Six games to go with the playoffs on the horizon. How difficult is the remaining schedule for the now 10-1 Detroit Lions?
The win streak goes on.
When the Detroit Lions defeated the Indianapolis Colts, it almost felt casual. Aside from a few minor scares early on, there was little threat from the Colts. The Lions did what they do best: churn out yardage with their run game and passing attack and smother with their defense. Detroit now sits at 10-1 with their eyes firmly on the playoffs, but with six games remaining, the road is far from over.
The Lions still have a combined four games against NFC North opponents, while their other two games are against teams that were legitimate playoff threats a year ago. How will the Lions fare down the stretch?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
How difficult will the Detroit Lions’ remaining games be?
My answers: I think it will be easier than their first six games, but not as easy as their recent AFC South tour. Ranking the games from most difficult to least, I have:
- vs. Buffalo Bills (Week 15)
- vs. Green Bay Packers (Week 14)
- vs. Chicago Bears (Week 13)
- vs. Minnesota Vikings (Week 18)
- @ San Francisco 49ers (Week 17)
- @ Chicago Bears (Week 16)
The Bills should without question be the toughest remaining game on the schedule. At 9-2, they have the best record of the remaining opponents and I think they matchup well against the Lions. We got a taste of large, mobile quarterbacks against this Lions defense with Anthony Richardson and I was not overly impressed. Richardson is extremely limited as a passer, but he made mince meat of the Lions defense on the ground. Not only is Josh Allen as good of a runner as Richardson, he is miles ahead as a passer as well.
The remaining five games are a mixed bag. Despite the Lions’ recent success against NFC North opponents, it is extremely difficult to sweep the division in a season. I still have Green Bay as the tougher divisional opponent with the Vikings close behind. Green Bay has one of the better offenses in the league, but a mediocre defense. The Vikings are the opposite, with an elite defense let down by a middling offense. Of these two, I think a good offense is more threatening, given how much the Lions have feasted on most defenses this year. If you want to beat the Lions, you need to win a barnburner, and that calls for high scoring.
I have the Thanksgiving game against the Bears at Ford Field sandwiched between the Packers and Vikings game for one reason: it’s a short week. While I think the Lions outclass the Bears in every facet, a bad string of injuries could leave Detroit shorthanded at worst or not 100 percent at best. The Bears, meanwhile, could still be in the honeymoon period following the firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Their overtime loss to the Vikings in Week 12 was one of their best offensive showings of the year, and they could still be riding that high into the short week.
Entering the season, the 49ers were one of the tougher games on paper, but things have not come to fruition for San Francisco. After besting Detroit in last season’s NFC Championship, they will have to fight hard to even make the playoffs. A 5-6 record is competitive for the NFC West (the division-leading Seattle Seahawks are 6-5), but the team has had a rough road marred by injuries. The good news is that the underlying metrics like DVOA and PFF rank the 49ers as one of the better teams in the league (prior to their demolition at the hands of the Packers this week, however). The bad news is that until they can turn those stats into wins, none of it will matter. When the Lions face them in Week 17, their season could already be over.
Rounding up the list as the easiest game left is the Chicago Bears on the road. Normally you would favor a home game over a road game, but the Lions should have the leg up in this one. Firstly, the Lions will have a full week of recovery, unlike at Thanksgiving. Chicago, meanwhile, will be coming off a Monday night game. Secondly, the Bears will likely be out of the running by this point in the season, meaning their attention will be turned to 2025. Unless they get a second honeymoon period by firing head coach Matt Eberflus, I doubt that they will put up much of a fight.
How would you rank the Lions’ remaining games? Will there be a stumble or two to close out the season, or is there a chance they finish with a remarkable 16-1 record? Let us know in the comments below.
