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Welcome To The Postseason Detroit!
Saturday marks the beginning of postseason play for Detroit. They have a long road ahead as they travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks, then if they win they will travel back to Dallas and play the Cowboys again. Nobody knows how far Detroit will go, but their past two playoff runs have been one and done. Will 2017 bring a change?
If you would like to see your questions appear here next week, comment on our Facebook post, tweet me @BKnappBlogs, email me at intern@detroitlionspodcast.com, or call in to the podcast. Here are this week’s questions.
Question One: Will Our Defense Be Able To Put Pressure On Russell Wilson?
Matt Stafford was sacked 37 times this season, while Russell Wilson was sacked 41 times. Detroit hasn’t been impressive with creating pressure on quarterbacks in the past few weeks. Ziggy Ansah seems to be 100 percent which is good, but he hasn’t produced much numbers. Russell Wilson can scramble and the Lions struggle with scrambling QB’s.
The Seahawks offensive line isn’t the best, but Detroit’s defensive line isn’t the best either. Detroit should make Wilson move around the pocket, but don’t expect him to be getting destroyed again and again.
Question Two: What Players Have The Most Impact On Saturday’s Game?
Travis Swanson and Riley Reiff. The offensive line needs help and with Swanson still in concussion protocol and Reiff missing last week with a hip injury, Detroit needs them now more than ever. The run game did well again in the first half, but was abandoned in the second half. If Detroit can commit to running the ball for the full game and having Swanson and Reiff back, they could actually have a balanced offense.
On defense, it has to be DeAndre Levy and Ziggy Ansah. Levy is going to have to matchup against Jimmy Graham, who is one of the best tight ends in the league. Ziggy Ansah missed a sack on Rodgers on Sunday, he won’t want Wilson to avoid him too. The defensive line needs to create pressure if they want a chance to win and that all starts with Ziggy Ansah.
Question Three: Can The Detroit Lions Win The Super Bowl?
It all depends on the journey. Seattle has been in a slump lately, so that is a favorable matchup for Detroit to start things out. No matter what, if Detroit wins they will play Dallas and we all saw what happened two weeks ago. If Swanson and Reiff are back along with Slay playing in this game, Detroit has a better chance. Detroit played a great first half, but disappeared in the second half. If they play four full quarters they could take down Dallas.
If Detroit beats Seattle, I have faith in a win over Dallas. The next part is where I will draw the line. Atlanta isn’t impressive to me, but Detroit could beat them. Green Bay is Green Bay and after the advantage we had on Sunday and we still lost, I don’t think we could win against them. New York was an off game, but playing there again for a super bowl birth, talk about tough luck.
All in all, no. Detroit is in its rebuilding phase and for them to be in the playoffs in the first year of it is great. Give this team another year or two and then I can say that the Lions will win the super bowl.
Thanks for reading! We will be taking and answering your questions via Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and even the Podcast! Don’t forget to follow me and ask questions on Twitter @BKnappBlogs, find and send me questions on Reddit at /u/sportsguy4life. I also have an email you can send questions to atintern@detroitlionspodcast.com. Call in to the live post-game show and ask me questions and share your thoughts on the Detroit Lions subreddit.
