Getty Bob Quinn at a press conference.
The Detroit Lions are 3-5 and just past the midway point of the 2020 season. That means time is running out for the team to make an impression that will last until the new year on the decision makers higher up in the organization.
Thus far, Detroit hasn’t been as good as they set out to be this season, and are dangerously close to missing out on their playoff mandate supposedly stated by owner Sheila Ford Hamp. If they miss the mark, that could be bad news for Matt Patricia and company, and that’s something that is very obvious to outside observers.
Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer also has a grasp of what’s coming for the Lions, and it includes 3 huge games against teams Detroit should beat in order to right the ship on their 2020 season moving forward. Breer made this claim due to the fact that the Lions have a very tough schedule in December.
“Feels like a critical time for the Bob Quinn/Matt Patricia regime in Detroit. The Lions need to make hay the next three weeks, with the schedule uncompromising come December,” Breer said in his most recent MMQB piece.
If the Lions cannot beat Washington, Carolina and Houston, they will leave themselves in trouble given the fact their final full month of the season is a bear, no pun intented. The Lions play the Bears, Packers, Titans, Buccaneers and Vikings to finish out the 2020 season. It’s possible given those variables and teams that another ugly finish could be on tap for Detroit.
Should Detroit capture a few wins consecutively and get to 6-5, however, anything could happen down the stretch and the team could make a push for the playoffs with a few upsets along the way. Should the bottom fall out, however, it will be bad news for the team’s brain trust.
Matt Patricia, Bob Quinn Could Be on Hot Seat
The team’s brain trust has struggled in a big way the last few years to impart their game plan, and as a result, the Lions could look to move on this offseason. Rumors swirled a few weeks back that a quick move could be made, but the Lions saved their staff with a pair of wins. One can only wonder how sustainable that is moving forward, especially given some of the mistakes that have already been made.
Patricia’s miserable record as coach and Quinn’s spotty track record as general manager lend to some pause that the team should be all in on them for the future. At the very least, Patricia could be on the hot seat given the team’s lack of winning. Quinn could find himself there if the Lions continue to struggle on the field and the results of the front office are brought up into the mix.
Either way, it’s fair to say this next few months will play a big role in deciding the direction the football team takes moving forward.
Lions Standing Within 2020 NFC Playoff Race
The Lions now are set to play teams with worse records in the next 3 weeks. The best team they could play in the month lies outside that stretch in the form of the Bears, and they have shown some definite vulnerabilities lately. Theoretically, the Lions should be favored in at least a couple more of those upcoming games moving forward.
Even with Sunday’s loss and a pair of defeats in a row, the Lions remain on the periphery of the NFC race at 3-5. They will be battling the likes of the Eagles, Giants, Cardinals, 49ers, Rams, Panthers, Buccaneers and naturally the Bears and Packers for the playoff push in the second half. A win Sunday could have been huge for Detroit to climb back into the thick of things, but the team will have to come through it to stay in the hunt.
If the Lions are not able to make a run, it might only complicate things for their staff.
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