Getty A Lions fan fired up during a 2014 game against the New York Giants.
The Detroit Lions won’t be on national television much this season, and perhaps that was by design from the powers that be in the NFL.
Coming off a 3-13-1 year in 2021, not many folks seem to think the Lions have that great a shot of being an entertaining team. That’s in spite of the team being set to get featured on the HBO series Hard Knocks later on this summer.
The latest Lions news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lions newsletter here!
Still, when football is set to be played, not everyone is a believer in the Lions being a fun watch. Recently, Bookies.com took a look at predicting the most watchable and least watchable games based on Super Bowl odds as well as the projected win totals for the season. The formula also included bonuses for rivalries, compelling storylines, strong home field advantage or national television.
The bottom line? The Lions will be pretty unwatchable in 2022 based on these factors. The site had a whopping six of Detroit’s games rated as unwatchable for this coming season, including the second-most unwatchable game all year long against the New York Jets in Week 15. Seattle’s visit to Detroit in Week 10 was rated the 10th most unwatchable game, while their battle against Jacksonville placed in the 11 spot on the list. In the 14th spot was another game against a New York foe, this time the Giants. Detroit’s late-season tangle against the Panthers was rated tied for the 17th most unwatchable game, and finally, Detroit’s Week 10 battle at Chicago was seen as the 24th most unwatchable game next year.
As contributor Bill Speros wrote in the piece, Detroit may have two of the worst games the NFL has to offer for viewers coming late in their slate.
“The moribund Jets visit the Detroit Lions in Week 15 on Dec. 18. That game is ranked 271st in the Bookies.com Watchability Index. Its score is the same as the Texans-Bears game, but finished second-to-last due to its slightly smaller point spread. The NFL has a full schedule on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Lions-Panthers game is set for a 1 p.m. ET Christmas Eve kickoff. Only friends and family are expected to be in attendance,” Speros deadpanned.
Clearly, folks aren’t big believers in the Lions being worth watching nationally. Most of their games will be at 1 p.m., so it’s likely Detroit fans might be the only ones tuning in. There are, however, some factors that could help the team reverse this by the time the year concludes.
Why Lions Avoiding Primetime Isn’t a Problem
Once again, the Lions aren’t a darling in the eyes of the national media, securing no primetime or nationally televised games other than Thanksgiving Day. The Lions are going to fly under the radar in a big way this season, but with Dan Campbell, Hard Knocks and some of the personalities on the team, it’s not going to stay that way forever, especially if the team starts to win. The Lions could actually use a lack of primetime games to their advantage. First and foremost, most of their weeks will be regular, which will help for game planning and preparation in practice. Additionally, they won’t have the bright-light pressure that comes with some of the bigger primetime games on the slate.
Sometimes, primetime can mean prime problems for the Lions. That’s not going to be the case much this year, which could help a young team find its footing. Combined with a lack of attention on the Lions, it could help the team quietly be able to go about their business on the field.
Detroit’s 2022 Schedule Looks Team-Friendly
Whether the games are watchable or not, the Lions may have a good chance to put together a run if they get hot thanks to their schedule. As it was revealed pre-schedule release, the Lions won’t be traveling many miles this season, and that will play out early in the 2022 season given the team will play at home three out of the first four weeks of the season. Detroit starts with Philadelphia and Washington at home before hitting the road to take on a Minnesota team they narrowly lost to on the road in 2021. Then, they come back home to take on a drastically changed Seattle team that has seen some major reconstruction this offseason. The Commanders aren’t trending toward being one of the best teams in the league, and whether the Eagles look as good as they did at times in 2021 is anyone’s guess. That’s a very friendly way to start the year for Detroit.
Fans may roll their eyes, but there is a good shot for the Lions to start out 3-1, or at the very least 2-2 with this home-friendly setup. The playoffs or a division title can’t be attained in the first four weeks, but a team can certainly play their way out of contention with a tough start and create some quick doubts about their season. This year, it is setting up well for the Lions to get off to a much better start and perhaps get themselves on some radars nationally. If that happens, a softer finish with some of the more unwatchable matchups could aid the Lions possible playoff hopes.
The moral of the story? Watchable or not, the Lions have a chance to put together a run in 2022. No matter how many people tune in, the only thing that will matter in the end is the final score of the games.
READ NEXT: D’Andre Swift Looking Stronger During OTA Sessions
Comments
Lions Revealed With Staggering Number of ‘Least Watchable’ 2022 Games