Predicting the Detroit Lions' 2021 record game-by-game, a few other NFL thoughts
A few intriguing storylines for me.
The NFL season kicks off on Thursday night when the Dallas Cowboys take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I had previously promised a podcast ahead of the NFL season, but work and life stuff came up so this will have to do for now.
The most pertinent question is what I think the Detroit Lions will do this year. To put it nicely, they are going to be terrible. Anyone who thinks that Jared Goff is going to have a career renaissance in Detroit probably thought Blake Griffin would do the same thing with the Pistons. As long as he is on the roster playing critical snaps for the Lions, there will be no progress in the outlook of the franchise. If you think he is going to get over his woes by going to a team with lesser talent at every position that is not in a position to compete for anything, I’ve got some oceanfront property in Washtenaw County to sell you.
D’Andre Swift and TJ Hockenson could very well be Pro Bowlers, but it’s super rare for a running back and tight end to be pillars of a franchise. Hope for this time lies in the development of the offensive line, which has all the pieces in place to be something to build around for years to come. Defensively, I think the Lions are very stout (and somewhat deep?) upfront. Alim McNeil is a monster and will be a big presence as a rookie at nose tackle. Romeo Okwara looks to be an ascending pass rush talent. Jeff Okudah still might be a good cornerback. Derrick Barnes might be a future piece at linebacker. Everything else is very “meh” and is going to need a lot of sorting out.
There are only two things to glean out of this year, assuming the Lions are trying to tank and be competitive. First and foremost, Dan Campbell has to prove to be a legitimate NFL head coach. How he handles critical situations and clock management are going to be skills you’ll be able to see no matter what the scoreboard says. His assistant coaching staff is terrific on paper, but it starts and stops with him. We’ll see what he learned from Sean Payton while he was in New Orleans.
The second thing is letting these young players get on the field and see who the heck is going to be a factor when this roster flips over in 2022. The infancy stages of a rebuild are to find who is in the building that can be someone that is part of the future. I can’t safely say I know who any of those guys are because the last regime was so terrible.
When the Lions lose and lose a lot this year, you will not see me on Twitter going “SAME OLD LIONS” are whining about the result. Struggles are assumed this year. I just want to see a path forward. I want to see the players Brad Holmes bring in play fast and play hard. I want to see what he saw in the draft process. That’s it. That’s all I’m basing this season off of.
It does not matter if they stink this year because they have stunk for over 60 years. They do not deserve the benefit of the doubt, nor your rage if things don’t go well. They have to earn their keep at this point. I want this new direction to work as badly as anyone else does, but it is going to take time. This is not a rebuild or restoration. This is a complete teardown.
Time to set some sort of foundation.
Here’s a week-by-week record prediction that doesn’t mean anything because the NFL is unpredictable:
Week 1 vs. San Francisco 49ers: Loss (0-1)
Week 2 at Green Bay Packers (Monday Night Football): Loss (0-2)
Week 3 vs. Baltimore Ravens: Loss (0-3)
Week 4 at Chicago Bears: Win (1-3)
Week 5 at Minnesota Vikings: Loss (1-4)
Week 6 vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Loss (1-5)
Week 7 at L.A. Rams: Loss (1-6)
Week 8 vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Win (2-6)
Week 10 at Pittsburgh Steelers: Loss (2-7)
Week 11 at Cleveland Browns: Loss (2-8)
Week 12 vs. Chicago Bears (Thanksgiving): Win (3-9)
Week 13 vs. Minnesota Vikings: Loss (3-10)
Week 14 at Denver Broncos: Loss (3-11)
Week 15 vs. Arizona Cardinals: Loss (3-12)
Week 16 at Atlanta Falcons: Win (4-12)
Week 17 vs Green Bay Packers: Loss (4-13)
And for some NFL awards picks:
AFC Division Winners: Buffalo Bills (AFC East), Cleveland Browns (AFC North), Tennessee Titans (AFC South), Kansas City Chiefs (AFC West)
NFC Division Winners: Dallas Cowboys (NFC East), Green Bay Packers (NFC North), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC South), San Francisco 49ers (NFC West)
AFC Wild Card Teams: New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers
NFC Wild Card Teams: Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings
Conference Champs: Kansas City Chiefs over Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers over Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Super Bowl Champs: Kansas City Chiefs over Green Bay Packers
MVP: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Offensive Player of the Year: Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
Defensive Player of the Year: Aaron Donald, DL, Los Angeles Rams
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Kwity Paye, DE, Indianapolis Colts
Coach of the Year: Brandon Staley, Los Angeles Chargers