Detroit Lions have an opportunity to string together a bunch of wins
By Bob Heyrman
Suddenly the Detroit Lions are back in the playoff hunt, and the next four weeks will be critical for this team.
Playoffs? Playoffs? Playoffs? Let’s table that notion for a minute, but the Detroit Lions have an opportunity to make some noise over the coming weeks.
After a mediocre 1-3 start to the regular season, the Lions rallied back to .500 with back-to-back road victories in Jacksonville and Atlanta. They’ve set themselves up nicely to make a run at both the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers in the NFC North division, and the next four weeks will be vital.
The Detroit Lions have a real opportunity to string together a bunch of wins in the coming weeks. This coming Sunday, the Lions will return home to face the Indianapolis Colts, followed by Minnesota, Washington, and Carolina; all winnable games.
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It is not far fetched to think Detroit can reel off six straight wins leading up to their Thanksgiving date with the Houston Texans.
The 4-2 Colts are indeed expected to be the toughest test in this stretch of the Lions schedule. Still, with a broken down Philip Rivers under center, it should leave the Lions with plenty of opportunities to create turnovers. Rivers has a knack for turning the ball over with his gunslinger-style of play.
The Colts offense is generated around rookie running back Jonathan Taylor. He has stepped in as the teams feature back after losing Marlon Mack to a season-ending injury. Taylor has accounted for three rushing touchdowns and 367 yards averaging just 4.1 yards per attempt behind what was expected to be one of the leagues’ top offensive lines.
Over the last two games, the Detroit Lions have done a tremendous job stopping the run. Two weeks ago in Jacksonville, the Lions limited James Robinson to just 29 yards on 12 totes. Last week Todd Gurley only managed 63 yards on 23 tries.
If this run defense remains stout, the Detroit Lions will have an excellent opportunity to beat the Colts. We need to take one game at a time, but it’s ok to start getting excited about the possibility of being 7-3 heading into Thanksgiving’s matchup.
Many will point to Jacksonville and Atlanta being bottom of the barrel teams and games the Lions should win. I understand that logic with Jacksonville, but the 1-6 Falcons are a much better team than their record.
Matt Ryan leads the NFL with 2,181 yards, 12 touchdowns, and three interceptions. Calvin Ridley ranks third in receiving yards and second in touchdown receptions. The Falcons also have Julio Jones, who has missed some time due to injury but played against the Lions. That’s a top quarterback and two of the leagues’ top ten receivers, yet neither pass-catcher eclipsed Sunday’s 100-yard mark.
Next. Lions are playing with fire by not extending Kenny Golladay. dark
If the Detroit Lions defense continues to perform at this level, the Detroit Lions will be poised to make a run over the next few weeks. We may point to that walk-off victory in Atlanta as the turning point of the 2020 Detroit Lions season.