Tag: 2020 regular season

Detroit Lions 3 Stars of the game: Marvin Jones continues dominance over Vikings

The Detroit Lions lose to the Minnestoa Vikings to end the season, but this weeks 3 stars did the best they could to end the season better

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It was a fitting end to what would ultimately be one of the worst seasons in recent memory for the Detroit Lions, dropping their season-ender to the Minnesota Vikings 37-35.

The Lions’ offense looked in peak form with Matthew Stafford at the helm.  He dropped dimes all over the field and the rushing attack mustered up 129 yards. However, the defense continued to struggle with tackling and gave up several chunk plays that led to points.

Even though the Vikings defense faced similar struggles, their offense overcame those issues, totaling 508 yards of total offense and doing enough to squeak out the victory.

Even though the Lions couldn’t end their season on a better note, some stellar performances this week deserve some recognition. Here are Lions Wire’s 3 stars of Week 17:

1st Star: Marvin Jones, Jr.

No one knows exactly why Marvin Jones seems to find major success against the Vikings, but he flexed his dominance once again this week. Jones hauled in eight catches on 11 targets for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He shouldn’t have a third one, but the refs made another controversial call determining he did not fully control the ball when going to the ground.

Jones also made Lions history hauling in 36 touchdowns in his Detroit career, good for third-most in team history. He has been a wonderful acquisition to the Lions when they needed him the most. Now a free agent, it will be hard to tell if the new regime will want to bring in back or not. Either way, he has been amazing to watch, and we at Lions Wire hope the best for him and his family.

2nd Star: Matthew Stafford

There is no way around it; Stafford is the heart and soul of this team. It would take an act of God to keep him from play football, and even then, that may not stop him. Lingering around with a thumb, rib, and ankle injuries, Stafford slung the ball for 295 yards and three touchdowns — and probably should have had more if not for ill-timed drops and head-scratching ref calls.

He did have a bad interception when he eyed Marvin Jones too long, but other than that, he was the vintage quarterback we have come to love.

With the season closing and a regime overhaul headed to Allen Park, Stafford’s status with the team has come up on numerous occasions with talks of a full rebuild.

No one can doubt this man’s heart for this city, and he will always take care of his team and community. It is hard to say what the new regime will do with the veteran quarterback, but Stafford has earned the right to have a say in Detroit’s future.

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3rd Star: Kevin Strong Jr.

With numerous injuries along the defensive line, Strong found his way back on the Lions roster after he was cut earlier in the season. Strong ended the season with enough good game film to warrant a look from the new coaching staff. In Week 17, he tallied three total tackles (two solo) with two quarterback hits and his first career sack.

Strong is a fringe player, but with a position group struggling to find healthy bodies, he showed why he belongs on the football field. It’s too early to tell if he will find his way back on the team next year with the several changes on the horizon, but he is proven to a rotational depth piece, and every team needs those players.

Star standings after Week 17:

  • D’Andre Swift: 110 points
  • Marvin Jones Jr.: 100 points
  • T.J. Hockenson: 80 points
  • Jack Fox: 80 points
  • Matthew Stafford: 80 points
  • Marvin Jones Jr.: 100 points
  • Kenny Golladay: 60 points
  • Adrian Peterson: 60 points
  • Matt Prater: 50 Points
  • Romeo Okwara: 50 points
  • Jamie Collins Jr.: 40 points
  • Trey Flowers: 30 points
  • Brayden Coombs: 30 points
  • Amani Oruwariye: 30 points
  • Jamal Agnew: 30 points
  • Tracy Walker: 20 points
  • Kerryon Johnson: 20 points
  • Daryl Roberts: 20 points
  • Jonah Jackson: 10 points
  • Desmond Trufant: 10 points
  • Everson Griffen: 10 points
  • John Penisini: 10 points
  • Mike Ford: 10 points
  • Kevin Strong Jr.: 10 points

It has been a tough season for everyone involved. With new ownership taking the search for a new GM and head coach very seriously, we will likely see significant changes on the horizon and create a culture that is best suited for the Motor City.

Stay tuned to Lions Wire for a full season recap of the 2020 Detroit Lions 3 Stars.

Detroit Lions pivotal play of Week 17: Baffling penalty negates 4th down stop

The Detroit Lions drop their season finale against the Minnesota Vikings, but with another controversial call to pour salt into the wound

That’s all, folks.

The Detroit Lions drop their season finale against the Minnesota Vikings 37-35, ending their season as the bottom team in the NFC North for the third straight season. They finish with a 5-11 record.

