The Detroit Lions (5-8) head to Nashville this week to face off against the Tennessee Titans (9-4), who hope to punch their ticket into the playoffs.
The Lions had lost their last four matchups against the Titans, the most recent being in 2016 when the Titans squeaked out a 16-15 victory after two go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Last week against the Packers, the Lions were picked apart by Aaron Rodgers, who seemed to be toying with the Lions. Even though they only lost 31-24, it seemed more like the Packers played a conservative approach to stay healthy for the playoffs rather than the Lions actually playing good defensive football.
The Titans decimated the Jacksonville Jaguars last week to the tune of a 31-10 walloping behind a 215-yard, two touchdowns day for Derrick Henry. As with any teams, the Jaguars had no answers for the 250-pound wreaking ball and don’t expect the Titans to give the Lions anything different than a heavy dose of Henry all afternoon.
With the Titans’ biggest strength being their run game and the Lions’ biggest weakness in their run defense, this may turn into a bloodbath real quick. And the experts expect that to come to fruition.
According to NFL Pickwatch, 99-percent of experts are siding with the home team to comfortably walk away with this one.
The Titans are exactly what the Lions were hoping to build in Detroit, leaving many Lions fans imagining what could have been.
With multiple injuries on every level, it’s hard to imagine the Lions walking away with an upset this week. If they play flawlessly, they might give the Titans a run for the money, but it’s hard to picture that with the defensive limitations. With only a few weeks left in the season, Lions fans can probably turn their focus to gauging who might survive the upcoming regime change.