Are we drinking from a Fools Gold Goblet full of the KOOLAID

[Vic]

www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2019/10/03/detroit-lions-predictions-nfl-playoffs/3844355002/

The Lions last 12 game prediction

There’s a different vibe about the Lions this year, and it’s a positive one. They have the right players and they’re buying in. It’s a good mix of seasoned vets like Devon Kennard, Trey Flowers and Darius Slay who are blending well with promising youngsters like Kerryon Johnson, Tracy Walker and T.J. Hockenson.



Opinion: Three reasons Lions can and can't win NFC North



The other positives for the Lions are Matthew Stafford’s strong play, a run game that’s starting to come around and the defense excelling at takeaways
The negatives include the 12-game gauntlet after this bye week the Lions have to run without a break. Will Stafford and his ailing hip and back make it through the grueling stretch? Will Slay, Hockenson and Quandre Diggs miss significant time with their injuries?



We’ll find out soon enough.



But for now, with three-quarters of the season to go, it’s time to realign my prediction and foretell what the rest of the season holds in store for the Lions when they return from the bye:



Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers chat before the game Oct. 7, 2018, at Ford Field.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers chat before the game Oct. 7, 2018, at Ford Field. (Photo: Tim Fuller USA TODAY Sports)



Week 6 at Green Bay: The Packers thought coach Mike McCarthy was the problem, but they’ve regressed on offense and couldn’t muster a rally at home against a suspect Eagles team. The Lions have learned to win in Green Bay — they've won three of the past four there — and will open a lot of eyes on Monday night when they claim their third straight victory at Lambeau. Result: Win. Record: 3-1-1.




Week 7 vs. Minnesota: The Vikings have a big problem with Kirk Cousins, the Hero of Holland, at quarterback. They’re 0-2 in the division and have looked bad in those games, scoring a combined 22 points. The Vikes’ defense remains stout, but Cousins hasn’t been the difference maker he was paid to be. It’s a Lions win, and not by a little. Result: Win. Record: 4-1-1.



Week 8 vs. New York Giants: The G-Men haven’t looked too bad with Daniel Jones at quarterback. But it’s uncertain whether Saquon Barkley will be recovered from his high ankle sprain in time for this game. That won’t be enough for the Giants at Ford Field. Result: Win. Record: 5-1-1.



Week 9 at Oakland: Raiders rookie running back Josh Jacobs has been impressive and former Chargers receiver Tyrell Williams can be electric. But the Raiders lack the firepower to put away good teams, releasing embattled receiver Antonio Brown before the season, and losing linebacker Vontaze Burfict to suspension. The Lions return from Oaktown with a 4-0 record in the second quarter of the season. Result: Win. Record: 6-1-1.



Week 10 at Chicago: The Bears are who we thought they were: A great defensive team with a suspect quarterback and offense. Wait, is this 1985? The Lions lose a defensive battle, but Khalil Mack doesn’t send Stafford home on crutches. The Lions live to fight another day. Result: loss. Record: 6-2-1.



Week 11 vs. Dallas: When Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott are firing on all cylinders, the Cowboys are the best team in football. When they aren’t, they lose on four field goals to the Saints. Expect the former — and a sack by Kerry Hyder. Result: loss. Record: 6-3-1.



Week 12 at Washington: After checking on the availability of Slinging Sammy Baugh, Sonny Jurgensen and Joe Theismann, Washington lets a game of rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock decide whether Case Keenum or Dwayne Haskins starts. It doesn’t matter. Lions win in a cakewalk. Result: Win. Record: 7-3-1.



Week 13 vs. Chicago: It’s Thanksgiving, and Lions serve revenge cold by paying back the Bears for last year’s Thanksgiving loss. Result: Win. Record: 8-3-1.



Week 14 at Minnesota: Slay gets caught doing the Skol chant before the game and Cousins shakes off a brief benching a few weeks earlier. Captain Kirk does just enough for the Vikes to pull out a defensive battle. Result: loss. Record: 8-4-1.



Week 15 vs. Tampa Bay: Ndamukong Suh sacks Stafford twice and scores on a scoop-and-score fumble recovery. But the Lions light up a bad Bucs secondary and close in on securing a playoff spot. Result: Win. Record: 9-4-1.



