Detroit Lions: Top 3 match-ups to look forward to in 2020
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Lions 2020 schedule looks to be another bleak 6-10 effort, but there are some match-ups to look forward too; here’s three.
After the National Football League (NFL) announced the 2020 schedule, it looks more and more like the Detroit Lions are headed for another 6-10 season. It will be tough to watch as Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn are looking to keep the regime afloat after a disappointing 2019 season.
Some games on the schedule should still leave this fanbase tuning in to check out the Honolulu blue as they take on different opponents this season. The team has a healthy Matthew Stafford, a new running back in D’Andre Swift, and some new defensive players like Jeffrey Okudah.
October 4th, 2020: New Orleans Saints versus Detroit Lions at Ford Field
This October, the New Orleans Saints will come to town to face the Lions, and Drew Brees will square off against Stafford. The Saints are also bringing quarterback/utility player Taysom Hill to town, and fans can see how they opt to use him against the Lions.
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A memory that might be stuck in Lions’ fans head is when the Saints would knock the Lions playoff hopes dead after a 45-28 victory in the 2011 NFC Wildcard game.
The Lions have a 13-12-1 career head-to-head record, being 1-3 since that 2011 NFC Wildcard loss.
Stafford and Brees will duel it out, most likely ending the Saints picking apart the Lions defense.
October 25th, 2020: Detroit Lions versus Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Children
A few weeks later, Matthew Stafford returns to Atlanta to look for revenge against the Falcons after they almost pulled off a last-second victory. This game would have been a candidate to be played in London, but the league had cancelled all NFL International Series games for the season.
The Lions are 24-13 against the Falcons, and Stafford looks to take down Falcons quarterback, Matt Ryan. Both Ryan and Stafford are good friends, and the two have had a growing friendship and are pretty close off the field, but only one will get the victory in the contest this October.
Also, do not forget that both Stafford and Swift are products of the University of Georgia and will be back on some “home turf.” For Stafford, it is later in his career, and for Swift, it is in his first season that he’ll return to Georgia.
December 27th, 2020: Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Detroit Lions at Ford Field
The big news this offseason has been was the departure of quarterback Tom Brady from the New England Patriots and signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady and another former Patriots tight end, Rob Gronkowski, will be coming to town.
It will be a great match-up to watch Brady with a new offense, watch Okudah line up against Mike Evans, and hopefully watch Stafford put up a fight against the Buccaneers defense. This is another match-up to tune-in for this Lions season.
The “Tompa Bay” Buccaneers will bring a very skilled offense to town that will test the Lions defense, especially with Brady under center. The Lions hold a stronghold in the career numbers with a 31-28 record over the Buccaneers.
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The Detroit Lions season may not be “the year” or even a winning season for that matter, but there are still games that fans are going to want to tune-in to watch. These three are not the only ones, either.