The Detroit Lions And Head Coach Matt Patricia Are Looking For Something To Rally Behind Following Their Third Straight Loss.
Detroit Lions football just hasn’t been the same since the win in Miami almost a month ago. Adding defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison has proven to be a worthwhile addition while trading wide receiver Golden Tate seems like a definite emphasis on the future at this point. The team has gone from a group that seemed like it was capable of beating anybody or losing to anybody to a team that just is not capable of winning in arguably the toughest stretch of games this season. Head coach Matt Patricia has stayed firm to his belief that the season is not over and although the team is playing some of its worst football at the worst possible time, the season is not over truly over until they have seven losses. Everybody is asking but offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter is not going anywhere folks… for now.
This Weeks Opponent: The Carolina Panthers
Carolina (6-3) is coming off of an ugly defensive performance in their 31-point loss to the Steelers last Thursday, but make no mistake, the Carolina Kitties are firmly in the playoff race and aim to be potential wild card spoilers. Quarterback Cam Newton is playing some of his best football and part of that can be attributed to the emergence of last year’s eighth overall draft pick running back Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey showed flashes in the passing game last season but has truly emerged as an elite threat running the football in 2018. The Panthers currently boast the NFL’s third-rated rushing attack which poses a problem for a Lions defense with a tendency to give up big chunks on the ground.
The same cannot be said for the normally dominant Panther defense. Carolina is surrendering nearly 26 points per game and has only held an opponent under 21 points in two out of their nine games. Luckily for them, the Lions defense has been worse (27.1 Points allowed). Quarterback Matthew Stafford and the boys have a tall order if they are being asked to outscore the well-fueled offense of Carolina.
Cam Newton, Ed Dickson, and Female Reporters
It’s the second year in a row that Cam Newton and the Panthers are making a trip to Ford Field. This time there likely won’t be any talk of female reporters or of how the Panthers are off to a bad start. Carolina actually has a lot more going for them than Detroit at the moment. I guess there is one saving grace for Detroit headed into this matchup. The Lions already got the wrath of tight end Ed Dickson out of the way this season!
Jokes aside though, most will argue that the season is already over. If the Lions lose this Sunday, I will be convinced as well. The matchup this weekend really does not appear to be in Detroit’s favor and if they lose, put me on a seat in coach in the top ten draft pick train. All aboard!
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