Week 16 at Denver: Von Miller terrorizes the Lions’ offensive line, but the Broncos don’t have the weapons on offense to stave off the Lions. Johnson gets to 1,000 rushing yards. Result: Win. Record: 10-4-1.



Week 17 vs. Green Bay: Ford Field is ready to explode with the NFC North title on the line. It’s a blood bath. The Lions sack Aaron Rodgers four times and they pick him off twice for a double-digit win. Johnson rushes for 125 yards and Stafford easily chugs a beer afterward. The Lions win their first division crown since 1993 and Ford Field gets its first playoff game. Brush Street is temporarily renamed Matt Patricia Way and the Spirit of Detroit dons a beard, cap and pencil. Result:

Win. Record: 11-4-1.




11-4-1? 


Wow.. I just have to wonder if this team is legit or will the house of cards come tumbling down? I can say one thing that is refreshing, the rest of the division is worse off then anyone thought and the Lions so far are better than can be imagined.

But you have the injury factor, the lack of coaching experience (The time out in zona) and a team that still has trouble taking care of the ball and making stupid plays. Butttt...there doesn't seem to be quit in these Lions! 

[goldenlions]

Looking good at home against a team that is perceived as one of the top teams in the NFL and still making mistakes that cost you the game did not prove to me that this team is moving forward. It was just encouraging on what this team can become.

A win at Green Bay might be enough for me to get on-board. A win against the Vikings and I am all aboard the playoff train express! Lose either of those games and I don't see this being much more than a mediocre 7-8-1 or 8-7-1 season.

[icouldblion]

If I've learned anything from 40+ years of following this team, it is that the Lions will break your heart.

Granted, they always seem to find new and fascinating ways to accomplish this task, but their success rate is staggering.

[TRUMP]

Lions are legit. Look for Quinn to make a blockbuster trade and get either an actual pass rusher,  another WR, or CB. Lions sweep rest of the way.

[Blaming Brad]

I’ve been down this road too many times to get too optimistic. The Chiefs game was encouraging but I feel like the Chargers and Eagles games were gifts.

Still a lot of work to do and Green Bay is looking pretty good. And I seem to remember everyone getting a little too confident after the Patriots win last year. Hopefully Slay, Hand & Daniels back after the bye.

[badnews3123]

I bought in before the season, so makes no sense to jump ship now. Far more good than bad so far. And they’ve already shown some mental toughness and experience that they lacked in the past.

Always cautious to get too far ahead with the history, but barring major injury issues, I think this is a good team.

[def]

An MC Hammer Reference? Too legit to quit? Umm....

[Vic]

Oct 7, 2019 0:09:40 GMT -6 def said:

An MC Hammer Reference? Too legit to quit? Umm....

Yes I plagiarized it for my poll

[jdb34]

Not sold yet, caught Eagles at the perfect time, Chargers just arent as good as they should be, KC was a battle and should have won by 2TDs but still found a way to lose it. After what an even worse team did to KC (Colts), not as impressive. Now if they can beat GB on MNF, then I will believe, but again this team has done us like this before, start hot, get some good wins then tank the rest of the season. I will take the cautious approach.

[badnews3123]

A few days later the Eagles went into GB and beat the Packers, so how was that the right time? So Indy takes some glow off the KC game(I don’t agree), but the Eagles/GB game does nothing?

I get not buying in completely, but that’s a weird argument.

[Blaming Brad]

Oct 8, 2019 18:48:16 GMT -6 badnews3123 said:

So Indy takes some glow off the KC game(I don’t agree)

Yeah you have to wonder if the Colts beat the Chiefs if they didn't have the blueprint on film the Lions provided. That said, the Colts did keep the Chiefs to only 13 points in KC. And are the Colts really worse than the Lions? I'm not so sure.

[badnews3123]

Oct 8, 2019 18:58:22 GMT -6 Blaming Brad said:

Oct 8, 2019 18:48:16 GMT -6 badnews3123 said:

So Indy takes some glow off the KC game(I don’t agree)

Yeah you have to wonder if the Colts beat the Chiefs if they didn't have the blueprint on film the Lions provided. That said, the Colts did keep the Chiefs to only 13 points in KC. And are the Colts really worse than the Lions? I'm not so sure.

