Heading into Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings on the road, the Detroit Lions might not be favored much, but some are going out on a limb to project victory.
Interestingly enough, an ESPN analyst and former member of the Lions is one of the first to put his name on the line and say that Detroit will score a massive road win early in 2022.
As Mike O’Hara of DetroitLions.com pointed out, former Detroit offensive lineman Damien Woody picked the Lions to beat the Vikings in a first-place battle this weekend.
Former Detroit Lions O-lineman Damien Woody predicts on ESPN Lions win over Vikings Sunday
“Former Detroit Lions O-lineman Damien Woody predicts on ESPN Lions win over Vikings Sunday,” O’Hara tweeted.
Such a win would be a big boost to the Lions and their early-season hopes of relevancy on the field. Woody wouldn’t know much about winning in Detroit, unfortunately. After he was signed in 2004, the Lions had some very average seasons before bottoming out at 0-16 in 2008. Woody departed in 2007.
It hasn’t been just Woody, though. Lots of folks are betting on a big effort from the Lions this week in the national media.
NFL.com Picks Lions to Beat Vikings
Woody might be a lone voice at ESPN to support the Lions’ efforts this week, but he has some competition from NFL.com expert Gregg Rosenthal.
This week, Rosenthal revealed his new game picks for Week 3, and showed that he is firmly in on the Detroit bandwagon. As he wrote, he picked Detroit to beat Minnesota 33-30, and believed the team had an advantage thanks to their offense.
“In this seesaw early portion of the season, I tend to pick according to which units are most consistent. The Lions’ offense is that group. Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift are making the jump from good to special, and I trust Detroit’s staff to give its squad a slight edge,” he wrote.
While Detroit’s offense is consistent, it may not have reached it’s ceiling yet. That could be scary news for Minnesota if things come together this week in a firmer way.
Lions Played Vikings Tough in 2021
In terms of the head-to-head battle on the field, the Lions were a team that played Minnesota closest in 2021. Detroit nearly pulled out an improbable win on the road, and did beat the Vikings at home for their first win of the season.
During the game in Minnesota, the Lions scored 17 points and were limited offensively. That didn’t stop them from launching a furious comeback that nearly ended in victory. Detroit only lost after a late meltdown and a long field goal to edge them out 19-17.
Revenge came later for Detroit in December. Detroit revved-up their offense and cruised to a 29-27 win on a last-second touchdown pass. The game was seen as the coming out party for Amon-Ra St. Brown, who is now a household name.
As a whole, these games show the Lions can hang with Minnesota, and the game should be an intriguing battle in 2022. It’s possible that the winner of this game will have the early inside track to the division and take a solid step toward late-season playoff contention.
Many already believe the Lions have a chance to make some serious headway this season, and a win in Week 3 would prove that.
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Lions Picked for Week 3 Upset by Former Player, ESPN Personality