Detroit Lions: The list of teams fans should be rooting for in Week 17
It’s time for Detroit Lions fans to start looking forward to the off-season and the 2021 NFL Draft.
It has been a brutal year for the Detroit Lions and their fans. There have been very few bright spots, a bunch of bad coaching, even more, bad plays, and a ton of injuries. Speculation has already started in terms of who will be the new GM, head coach, and possibly the quarterback.
Week 16 was absolutely painful to watch. Going into the game, we knew we were outmatched in terms of talent on the field and even in terms of coaching abilities, knowledge, and experience on the Detroit sideline.
“Preparing this week (was) a little bit difficult, but I thought Evan did a great job helping with the defense, and with Sean taking over, tremendous opportunity for those guys. And also with Marquice (Williams coaching) special teams, it was a great effort by those guys and the rest of the guys.” – Robert Prince
Just days before the game, it was announced that a majority of the Detroit Lions coaching staff would have to miss the game due to the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols.
This included interim head coach Darrell Bevell. It also included defensive coordinator Cory Undlin, defensive line coach Bo Davis, linebackers coach Ty McKenzie, and secondary coach Steve Gregory.
Robert Prince played the role of interim to the interim head coach.
If you didn’t happen to catch the game, the Lions got slaughtered by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The final score was 47-7.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter as well and never returned to the game. The game as a whole was honestly embarrassing.
TEAM PERFORMANCE IN WEEK 16 ALONE pic.twitter.com/CPIWepSUn0
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) December 28, 2020
Thankfully for us Lions fans, though, 2020 and the NFL regular season is nearly over.
Detroit Lions versus Minnesota Vikings in Week 17
With just one week remaining in the regular season, the Lions will welcome their division rival, Minnesota Vikings into Ford Field. Minnesota has a win/loss record of 6-9. Detroit is sitting at 5-10.
The game has little to no meaning outside of the fact that Vikings’ running back Dalvin Cook has the opportunity to break the team’s single-season rushing touchdown record. The current number to beat is 18. The man that owns that record is the current Lions running back Adrian Peterson.
Peterson set the record in 2009.
It’s early in the week, but there is already talk of both teams resting their starters with nothing on the line. Even as an enormous fan of Stafford, I hope he sits this one out. I love and respect the man’s heart and dedication, but his health is what’s most important.
The Detroit Lions fans do have some other teams to root for
With the painful losses the Lions have suffered over the past few weeks, they’ve been able to creep up the standings, ( or down depending how you look at it) that determine the draft order for this coming spring’s 2021 NFL Draft. They moved into the top 10, and now they mathematically have a chance to move up even higher.
Chris Burke from The Detroit Athletic breaks it down for us.
Teams you’re rooting for in Week 17, Lions fans:
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) December 28, 2020
* Atlanta (over TB)
* Houston (over TEN)
* Cincinnati (over BAL)
* Philadelphia (over WAS)
* Giants (over DAL)
* Carolina (over NO, although I doubt strength of schedule can flip)
* Rams (over ARZ, for SOS)
Also, the Vikings.
If the stars aligned, and all of those variables fell Detroit’s way the Lions could pick as high as No. 3 in the draft.
Honestly, that’s a pretty big deal.
Moving up into the top three after hovering around the spot of the tenth overall pick for a few weeks does a lot for the team. Not only does it improve our chances at landing one of the top talents of the 2021 draft class, but helps our odds of luring the top general manager and head coaching candidates.
Obviously, the likeliness of this scenario playing out is minimal. Hell, as a Lions fan the thought of having some luck go our way really seems impossible.
The thing is, we have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
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So…
Lets go!
- Atlanta Falcons
- Houston Texans
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Philadelphia Eagles
- New York Giants
- Carolina Panthers
- Los Angles Rams
- M̶i̶n̶n̶e̶s̶o̶t̶a̶ ̶V̶i̶k̶i̶n̶g̶s̶
light. Related Story. Matthew Stafford deserves better than the Detroit Lions
Totally kidding about the last one. Probably.