Week 11
Vs. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers gave the Lions trouble last year, a lot of trouble. I don’t expect much to change this year. If the running game is truly improved, this may be a completely different game than it was last year, but the play calling was bad last year, and the Lions didn’t seem to have an effective gameplan for attacking the Carolina defense.
The final score of the game last year was far closer than it should have been. Stafford was sacked six times and only passed for 229 yards, despite the backfield combining for only 50 yards on the ground.
Cam Newton dropped 355 yards through the air against Detroit and I’m sure most of you remember the hurt that backup tight end Ed Dickson put on the Lions with 175 yards.
The Carolina offense could again be trouble for Detroit. Greg Olsen will be back, a significant improvement over Dickson. Christian McCaffrey, held in check in the last meeting between these two teams, should be a bigger part of the game plan.
The Lions held Cam Newton to zero rushing yards on seven attempts last year. I wouldn’t count on replicating that.
The Lions probably match up evenly with the Panthers in terms of talent, and they get the Panthers at home, but the Panthers offensive skill positions are built for attacking linebackers, and the Lions have yet to find a way to get coverage success out of their linebackers.
This is another crucial “toss-up” game. I expect the Lions to lose this one, but this could be one that the Lions steal and put themselves in the playoff race.
Detroit Lions 2018 Record : 6-4
Week 12
Vs. Chicago Bears
Playing the Bears in Detroit should be a win. After defeating the Bears in Chicago, the Lions get them two weeks later at Ford Field.
I don’t expect a different result, especially if the Lions manage to pull off a win against Carolina and come in hot.
The Lions haven’t had much trouble with the Bears in Detroit in recent history, and I don’t expect this to be any different. The Lions will probably be in the heat of the playoff race with the divisional and wild card picture starting to shape up. Fans will be ready for this and the Lions should have a significant home field advantage for this one.
Detroit Lions 2018 Record : 7-4
Week 13
Vs. LA Rams
The Lions’ offensive line better be ready for this one. Suh and Donald are probably going to give the Lions a lot of trouble in this one. The hope is that Matthew Stafford survives the experience.
This isn’t a criticism of the offensive line, it simply speaks to the fact that Suh and Donald could give any offensive line in the NFL trouble, and I don’t expect Detroit to be the exception.
The Rams are a really good team. Their defense is among the best in the NFL, and their offense has enough weapons that they can exploit the weaknesses in the defense rather than trying to feed specific play makers.
The Lions don’t have a perfect defense, and they have plenty of places that they can be exploited. The Rams should be able to put up points in this one and their defense is good enough that they are probably going to be able to keep the Lions from keeping pace.
The home field advantage could be a wild card in this one, but I think that the Lions are probably just over-matched here.
Detroit Lions 2018 Record : 7-5
Week 14
At Arizona Cardinals
By week 14, this is probably Josh Rosen’s team. Whether Bradford manages to stay healthy or not, the Cardinals probably are going to want to get a look at the future of their franchise. This is good news for the Lions.
This isn’t to say that Rosen is going to be a bad NFL quarterback, but rookie quarterbacks have growing pains that they have to work through, and Matt Patricia should be able to scheme up some things that Rosen hasn’t seen before.
The Lions beat the Cardinals last year and should do it again this year. Last year, the Cardinals lost David Johnson early in the game. That won’t happen again this year, but the Lions should have an improved running game that they didn’t have the benefit of last year. Between a theortetically improved rushing attack and the Cardinals fielding a rookie quarterback, the Lions should win this one.
Detroit Lions 2018 Record : 8-5
