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2016 Detroit Lions Expert Predictions and Season Win Totals Picks

by - 9/1/2016

Lion's QB Matthew Stafford

2015 Record: 7-9

2016 Las Vegas Season Win Total: 7.0

2016 Season Win Total Prediction: 'Push'

The Lions were one of the biggest disappointments in football last season. After winning 11 games in 2014 they looked like they were poised as a potential threat to Green Bay's year-to-year dominance in the NFC North. But a disastrous 1-7 start crippled Detroit's season before it began. And the premature retirement of Calvin Johnson has carried a bit of the negativity over through the offseason.

Jim Caldwell, in all his confused-looking glory, is still at the helm. Caldwell's calm demeanor seemed like a tonic to the 2014 team after several tumultuous seasons under super-intense Jim Schwartz. But Caldwell is still a guy with a 44-36 career record as an NFL coach (bolstered by a Peyton Manning-aided 14-2 mark in 2009) and a 22-63 career college record in his previous head coaching job at Wake Forest. So I have no confidence that this guy knows what he is doing.

Matthew Stafford had his second-best season last year. And the Lions have attempted to plug the mammoth gap that Johnson left in the receiving corps by signing Marvin Jones and Anquan Boldin. Add in Golden Tate and Stafford should again be slinging it this season. The running game, a perpetual disappointment, will again hope for a breakout from Ameer Abdullah. But both the passing game and rushing attack will be predicated on the development of one of the youngest (and thinnest) offensive lines in the league.

The Detroit defense is still looking to cultivate a post-Suh, post-Schwartz identity. They were No. 18 in total defense and No. 23 in points allowed last year and haven't done much this offseason to reinforce that group.

Detroit is now at a crossroad. They have consistently been one of the worst franchises in football over the last 30 years. But they are a respectable 25-23 over the past three seasons, their best three-year mark since 1993-1995. Where do they go from here? Is Caldwell the guy? Is Stafford the guy? Can they run or defend?

There are too many question marks for my liking and too many guys in key positions that I just don't trust. I will punt on this one.

Lions Regular Season Schedule (All times Eastern)

WEEK

DATE

OPPONENT

TIME (ET)

Location

Result

1

Sun, Sep 11th, 2016

at Indianapolis

04:25 PM

Lucas Oil Stadium

2

Sun, Sep 18th, 2016

Tennessee

01:00 PM

Ford Field

3

Sun, Sep 25th, 2016

at Green Bay

01:00 PM

Lambeau Field

4

Sun, Oct 2nd, 2016

at Chicago

01:00 PM

Soldier Field

5

Sun, Oct 9th, 2016

Philadelphia

01:00 PM

Ford Field

6

Sun, Oct 16th, 2016

St. Louis

01:00 PM

Ford Field

7

Sun, Oct 23rd, 2016

Washington

01:00 PM

Ford Field

8

Sun, Oct 30th, 2016

at Houston

01:00 PM

NRG Stadium

9

Sun, Nov 6th, 2016

at Minnesota

01:00 PM

U.S. Bank Stadium

10

Bye

11

Sun, Nov 20th, 2016

Jacksonville

01:00 PM

Ford Field

12

Thu, Nov 24th, 2016

Minnesota

12:30 PM

Ford Field

13

Sun, Dec 4th, 2016

at New Orleans

01:00 PM

Superdome

14

Sun, Dec 11th, 2016

Chicago

01:00 PM

Ford Field

15

Sun, Dec 18th, 2016

at Ny_Giants

01:00 PM

MetLife Stadium

16

Mon, Dec 26th, 2016

at Dallas

08:30 PM

AT&T Stadium

17

Sun, Jan 1st, 2017

Green Bay

01:00 PM

Ford Field


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