Mahomes said after the game the Colts did the same things that the Lions did the week before.

I don’t like the team X beat team Y, and we beat or lost team X, so that means something. Especially early in the season.

[def]

Too Legit. Too legit to quit. Please Hammer don't hurt em!

[liongeezer]

I don't like what I am seeing from the DL. We are getting little pressure from the, front 3 or 4, depending on alignment. Flowers, Okwara and Kennard we need more from these guys.  This is killing pass coverage by giving QBs way too much time. Rodgers will eat our fucking lunch with more than 3 seconds to stand and deliver passes. The run defense has been atrocious with interior DL being dominated on almost every play. Harrison and Daniels are being paid a whole lot of money to play good football and that has not happened. If the DL does not get it's shit together, we may make the playoffs, but won't go far. That said, I still stand by my 11 win prediction due to the rest of the team playing like champions.

[Vic]

Defending the run and short defense is what has led to the losses, along with the mental blunders and turnovers

[Vic]

You guys see this parody on bleacher report? .....lol

bleacherreport.com

[jdb34]

Oct 8, 2019 18:48:16 GMT -6 badnews3123 said:

A few days later the Eagles went into GB and beat the Packers, so how was that the right time? So Indy takes some glow off the KC game(I don’t agree), but the Eagles/GB game does nothing?

I get not buying in completely, but that’s a weird argument.

They had few of thier starters back, PHI is a good team and Lions were fortunate to walk away with a win, as they were against the LAC, albeit a win is a win, but they are simply not consistent enough to make it far, at least not right now. Hopefully some of these mistakes can be cleaned up and it starts on MNF.

They have not impressed me in any game(aside from parts of the KC game and not blowing the PHI and LAC games). They could easily be 0-4.

[badnews3123]

Oct 9, 2019 20:53:36 GMT -6 jdb34 said:

Oct 8, 2019 18:48:16 GMT -6 badnews3123 said:

A few days later the Eagles went into GB and beat the Packers, so how was that the right time? So Indy takes some glow off the KC game(I don’t agree), but the Eagles/GB game does nothing?

I get not buying in completely, but that’s a weird argument.

They had few of thier starters back, PHI is a good team and Lions were fortunate to walk away with a win, as they were against the LAC, albeit a win is a win, but they are simply not consistent enough to make it far, at least not right now. Hopefully some of these mistakes can be cleaned up and it starts on MNF.

They have not impressed me in any game(aside from parts of the KC game and not blowing the PHI and LAC games). They could easily be 0-4.

And they could easily be 4-0....

And the Eagles got Jeffery back. So Alshon Jeffery was the difference between beating Packers in GB and losing to Lions at home?

Like I said, I get the hesitancy, but the “luck” thing is something Lions fans do all the time, without realizing its how most teams win games. Most games are won by slim margins and a few plays here or there are the difference, and some of the time it’s not a team making a play, it’s the other team not. You say Philly is a good team, but you could use the “luck” argument for them in the GB game or how they scraped by one of the worst teams in the league in Washington. They could be 1-4, right? Reality is, that’s how the NFL goes, unless you’re the Pats.

I have my concerns, but a win is a win. Especially against quality opponents.

[Blaming Brad]

Oct 9, 2019 21:36:18 GMT -6 badnews3123 said:

Like I said, I get the hesitancy, but the “luck” thing is something Lions fans do all the time, without realizing its how most teams win games. Most games are won by slim margins and a few plays here or there are the difference, and some of the time it’s not a team making a play, it’s the other team not. You say Philly is a good team, but you could use the “luck” argument for them in the GB game or how they scraped by one of the worst teams in the league in Washington. They could be 1-4, right? Reality is, that’s how the NFL goes, unless you’re the Pats.

I don't necessarily disagree but I think that is an over-generalization. Yes, most teams in the NFL are very close most games come down to a few plays, but the better teams do generally capitalize on the those few plays over the course of a season. Whether the Lions are one of the better teams remains to be seen.

