Key Additions: WR Marvin Jones, WR Jeremy Kerley, WR Andre Caldwell, S Rafael Bush, S Tavon Wilson
Key Subtractions: WR Calvin Johnson, ILB Stephen Tulloch, DE Jason Jones, S Isa Abdul-Quddus
Strengths
For about half a decade now, the Detroit Lions have been one of the teams in the NFL with a prolific passing offense. Last year was no different, even if it took offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter (gotta love that name) and quarterback Matthew Stafford half of the season to get on the same page.
However, the Lions suffered a huge blow to their passing attack this offseason when Calvin “Megatron” Johnson decided to retire from the NFL rather prematurely. Detroit did it’s best to fill Johnson’s void by adding a capable wideout in Marvin Jones (65 catches, 816 yards and four TDs last season with Cincinnati), but the drop-off in talent from Johnson to Jones is still apparent.
And as strange as it may seem, the Lions actually had a decent defensive roster last season, primarily due to the continuous growth of edge-rusher Ziggy Ansah (team-high 14.5 sacks) and secondary standout Darius Slay (second in overall player rating last season amongst all cornerbacks). It remains to be seen, though, if the Lions added enough key pieces to its D to complement its two rising stars.
Weaknesses
Detroit must be missing Hall-of-Famer Barry Sanders badly right now, as it finished as the worst-rushing team in the NFL last season at under 85 rushing yards per contest. Rookie Ameer Abdullah (just 597 rushing yards and a mere 4.2 yards per carry) barely got his motor running no thanks to a putrid offensive line, which the Lions hardly bothered to fix this offseason.
It’s quite amazing how the Lions managed to get a decent passing game going in spite of its horrible ground attack last year. But if they are intent on making the playoffs this season, they’ve got to get Abdullah involved on the offense somehow.
Key Player – Matthew Stafford
Did you really expect anybody else? Stafford is the Detroit Lions personified, even more so now than ever given that his favorite target in Johnson is no longer around.
The eight-year pro our of Georgia has eclipsed the 4,000-passing yard mark for five-consecutive seasons, but that streak could be put to the test this season without Megatron by his side. Stafford also saw his total quarterback rating rise for the third-straight season with a career-best 62.6 mark last season, so his accuracy is at least still spot-on. It’s now all a matter of chemistry between him and his new weapons downfield, but and we believe we’ll ultimately see a slight regression from Stafford this season.
Key Game – at Green Bay (September 25)
Last season, the Lions won their first game in Lambeau Field (18-16) after 24 previous failed attempts to do so. Getting a win on the Packers’ home turf is no easy task, and yet a victory Week 3’s showdown in Wisconsin is exactly what Detroit needs to at least show that they’re serious at making a run for the NFC North crown this year.
It’s also worth noting that Green Bay lost all three of its regular-season homes games against division rivals last season, so perhaps the Packers’ nigh-invulnerable form in Cheesehead Country has already lost its mystique. The Lions have got to be glad about this news and must seize the opportunity to steal another road win from the division’s most-successful franchise while the season is still young.
2015 Team Stats:
Category
Stat (Rank)
Points per game
22.1 (#19)
Passing yards per game
263.3 (#9)
Rushing Yards per game
83.4 (#32)
Scoring Defense
25.0 (#23)
Writer’s Prediction
The Lions, who are currently priced dead-last at +1,000 to win the NFC North and +6,000 to win Super Bowl LI, finish at the bottom of the division for the first time since 2012.
