Getty An anonymous NFL general manager criticized the Detroit Lions after their Week 7 loss for not beating any good teams this season.
Narratives in the NFL can change very quickly. The Detroit Lions entered Week 7 as a clear-cut top five team in the NFL.
But after a 38-6 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens, analysts are questioning who are the real Lions.
One NFL general manager seemed to imply that they are closer to the team that suffered the embarrassing blowout defeat in Week 7.
“Detroit was 5-1, but they hadn’t played anybody,” an anonymous NFL general manager told The Athletic’s Mike Sando. “Go look at the games they won. They played the Super Bowl champs in Week 1 and caught them without [Travis] Kelce or Chris Jones. Mahomes was not comfortable with any of those receivers. Other than that, who have they beaten?”
The answer to that question is the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those four teams own a combined 9-16 record after Week 7.
Lions Facing Questions After Blowout Loss to Ravens
There’s always going to be cause for concern when an NFL team falls by more than 30 points.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell took full responsibility for the loss in his press conference on October 23. But he did add that they aren’t uncommon.
“When you’ve played long enough and coach long enough in this league, unfortunately, they happen,” Campbell said about blowout defeats in the NFL on October 23. “From time to time, they happen.”
The cause for concern will likely be louder for the Lions, though, because, as a franchise, they haven’t experienced much success over the past 30 years. A game like the one Detroit played in Week 7 will cause a lot of fans to utter, “Same old, Lions.”
Unfortunately for Detroit, there is some truth to what the NFL general manager told Sando. The Lions haven’t had a very difficult schedule.
While Detroit’s road victory at Lambeau Field was impressive at the time, the Packers have lost two straight to below .500-record AFC West teams since then.
Furthermore, the Lions defense looked great while holding the Falcons and Buccaneers to no touchdowns. However, both Atlanta and Tampa Bay are ranked in the bottom six in scoring this season.
Those facts, combined with the blowout loss to the Ravens, will likely put a big damper on the Lions hype train.
Detroit’s Upcoming Schedule Doesn’t Get Harder
One way for the Lions to change the narrative the anonymous NFL general manager suggested would be to beat a better team. However, Detroit may not have that opportunity for awhile.
The Lions will face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8 and then visit the Los Angeles Chargers during Week 10. In Week 9, the Lions will have a bye.
Those AFC West teams have a combined 5-8 record.
The schedule for Detroit doesn’t get any harder after that. As of October 24, the Lions won’t face another team with a winning record until they visit the Dallas Cowboys on December 30 in Week 17.
Until then, the Lions don’t even have an opponent on the slate that has a .500 record.
That bodes well for Detroit’s chances of staying in control of the NFC North. It could also mean the Lions competing for the top seed in the NFC playoff picture.
But it won’t change the Lions “haven’t played anyone” narrative.