Regardless of what happens after that, this season has been and will continue to be a huge success for the Detroit Lions. They won their first NFC North division title in franchise history with a 30-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16. But just because the Lions are history doesn’t mean they have nothing left to play for.
The Lions are currently tied for first in the NFC with the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. They have a playoff game at home, but the possibility of a first-round bye week is definitely worth watching. But just because the Lions won the division doesn’t mean the team still has nothing to worry about. . The Lions are certainly not a perfect team, but they are a very good team. They will contend in the playoffs, but if these areas of the team don’t improve between now and the postseason, their playoff hopes could be dashed sooner than expected.Lions defenseThe Lions offense has been strong this season. But their defense wasn’t like that. The unit is off to a strong start this season.
In Week 8, the Lions ranked 8th in EPA per play allowed, 7th in EPA per touchdown allowed, and 16th in EPA per run allowed. They are all great.But things got worse for the Lions starting in Week 9. The 10 -week lion fell from 24 to 24 days. The most important thing is: they fell the seventh in the EPA. This team might have Nick Mullens throw for 411 yards, but Justin Jefferson would certainly help. But every week since the Lions bye has been a challenge. Before the game, they had allowed at least 24 points in a game just twice, and one of those games was against the Carolina Panthers when they fell behind 42-17 with 1:55 left in the game. After the game, the Lions have scored at least 24 points in six of their last seven games. Worse, the only teams ranked high in the NFL in passing game by the EPA are the Green Bay Packers (8th), Minnesota Vikings (15th) and Green Bay Packers (8th).
A below average offense cost the Lions points.The Lions offense is great. They are seventh in the NFL in EPA per game this season and fifth after the bye week. But their defense has struggled against teams that aren’t even considered the best offense. If you can’t stop that team, how can you stop the best offense in the NFC? The Lions’ game against the Dallas Cowboys this week will be a huge litmus test to see how well this defense can hold up against the NFL’s upper echelon. Way Jared GoffJared Goff may not be the best quarterback in the NFL, but the Lions surround him with everything he needs to be effective.
Their offensive line and weapons allowed Goff to post the eighth-highest EPA and higher-than-expected completion percentage (CPOE) in the league. But he wasn’t as good a defender on the road as he was at home. Jared Goff has been good on the road this season, but most of Detroit’s road games have been indoors. When the Lions play on the road this season, they are 3-2 with a -18 point differential. If the Lions don’t get the top seed in the NFC, they will have to play one of these types of games. If the Lions and Jared Goff do that, they should be promoted.
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