By Mark Halpern
Well, football is a mere day away, and the Detroit Lions are getting ready for their first game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles. Last year’s version of the Detroit Lions after the major trade for Jared Goff, I won’t say it was a bust, but it wasn’t what Lions fans had in mind. When Lions fans learned of the trade of Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff, Lions fans thought they were getting a top-tier quarterback who would help build and lead this team with hopes of making it back to the playoffs in the next decade.
The Lions are pretty much the same team they were last year with a few new additions. Aiden Hutchinson, the first pick in the draft, was the first big building block the Lions had gotten in the last couple of years out of the draft. The Lions were always trying to build around Stafford and really never gave him a team that the Lions could go anywhere. There were a few good years of Stafford and “Megatron” Calvin Johnson, but really since Barry Sanders was no longer a Lion, my opinion of them is they still have not found their roar. This season can be slightly different for them on both sides of the ball. Jared Goff will get the chance to lead this offense, and he’s got a healthy team this year. Last year the Detroit Lions were riddled with injuries on both sides of the ball. This year the Lions have a healthy offensive line, a healthy DeAndre Swift and Jamal Williams, a healthy Amroah St.Brown, and a healthy DJ Chark, and they made a good pickup in Josh Reynolds, who will give Goff that extra Target he needs. Of course, we’re not going to forget about the young tight end TJ Hockenson who has had a stellar first two years in the NFL. This year I foresee TJ Hockenson having a pro bowl and All pro year.
The Lions defense is a young group. There are a couple of veterans who will help in the linebacking position and in the secondary. It will give a chance for the young Rookies and sophomores to learn and get better at their positions. Detroit isn’t that team that’s going to go out and sign eight free agents to contend the same year. The Lions have always been about building from the ground up, and they did that when Barry Sanders was Playing. They never really built the team around Calvin Johnson or Stafford, and that’s why the Lions have been a joke.
Unfortunately for the Detroit Lions, they play in the NFC North, and the spot for last is going to be a battle between the Lions and the Bears this year. As for the Detroit Lions, their best hope is finishing third in a division where the Green Bay Packers have owned it for the last decade, and Minnesota can win some games, but Minnesota isn’t going to win games as long as Kirk’s cousins are on that team.
Tomorrow’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, if you’re going to judge it by two teams on paper because we haven’t seen the entire teams play, then the eagles are the better team. The Detroit Lions have the advantage of being at home and the fact that those fans show up if the team is O&16 or 1 and 16. So I expect Lions fans to make it very noisy and challenging for the visiting eagles from Philadelphia. I think this will be more of a defensive game on both teams, as I’m not convinced about both offenses yet. My prediction for this game is Detroit 24 Philadelphia 17. Enjoy the game.
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