Getty Matthew Stafford celebrates after a game in 2014.
The Detroit Lions have been figured to make a turnaround this coming season, and momentum is growing for the team to be able to challenge for a great season on the field.
Will the Lions be able to be an NFL surprise this year? Some think that is the case, and one of the folks that has been leading with that take for months has been Peter Schrager of Good Morning Football. On a recent segment, Schrager admitted he will be watching closely to see if the Lions are better than advertised this season and can sneak up on teams.
As Schrager said, thinks the Lions can pull that off this season thanks to the fact that the team’s overall mindset seems to have changed in a big way and they have plenty of talent.
Schrager said:
“Can the Lions be sneaky good? There is something bubbling out of Lions camp that this team is more united than it’s ever been, they are more cohesive than they’ve ever been and Matthew Stafford, coming off a back injury last year, might look as good as he’s ever been. He looks slimmer, looks like the arm is in great shape. You add in some defensive player, some rookies, guys like (Jeff) Okudah, D’Andre Swift, player who are going to make immediate impact and then you look at the coach in Matt Patricia, it’s now year 3, he went through the first training camp when it was difficult. He went through last year and all the heartbreaking injuries. Now it’s year 3 and if you listen to the Lions players or if you’ve followed the team this summer, it seems like the Lions are a more cohesive bunch than they’ve ever been and that’s from ownership to the general manager to the coach down to the players.”
It’s true that Patricia’s first few seasons in Detroit have been bumpy for different reasons, but the coach is drawing rave reviews for how he has handled the offseason, and that could have the Lions in line to do some nice things this coming year.
A cohesive locker room could be a big reason the Lions have success, and it seems as if the team and their players are unified behind the message now ahead of 2020.
If it pays off on the field, the Lions will likely be one of the biggest surprise teams in 2020, and sneaky good to those who doubted them.
Nick Williams: Lions Want to Flip NFC North
One of the spots the team built up was the defensive line. Nick Williams was an addition from Chicago, and as he said, knowing the lay of the land in the NFC North, the team needs to step up and find a way to claim their new look division. He’s pretty confident in the team doing so.
Williams said:
“We know the pecking order in the NFC North, and we’re here to change that. We’re ready to get out there and prove to the NFC North, the black and blue division that we can play good football. And we can, we got the pieces, we got the defense to be able to do that. And we believe in ourselves and each other. The more we’re on the field with each other, the more confidence we have in each other and we’ll get the job done.”
The Lions want to make sure they show the right kind of toughness, and many think they have the ability to step up and challenge in a close division. Williams could certainly come along with the defensive line and prove the team has more than enough at their disposal.
At this point, the team plans on stepping up and contending this season.
Lions 2020 ‘Worst to First’ Jump Called Likely
Recently, CBS Sports writer John Breech looked at ranking the teams likely to make a worst to first jump this coming season 1-8. As he said, he believes the Lions belong on the list and actually quite high. Breech had Detroit in the No. 2 position for the 2020 season. While the Miami Dolphins were No. 1, the Lions were also seen as a team likely to make a big jump.
Here’s what he writes as it relates to why:
“For the first eight weeks of the 2019 season, the Lions looked like a potential dark horse team to make the playoffs, but then Matthew Stafford got hurt and the wheels fell off the wagon. Before Stafford’s injury, he was playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Not only was he averaging 312.4 passing yards per game, but he had a 106.0 QB rating and a 19-to-5 TD-to-INT ratio, and he did all that even though he was still learning the system of Lions first-year offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. If Stafford can stay healthy, the Lions should be able to compete for the division title in a wide open NFC North.”
Detroit is quietly a team on the rise in many circles ahead of this season, and while they will have to prove it on the field, there’s a chance of them having improved enough to accomplish this mission in the months ahead. The team is healthy, nearly contended last year and all systems should be go for a much better 2020.
It could lead the Lions to become a first place team this coming season if all goes to plan, and sneaking up on plenty of folks.
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