Getty Matthew Stafford gets hit and fumbles against the Titans in 2016.
The Detroit Lions are struggling on the field as they close the 2020 season, and the Tennessee Titans are playing very well. All of that sets up a potential mismatch on Sunday afternoon when the sides meet.
Even in spite of their 5-8 record, the Lions have been competitive this season in games, and most recently battled the Green Bay Packers hard last weekend in a seven point loss. The same results might not be expected this weekend for the Lions, however, according to the oddsmakers.
Detroit and Tennessee have opened, and the first lines out are painting the picture of a major blowout for the Detroiters. So far, it’s between an 8.5 to 12 point spread, which only goes to show how little faith anyone has in the Lions at this point in time.
Perhaps the dramatic movement has most to do with the fact that Matthew Stafford does not figure to be completely healthy and may not play in the game with a rib cartilage injury. While Chase Daniel is established, he’s not likely to be a player that has the ability of Stafford to keep the Lions in a game himself, hence the potential dramatic swing in the line toward Tennessee.
Stafford is only one half of the equation, though. The Titans are a solid team and the Lions haven’t played well in the series historically. Here’s a closer look at what that means for this weekend’s game.
Lions-Titans Series History
This is the first time the Lions and Titans will see each other on the football field since 2016. That season, the upstart Titans won a hard fought 16-15 game at Ford Field. As a whole, the Lions have not had much luck beating the Titans on the field whatsoever. Tennessee is 9-3 against the Lions all-time, and has won the last five contests in a row dating back to 1995. That was Detroit’s last win in the series, so the Lions are certainly overdue. The last pair of games have been close, with the Lions losing a wild game in overtime in 2012, and the narrow loss in 2016 both on their resume recently. Safe to say this hasn’t been a friendly matchup at all for the Lions historically, and that might be the case once again in 2020.
Lions-Titans Primer
Both of these teams are heading in different directions as the season pushes to a close. Tennessee is on the move in the AFC playoff race, while the Lions are on the move backward in the NFC, especially after sacking their head coach and general manager tandem. The Titans are led by strong quarterback play and have one of the best ground games in the league with Derrick Henry. They also have elite wideouts in A.J. Brown as well as a solid defense that can make a nightmare for even the best offense.
With all this in mind, it’s not a shock to see the Titans favored dramatically. The bigger upset would seem to be the Lions managing to keep the game close at all.