Getty Christian McCaffrey high fives Teddy Bridgewater in a 2020 game.
The Detroit Lions‘ playoff lives are hanging by a thread and the team could use any break they might get in the coming weeks in terms of opposition.
Unfortunately for the Lions, that’s not going to be happening in Week 11. Injured Carolina Panthers‘ running back Christian McCaffery is gearing up for a return in the coming weeks after getting decent health news, and the game against Detroit could be the one where he forges his comeback.
Obviously, this is bad for the Lions considering not only McCaffrey’s talent, but the team’s own defensive vulnerabilities. The Lions struggle up front, and McCaffery is a dynamic weapon that can extend a defense in multiple ways. Not only is he good running the ball, but he can take passes to the house as well making him the kind of player that can break open a close game.
The Lions and Panthers are similar teams this season, and adding a true x-factor to the mix like McCaffrey could be what tips the scales for the team moving forward in this game. He might be the best player either team puts on the field.
Christian McCaffery Stats
The elite All-Pro and Pro Bowl talent is just 24 years old and is already one of the biggest game breakers in the league. So far, through his short career, McCaffrey has put up a gaudy 3,145 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. That’s to go with an equally as good 2,672 receiving yards and 16 scores. He’s a true dynamic weapon and having him on the field could tip the scales in what figured to be a close game between the sides.
Lions Defense Allowing Too Many Points
Unfortunately for the team, seeing the potential return of McCaffrey isn’t great news considering how bad Detroit’s defense has been this season in terms of points allowed. The team’s defense is only getting worse, and right now, is looking like they are bottoming out coming into the most critical time of the schedule just in time for the return of an elite player.
As a whole, Detroit’s defense hasn’t improved much if at all considering the statistics. The Lions are just one of a handful of teams allowing 30 points or above this season on the defensive side of things, which is a very ugly total for the team.
The Lions are giving up an average of 30 points per game this season. There are only four teams allowing more.
These numbers point to the fact that the Lions have been miserable on the one side of the ball that is most important this season. Detroit’s schedule eases up again, but the Lions still have to stop the other team. They’ve been having a very miserable time doing so this year consistently.
Detroit also allows far too many rushing yards, and they recently allowed Dalvin Cook to explode for over 200 yards rushing. That should be music to an elite player like McCaffery’s ears at this point in time.
The Lions defense is going to have to tighten things up in a significant way moving forward if they want to deal with McCaffery’s return in a constructive way. Otherwise, this will be more bad news for a defense that has played poorly this year.
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