Detroit Lions predictions 2017: Week 1 vs. Arizona Cardinals

The Detroit Jock City writers make their predictions for the Detroit Lions’ 2017 season opener against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Detroit Lions’ 2017 season is finally here! Each week, the Detroit Jock City staff will make their picks for that week’s Lions game, with a quick take on the matchup and a final score.

Writers who pick a win or loss correctly will get a “win” for the week while those with the wrong outlook will take a “loss”. Who will reign supreme in 2017?

Matt Snyder – C.S. Lewis once wrote, “We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road.” The Lions have chosen their road in signing quarterback Matthew Stafford to a $135 million extension. Will this lead them to postseason consistency or will they ultimately do an about-turn and seek a new direction? We certainly won’t know after only one week (or even one year), but an opening day win (or loss) could set the trajectory for the season. The Lions will once again need to find a way to pull out a win in (nearly) every close game in order to reach the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Unfortunately, I see this one ending up as a loss. Cardinals 24, Lions 23

Ash Thompson – Unfortunately with the injuries to the defensive line, I do not thing the Lions will have any pass rush. Ansah is a great player, but he is only one man. I also do not think the Lions have an answer for David Johnson. Relying on Tahir Whitehead has never worked in pass coverage. Jarrad Davis may become the kind of player who can handle that assignment, but it is too much to ask of a rookie in his first real game. The secondary matches up well with the Cardinals receivers, but they can only cover for so long. If the pass rush question is not answered in week one it will be a frustrating Sunday for Lions fans.

The last time Chandler Jones and Greg Robinson matched up it went poorly for Robinson. Everyone has an opponent that simply has their number. The Lions will have to give Robinson a lot of help and that is going to remove a tight end or running back from Matthew Stafford’s list of targets. That means that the wide receivers need to get open. The Cardinals have one of the better secondaries in the league. Ameer Abdullah will add some legitimacy to the Lions running game, but this front seven is not the injury decimated Colts front he carved up in week one of 2016. This is one of the better defenses in the league. I think the Lions are going to be slow coming out of the gate and make it close at the end. I don’t see a win for them on Sunday. I hope I’m wrong. Cardinals 24, Lions 18

Bruce Walker – The Lions will test Arizona’s stingy defense that lost players from last year. Abdullah, Slay and Prater will get game balls. Lions 27, Cardinals 17

Matt Bosko – The energy of opening the season at home will unfortunately not be enough to overcome the lack of a consistent pass rush from the Lions, which will allow Bruce Arians’ high octane offense to have their way at Ford Field. Cardinals 31, Lions 17

Jack Ozark – Football is back and I couldn’t be happier. Well, I will be if Detroit gets the win in week one. The Cardinals defense is going to give Stafford and company some trouble, but I think Stafford handles the pressure well. I’m really interested in seeing how the Lions handle Carson Palmer. He’s an old man now, and I think he’s going to take a step back. Darius Slay and Glover Quin will be key players on defense and I bet at least of of them ends Sunday with an interception. Lions 24, Cardinals 13

Colton Wesley – It’s strength against strength as the Lions’ receiving corps take on one of the best secondaries in the country. The Lions are going to need to be two-dimensional if they’re going to score points. On the other side, Arizona’s offense is led by three genuine playmakers in David Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown and Carson Palmer can get them the ball. Detroit’s defense has pieces, but lacks depth pretty much everywhere and won’t be able to disrupt Palmer’s pocket enough to get takeaways. Cardinals 30, Lions 24

Zack Caldwell – The Cardinals are a viable team despite the disappointing season they had in 2016. I would feel better if the Lions had Kerry Hyder to get pressure on Carson Palmer when he goes deep, but I still think Detroit can outscore them in a shootout. Ameer Abdullah goes for 100 yards and the Lions 34, Cardinals 28

Mike Rizzo – It’s a brand new season so I’m drinking the Lions Koolaid. I think Matt Stafford and the Lions offense puts up an impressive showing against Arizona. The defense also slows down David Johnson and Carson Palmer. Lions 31, Cardinals 17

Zac Snyder – Season openers are difficult to predict. What we see in preseason is not often a good gauge for what will happen in the regular season and there is uncertainty as to what the Lions and Cardinals actually are. The Lions’ 9-7 record from a year ago looks good on paper but the magic it took to accomplish suggests a step back could be in store. For the Cardinals, their step back came last year after making an NFC Championship Game appearance in 2015. What are the real Lions and what are the real Cardinals? When in doubt, pick the home team. Lions 24, Cardinals 23

Next: Lions 2017 game-by-game predictions

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