The Lions offense looked sharp with several deep throws and a complementary running game helping manage to keep this team within striking distance. Unfortunately, the defense had zero answers for the Vikings’ offense, allowing several chunk plays and showing an embarrassingly level of sloppy tackling.

They would end up on the wrong side of history, allowing a franchise record in yards and points allowed in a single-season.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins hung up 405 passing yards and three touchdowns, helping Justin Jefferson break the single-season rookie receiving record. Even though the Vikings were missing Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison churned out 145 total yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

The Lions’ defense rarely mustered up the strength to get off the field. However, the Lions did make one critical stop on 4th down in the red zone — until something all too familiar reared its ugly head once again.

The Setup

Late in the third quarter, the Vikings were up 31-29 and looking to respond after the Lions scored on their previous drive.

Starting at their own 25, the Vikings were able to dink and dunk with various runs and passes all the way down to Detroit’s six-yard line, setting up 1st-and-goal.

The first play was a Matt Boone four-yard run setting the Vikings up comfortably at the two-yard line. The Vikings feed Boone again on 2nd down, but he could only muster up one yard, after a stop by Christian Jones.

Boone ran it again on 3rd down, and Reggie Ragland and Kevin Strong forced the Vikings into a fourth-down situation.

The Vikings decided to trust their offense and see if they could put the game away.

The Lions got exactly what they were hoping for when Tracy Walker sacked Kirk Cousins, giving the ball to the offense in hopes of taking the lead in this high scoring affair.

But wait…

Walker gets flagged for one of the weakest roughing the passer calls you’ll ever see. After the game, interim coach Darrell Bevell said the referee explained that they believed Walker landed with his full body weight — but that is one major stretch.

Here are some reactions to this hogwash call:

The Vikings would score two plays later, going up 37-29, and looked to have this one wrapped up.

But wait, it gets worse.

On the Lions next drive, Matthew Stafford connected with Marvin Jones on what would’ve been his third touchdown catch of the day, but somehow the catch was overturned and ruled incomplete — even though there was no indisputable evidence.

The Lions did go on to score on the drive, but they ate up precious time to do it.

Now it is hard to say what the refs saw on those two calls, but that sequence of events had the potential of being a momentum shift that favored the Lions.

Even though this game was meaningless in every sense of the word, it was hard to watch the Lions on the wrong side of critical calls once again by the refs. The baffling calls that come with this team make you wonder sometimes.

The Lions will pick somewhere between 5-7 depending on the late games turn out in the draft with the loss. With a new regime walking in, we are not sure how this team will look next season, but strap in folks because when one season, another begins, and it will surely be a busy one for the Lions organization who has a ton of work in front of them.

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Detroit Lions Week 17 inactives: Matthew Stafford and Frank Ragnow ACTIVE

The Detroit Lions have declared their game-day inactives for their Week 17 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Detroit Lions have declared their game-day inactives for their Week 17 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

After elevating C Evan Brown and DT Albert Huggins from the practice squad this week, the Lions’ roster has increased to 55-players. On a traditional week, the Lions would need to reduce that roster down to 46-players, but because they kept eight offensive linemen on their active game-day roster, they are now eligible to expand their roster to 48-players, meaning they need to declare seven of their 55-players inactive.

Here are those seven players.

Lions inactives list

  • WR Kenny Golladay (hip) — Ruled OUT
  • RT Tyrell Crosby (ankle) — Ruled OUT
  • IOL Joe Dahl (back) — Ruled OUT
  • LB Jamie Collins (neck)
  • OG Logan Stenberg
  • DT Albert Huggins
  • S Bobby Price

Golladay being ruled out means the Lions will once again start Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, and Mohamad Sanu. Expect Quintez Cephus to get plenty of playing time, as he is the only receiver on the current active roster signed beyond this season.

Despite Crosby, Dahl, and Stenberg being ruled out, the Lions still have a starting offensive line they feel comfortable with — but if anyone gets injured, things get messy real quick.

Collins gave it a go on Friday and tried to get himself ready for today, but he was not healthy enough to play. Jahlani Tavai will replace him as the starting MIKE, and last week, it was Jarrad Davis stepping up as the second linebacker.

Huggins was elevated as insurance, but with Danny Shelton active, Huggins was not needed.

Price was signed to the active roster yesterday, and with him being inactive today, it’s a sign they wanted to get him under contract for future purposes.

Vikings’ inactive list

Experts ride high with the Vikings over the Lions in season finale

The Detroit Lions conclude their 2020 season against the Minnesota Vikings, where experts think the Lions will end their season with a loss

The 2020 season comes to an end with a division battle between the 5-10 Detroit Lions and the 6-9 Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field in Week 17.

