Football is back and after last year's winning season and playoff appearance the Lions will be looking to use that as a basis for a sustained period of success. Remarkably if this season ends with at least 10 wins it will be the first time in Lions history that they will have posted back to back double digit winning seasons. I mention that by way of caution and also to put some perspective into justifiably high expectations for the coming months. This opening fixture sees Coach Schwartz pitting his wits against his long time boss at the Titans new Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher. But whilst it may well be a meeting of minds the Lions should have a definite edge with the on field talent.
On the offensive side of the ball the Lions will be looking to the Stafford/Johnson combination to carry on where they left off last season. The likelihood is that there is every chance we have yet to see the best of this pairing and they will form the platform for Lions success over the coming seasons. The off season has seen Stafford's receiving options increase with the drafting of Ryan Broyles and it'll be interesting to see how the passes are spread out as the season progresses. For this game though I would expect CJ to be the main target with perhaps Titus Young taking over secondary receiving duties from Nate Burleson. The drafting of Riley Reiff, an injury free Jason Fox and the seeming off-season improvement of Gosder Cherilus has the depth of the O-Line looking much stronger and, in the continued interests of Staffords health, younger. With the large number of changes Fisher has made to the Rams roster it's difficult to assess how they will perform. Suffice to say that if they are unable to put pressure on Stafford he is likely to torch them for a bucketful of passing yards. Kevin Smith starts the season as the prime running back and I think whether this season is to be the success it is hoped to be will depend on how effective a running game the Lions are able to come up with.
There'll be a new look to the Lions secondary and with both Delmas and Houston looking doubtful for the opener due to injury this group could be vulnerable. Once again the Lions Secondary looks like being adequate if not spectacular, made up as it is, of acquired veterans that were't too hard to acquire and middle to low round draft choices. There success as a group is likely to depend on the effectiveness of the D-Line to generate pressure on the opposing QB, Bradford in this game, while the LB's shut down opposing running backs. It was quickly forgotten in the post match analysis of the Saints playoff loss that there were interception chances that were not taken by Lions DB's that could've totally changed the game. For me though the bigger weakness last season was the inability to shut down opposing run games and it is to be hoped the return of last years starters together with what appears to be a promising group of young eager backups will do a better job this season. In Steven Jackson the Rams offer the perfect test for the Lions D in how effective they will be at stopping the run.
The return game of Logan was extremely frustrating last season with his penchant for fair catching leaving me, and others I'm sure, to wonder what the point in having a return specialist was if he so consistently turned down the opportunity to return the ball. I was surprised to see him make the opening roster but considering the current situation with Best, LeShoure and Broyles can understand it. I will be amazed if he survives the bye week and is on the field when the Lions rock up in Philadelphia though. The coverage unit on both punts and kickoffs were patchy last season and the new faces in this group will be expected to do a much better job. A return to Pain Train hitting and enthusiasm is what's required from Special Teams.
So with GamePass subscribed to I'm all ready to settle down and watch the action from Ford Field. This is a game that the Lions should win comfortably and I'm expecting them to do so. Anything less will set alarm bells ringing as there will be much sterner tests to come. The Rams may well become a force under Fisher but they are a long way from that at the moment and are currently the type of opponent a team with ambitions of playoff football should dispense with reasonably easily. I shall predict big games for Titus Young, Kevin Smith, Ndamukong Suh and rookie CB Bill Bentley.
Prediction: Rams 17 LIONS 35
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