[badnews3123]

Oct 10, 2019 10:59:14 GMT -6 Blaming Brad said:

Oct 9, 2019 21:36:18 GMT -6 badnews3123 said:

Like I said, I get the hesitancy, but the “luck” thing is something Lions fans do all the time, without realizing its how most teams win games. Most games are won by slim margins and a few plays here or there are the difference, and some of the time it’s not a team making a play, it’s the other team not. You say Philly is a good team, but you could use the “luck” argument for them in the GB game or how they scraped by one of the worst teams in the league in Washington. They could be 1-4, right? Reality is, that’s how the NFL goes, unless you’re the Pats.

I don't necessarily disagree but I think that is an over-generalization. Yes, most teams in the NFL are very close most games come down to a few plays, but the better teams do generally capitalize on the those few plays over the course of a season. Whether the Lions are one of the better teams remains to be seen.

Fans over-analyze their own teams. The Lions did capitalize or they would have lost the Eagles and Chargers games.

[Blaming Brad]

Oct 10, 2019 11:10:20 GMT -6 badnews3123 said:

The Lions did capitalize or they would have lost the Eagles and Chargers games.

I do disagree on the Eagles game. The Eagles did everything they could to hand that game over. The Lions didn't capitalize on anything.

[badnews3123]

Oct 10, 2019 11:32:40 GMT -6 Blaming Brad said:

Oct 10, 2019 11:10:20 GMT -6 badnews3123 said:

The Lions did capitalize or they would have lost the Eagles and Chargers games.

I do disagree on the Eagles game. The Eagles did everything they could to hand that game over. The Lions didn't capitalize on anything.

If they didn’t capitalize on anything they aren’t winning that game. That’s complete nonsense.

[Blaming Brad]

Oct 10, 2019 13:15:58 GMT -6 badnews3123 said:

If they didn’t capitalize on anything they aren’t winning that game. That’s complete nonsense.

I guess if you want to say breathing and taking up space on the field is capitalizing then sure.

[badnews3123]

Oct 10, 2019 13:34:34 GMT -6 Blaming Brad said:

Oct 10, 2019 13:15:58 GMT -6 badnews3123 said:

If they didn’t capitalize on anything they aren’t winning that game. That’s complete nonsense.

I guess if you want to say breathing and taking up space on the field is capitalizing then sure.

6 points off 2 Eagles turnovers is the difference between winning and losing that game.

I get it wasn’t pretty and they definitely didn’t close the game out the way they should and made it ugly at the end. But you don’t beat the Eagles on the road without making some plays.

[jdb34]

Oct 9, 2019 21:36:18 GMT -6 badnews3123 said:

Oct 9, 2019 20:53:36 GMT -6 jdb34 said:

They had few of thier starters back, PHI is a good team and Lions were fortunate to walk away with a win, as they were against the LAC, albeit a win is a win, but they are simply not consistent enough to make it far, at least not right now. Hopefully some of these mistakes can be cleaned up and it starts on MNF.

They have not impressed me in any game(aside from parts of the KC game and not blowing the PHI and LAC games). They could easily be 0-4.

And they could easily be 4-0....

And the Eagles got Jeffery back. So Alshon Jeffery was the difference between beating Packers in GB and losing to Lions at home?

Like I said, I get the hesitancy, but the “luck” thing is something Lions fans do all the time, without realizing its how most teams win games. Most games are won by slim margins and a few plays here or there are the difference, and some of the time it’s not a team making a play, it’s the other team not. You say Philly is a good team, but you could use the “luck” argument for them in the GB game or how they scraped by one of the worst teams in the league in Washington. They could be 1-4, right? Reality is, that’s how the NFL goes, unless you’re the Pats.

I have my concerns, but a win is a win. Especially against quality opponents.

You are correct and I am not arguing that, but this Lions team could be 0-4 or 4-0, but the thing I am trying to get across is everyone needs to chill and not say this is a playoff team just yet. Too many little mistakes to fix first. Feels like a different team than we are used to, but they still have to at some point have quality(both wins have been ugly and full of mistakes) wins against some of these team. It is a wait and see for me and currently not holding my breathe, however, if they beat GB and then Minny, I am all in!