The Lions are coming away from one of the most embarrassing games in recent history, getting manhandled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 47-7. Walking into the game with a patchwork coaching staff, Stafford was injured on the first drive, and it was quickly clear, we all knew it was going to be a rough game.

The Vikings also suffered a rough defeat that they would like to forget, losing 52-33 to the New Orleans Saints. Alvin Karama delivered on Christmas day, gifting the Vikings defense six solo touchdowns, tying the NFL record. The Vikings were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.

The last time these teams met, in Week 9, Vikings running back Dalvin Cook punctured the Lions run defense for 206 yards and two touchdowns along with 46 receiving and they comfortably walked away with a 34-20 win. Matthew Stafford — who missed practice all week due to a COVID-19 close contact situation — threw two interceptions, targeting T.J. Hockenson on each of them, and Chase Daniel added another pick for good measure late in the game.

Stafford has suffered from a slew of injuries this season, and his status was up in the air for the season finale, but he looks to suiting up for the final game. The Vikings will be without star running Dalvin Cook after his father passed away this past week (condolences for the family), along with several defensive players, including starters CB Cameron Dantzler and LB Eric Kendricks.

Despite the Lions’ coaching staff back and Stafford expected to play, experts are still not convinced the Lions could steal this from the Vikings. According to NFL Pickwatch, 95% of experts are siding with the Vikings.

The type of season the Lions have had, it would be Lion-esque for them to win a meaningless game and land outside the top 10 in the draft, but it is hard to see the Lions pulling off the win when they have nothing to play for and the Vikings trying to end the season on a positive note for their retained coaching staff.

With the season coming to a close and a new regime on the horizon, the Lions’ future is in limbo. We are unaware of how much a rebuild the team will go through, leaving the future of most of the players in doubt. The Lions are doing a more thorough search this time around, giving some hope, but we’re likely still a long way from seeing results.

Lions pivotal play of Week 16: Matthew Stafford’s early exit stifles offense

The Detroit Lions were embarrassed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week and made worse with a key injury in this weeks pivotal play

Well, if you missed preseason football, it was on full display this afternoon. In a game where five total quarterbacks took a snap, the Lions ineptitude was on full display, getting absolutely demolished, 47-7, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who punched their ticket into the playoffs today.

There isn’t much you can hang your hat on for the Lions today. With a Bucs offense littered with offensive weapons and a coach who likes to go for it, the Lions had zero answers and were embarrassed at home.

Tom Brady finished the day with 348 yards, four touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating. The worst part about that is that was all done in the first half. Blaine Gabbert finished off the rest of the game with 143 passing yards and two touchdowns of his own. In total, the Bucs finished with 588 total yards on offense and made the Lions defense they own personal practice dummy.

For a pivotal part of the game, there really wasn’t much to go with due to the fact this was over basically as soon as it started. With the sheer amount of personnel missing on the Lions roster and coaching staff, they needed all hands on the deck to limit the bleeding.

On the Lions’ first offensive drive, after a completed pass to Danny Amendola it looked like Stafford tweaked his ankle to a point he could not put any weight on it. He hobbled into the locker room, came back with a heavy-duty tape job and it became clear, there wasn’t any way he was going to make his return to this contest.

As soon as Stafford went out, the Lions’ offense shifted to basic formations and looked more like a high school team than a professional one. With only 187 yards of total offense, they could not keep up with how fast the Bucs were rolling. Only converting 1-10 third downs, the Lions were giving the Bucs more drives to continue the onslaught and the defense was clearly worn out and done.

It is hard to say if the end result would have been different if Stafford stayed in the game, but you would have to think they would’ve put some points on the board and held a little dignity this week.

The Lions will wrap up the season at home next week against division foe, the Minnesota Vikings, who are coming off their own loss against the New Orleans Saints — giving up 52 points.

With nothing to play for from either team, it’ll be interesting to see how situations shape up for the season finale — but it’s probably time for the Lions to keep Stafford on the bench and let him heal from his multitude of injuries.

Detroit Lions Week 16 inactives: Frank Ragnow, Jamie Collins, Jayron Kearse OUT

The Detroit Lions have declared their game-day inactives for their Week 16 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Detroit Lions have declared their game-day inactives for their Week 16 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After elevating CB Tramaine Brock and C Evan Brown from the practice squad this week, their roster has increased to 55-players. On a traditional week, the Lions would need to reduce that roster down to 46-players, but because they kept eight offensive linemen on their active game-day roster, they are now eligible to expand their roster to 48-players, meaning they need to declare seven of their 55-players inactive.

Here are those seven players.

