a major award for his play during next season.

ESPN recently put together an Insider piece predicting some outcomes for the 2020 season. When it came to league MVP, there were scant votes for Stafford, but one insider was bold enough to say he thinks the Detroit quarterback could be the league MVP.

In a piece by MLive.com’s Benjamin Raven, the thoughts of ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler from the piece are presented. Here’s a look at what was written by Raven that Fowler shared in the piece:

“The Lions quarterback was playing some of the best ball of his career before going down with fractured bones in his back, though, and his level of play was reason enough for one ESPN analyst to pencil him in as the 2020 NFL MVP.

“Mahomes is still the game’s best player, but Stafford was playing really good football before his midseason back issues,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes (ESPN Insider). “If he leads Detroit to contention, which isn’t so farfetched considering the talent around him, he’ll be in the MVP mix because he puts up numbers and the NFC North is as open as Kenny Golladay.”

The Lions were arguably getting MVP level play out of Stafford before he got hurt, and the numbers proved that he was acclimating just fine to Darrell Bevell’s new offense in Detroit. Last season, Stafford was cruising along to the tune of 19 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and 2,499 yards. Clearly, he was the most valuable player for the Lions considering what happened to the team when he went down.

The hope is that next season, Stafford can put together just as elite of a year and dominate on the field in similar fashion. If he does that and the team scores some big wins, it could be all that’s needed to get him into the MVP race.


Kenny Golladay Projected for Huge 2020

After a few solid seasons since being drafted into the league, Golladay appeared to grow by leaps and bounds in 2019. All of that only sets the stage for what could be to come this year. According to Pro Football Focus, Golladay is going to be one of the most productive wideouts in the game this coming season, racking up 1,405 receiving yards. That would represent a top 3 total in the league.

Golladay is a player the Lions need to build around for the future, and his ability to make huge plays in the passing game is a major reason why. He’s developed well since the Lions drafted him and Golladay is a home grown talent in the truest sense.

Both Stafford and Golladay figure to be easy stars this season for the team.

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