Getty Jayron Kearse before a game with Minnesota.
The Detroit Lions haven’t had the start anyone wants at 1-3, but they get back to work this week and have a chance to start on a new winning streak.
That fact has not been lost on the players, specifically safety Jayron Kearse. Kearse is full of confidence that the Lions can right the ship and turn things around in coming weeks. He simply tweeted “6-3” on Sunday, which is a nod to the fact he has major faith in Detroit turning their season around and their record as well.
The implication here? Kearse expects Detroit to go 5-0 in their next 5 games to get back over the .500 mark at 6-3 and put themselves in good shape for a second half playoff push.
In case y’all are curious, the #Lions play at JAX, at ATL, vs IND, at MIN, and vs WAS
Fans are likely rolling their eyes, but with that schedule, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Kearse could be right. It will take a major turnaround and some luck in order to pull this feat off. Obviously, if Kearse is right, that would be good news for the Lions as it relates to saving their season. The team has blown leads and blown a chance to have at least a 2-2 record if not a 3-1 record heading into their bye. Now that they’re coming out of the bye, it’s clear the Lions want to get on the right path toward carving some momentum.
Though the start has been miserable, confidence clearly isn’t lacking from within to do just that.
Jayron Kearse Statistics
Coming into the league out of Clemson as a seventh round pick, Kearse was well decorated during his time with the Tigers as a first team ACC player in 2014 and 2015. In the NFL, Kearse has put up decent stats with 79 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1 interception and 8 passes defended. Kearse hasn’t played a huge role to this point in his career, but with the Lions, he will get a chance to do plenty of things within their scheme and show why he’s a great player.
Kearse hasn’t played a huge role this season, but it’s important to remember he was shelved with a suspension for the first 3 games of 2020. He returned in Week 4, but should get a much bigger chance to get on the field and impact the games coming up.
Lions Schedule Strength Rated Low
The Lions schedule, which certainly was tough to start based on the teams they’ve already played, will lighten up considerably. As ESPN’s Mike Clay explained, the Lions have one of the top 5 easiest schedules remaining in the league for 2020, checking in at the No. 5 position.
Easiest remaining schedule:
1. Chiefs
2. Cowboys
3. Browns
4. Packers
5. Lions
Hardest remaining schedule:
1. 49ers
2. Rams
3. Jets
4. Bills
5. Broncos
(per my metrics)
For the team, this is a double edged sword. An easy schedule could theoretically help the Lions claw back to respectability, or it could create a situation where Patricia is losing to teams he should beat while potentially blowing more leads and making more of a case to be fired.
Regardless, the Lions could have a shot to turn things around decently with this schedule.
Lions Upcoming 2020 Schedule
After the bye week, the Detroit schedule takes a very positive turn after a difficult start. Following this bye week, Detroit plays the Jaguars, Falcons and Colts, Vikings, Washington, the Panthers and Texans.
All of those teams have struggled in recent weeks in their own way, so the Lions could theoretically find themselves in a position to make a potential midseason run at the postseason if they are able to handle their own business. Out of the group, the Colts have the best current record at 3-1.
The Lions, of course, are 1-3 themselves, so teams are likely looking at them and thinking they managed to get on the right side of a soft schedule. Additionally, some of those teams could turn their seasons around before it’s too late. Still, if the Lions can grab some momentum from their bye week and maximize it, it would help them perhaps get things back on the right track.
Detroit’s schedule, however, was long seen as fairly soft. So far, that’s proven true, which could set the team up for a chance at a major run in the coming weeks if only they can put everything together. So far this season, that’s remained the problem.
Kearse says all of that is about to change.
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