Lions inactives list

  • WR Kenny Golladay (hip) — Ruled OUT
  • RT Tyrell Crosby (ankle) — Ruled OUT
  • C Frank Ragnow (throat)
  • LB Jamie Collins (neck)
  • SAF Jayron Kearse (hip)
  • OG Logan Stenberg
  • DT Frank Herron

With Golladay out, the Lions have turned to Mohamad Sanu as their starting WR-X position with rookie Quintez Cephus getting in the mix as well. Expect the same today.

With Crosby out, the Lions will turn to Hal Vaitai — who has cleared the league’s concussion protocol — at right tackle. No Ragnow, means the Lions will start Joe Dahl at center once again, with Evan Brown as his backup. With eight offensive linemen active, Stenberg was not needed.

The Lions starting offensive line will likely be:

Left tackle Left guard Center Right guard Right tackle
Taylor Decker Jonah Jackson Joe Dahl Oday Aboushi Hal Vaitai

Missing defensive starters Collins and Kearse will hurt, and they will likely be replaced by Jahlani Tavai and Tracy Walker respectively.

No Frank Herron means the Lions will roll with just three interior defensive linemen, meaning they will likely lean on EDGE rushers Romeo Okwara, Everson Griffen, Austin Bryant, and Julian Okwara more on the defensive line.

Buccaneers’ inactive list

Experts sail with the Bucs over the Lions in Week 16 matchup

Experts are not giving the Detroit Lions much chance when they play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in Week 16

The Detroit Lions (5-9) head back to their stomping grounds quite short-handed to face off against a dangerous Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5) group. The Bucs are looking to end their 13-year playoff drought by clinching a playoff spot with a win in this game.

It was almost this time last year these two teams faced off, resulting in a 38-17 Bucs victory, during the time the Lions were missing Matthew Stafford and relying on David Blough to lead the charge. Fortunately, the Lions will have Stafford this year even though he is banged up. The significant change for the Bucs this year: they are lead by Tom Brady instead of Jamies Winston.

This past week has not been kind to the Lions in the slightest. After getting embarrassed by the Titans in a 46-25 loss, the coaching staff has taken a massive hit. After going rogue on last week’s fake punt, former special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs was let go.

Then, due to a positive COVID-19 incident, the Lions will be without interim head coach Darrell Bevell and wide receivers coach Robert Prince will be tasked with running the team this week. On top of that, most of the defensive coaches, including defensive coordinator Cory Undlin will be absent from the contest leaving the defensive play-calling to head coach assistant/research & analysis, Evan Rothstein.

With many of these coaches thrust into these roles for the first time and facing a high-octane Bucs team led by Bruce Arians and Brady, the light isn’t shining too brightly for the Lions this week.

According to NFL Pickwatch, 95-percent of experts are siding with the Bucs, who are coming off back-to-back wins, beating the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14 and a comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15.

With so many of the Lions play-callers out for this game, the Lions petitioned the NFL to flex the game back to Sunday, but they were ultimately denied leaving a sour taste in everyone’s mouth.

Now it probably wouldn’t have matter in the long run, considering the Lions looked out-matched, to begin with, but rolling with the inexperienced coaching staff, this game might be worse than we may have anticipated and might be over before it starts.

3 Lions Stars of the game: Marvin Jones shines in loss to Titans

The Detroit Lions lost against the Tennessee Titans, but this week’s 3 stars did the best they could to pull off a victory.

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In Week 15, the Detroit Lions got a dose of what could’ve been if everything went according to plan.

Instead, they got to witness the Tennessee Titans run up and down the field with ease on their Lions, and walk away with an easy 46-25 victory.

Matthew Stafford put up an admirable performance, dealing with rib and right thumb injuries. There were a few points where you could see the rib injury was affecting him, but he managed to steer the Lions’ offense in the right direction, keeping them competitive.

Sadly, it was the same story different chapter for the defense. They were unable to make key stops allowing Titans to covert nine of 11 third-down attempts and score on every trip to the red zone. Missed tackles, poor angles, and not being in the right spot, the Lions made plenty of mistakes leading to five Ryan Tannehill touchdowns.

It is challenging to highlight the good in a loss like this, but they’re a few players who balled out yesterday and deserve some recognition.

Here are this week’s Lions Wire 3 stars of the week:

1st Star: Marvin Jones Jr.

With Kenny Golladay out yet again, the Lions relied on Marvin Jones and he came away with one of his better performances this season. With a team-leading 10 catches on 12 targets, he produced 112 yards and a touchdown.

Due to his sure hands and deep-ball ability, Jones has turned into one of Stafford’s more reliable targets. With Jones’ future in Detroit up in the air after this season, these performances might be the last we see from him, so make sure you take time to appreciate what he can do.

2nd Star: D’Andre Swift

Detroit’s rookie class is slowly developing, but if there is one rookie the Lions can hang their hand on it’s Swift.

Outside of the games he missed due to injury, he has been a dependable cog in the offense. Today, he was able to gain 67 yards on the ground at 4.5 yards per clip. Even though he fumbled at the goal line, he more than made up for it with his two touchdowns. He also added 15 receiving yards to bolster his performance.

Most rookies have their struggles, and Swift is no different, but it is hard to ignore his athletic ability on the ground and in the air. He processes the game with vision and patience, allowing the play to develop, and when the time is right, he attacks the gap with speed and power. With a rebuild coming, Swift will be a block the Lions will look to build around.

3rd Star: Romeo Okwara

With the defense looking like shambles once again, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any good that came out of it. Luckily, the Lions have Romeo Okwara, who continued his breakout season this week with four total tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack that resulted in a safety.

Okwara picked the right season to ball out with free agency on the horizon. Even though it may only be in spurts, he has been the Lions’ most reliable defensive player. Next year, expect the Lions defense to have a whole new look, but hopefully, the Lions can find a way to keep Okwara in Detroit.

Star standings after Week 12:

  • D’Andre Swift: 110 points
  • T.J. Hockenson: 80 points
  • Marvin Jones Jr.: 70 points
  • Kenny Golladay: 60 points
  • Jack Fox: 60 points
  • Adrian Peterson: 60 points
  • Matthew Stafford: 60 points
  • Matt Prater: 50 Points
  • Jamie Collins Jr.: 40 points
  • Romeo Okwara: 40 points
  • Trey Flowers: 30 points
  • Brayden Coombs: 30 points
  • Amani Oruwariye: 30 points
  • Tracy Walker: 20 points
  • Kerryon Johnson: 20 points
  • Daryl Roberts: 20 points
  • Jonah Jackson: 10 points
  • Desmond Trufant: 10 points
  • Everson Griffen: 10 points
  • John Penisini: 10 points
  • Mike Ford: 10 points

Next week doesn’t get any easier for the Lions, having to face Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the Lions officially eliminated from the playoffs, there isn’t much to play for the last couple of weeks — except pride, which they will need against a tough opponent.

Detroit Lions Week 15 pivotal play of the game: T.J. Hockenson fumble deflates potential game-tying drive

The Detroit Lions drop their second straight to the Tennessee Titans due to several mistakes including this week’s pivotal play.

The Detroit Lions had no answers for the Tennessee Titans offensive onslaught, dropping their second straight, this time by a 46-25 score.

Once again, it was the Lions offense that was able to keep them in the game, with injured Matthew Stafford leading the charge. Considering the amount of protection Stafford was fitted with today, he was able to keep drives alive and did the best he could to keep the Lions competitive throughout the game. Sadly, it was not enough to walk away with the upset today.

Unfortunately, the Lions’ defensive limitations reared their ugly head once again, as the Titans ran all over them, averaging over five yards a carry. On top of that, Ryan Tannehill added nice complementation in the air and the ground tacking on 273 passing yards, 21 yards rushing, and five total touchdowns (3 passing, 2 rushing).

Surprisingly, the Lions were right in the thick of it, only down 24-15 walking into the second half of the contest. The Lions had the first crack and given a chance to tie up the game. Regrettably, that went out the window with another ill-timed blunder.

The Setup

The Lions started off on their own 25-yard line. Mohamed Sanu made a 12-yard snag, followed by a nifty run from D’Andre Swift, and the Lions were finding some momentum.  The Lions shot themselves in the foot when they committed back-to-back penalties that took from 3rd-and-3 to 3rd-and-13 in a blink of an eye.

Fortunately, the Lions had been finding success in converting third downs, and they were able to dig themselves out of the hole with another magnificent catch from Sanu, keeping the Lions drive alive.

After a few runs from Adrian Peterson, Jamal Agnew, and Swift, along with more of Sanu, the Lions found themselves in the Titans’ red zone, knocking on the door of the endzone.

The Lions needed another 3rd down to keep the drive alive and this time it was only a 3rd-and-1.

The play called was an end around handoff to T.J. Hockenson who bullied his way for that one yard. Initially, it looked like he had converted it, the chain gang was brought out and confirmed he made the line to gain.

The extra time to measure ended up being costly.

It gave Titans’ coach Mike Vrabel enough time to look over the play, and not only did he feel Hockenson didn’t make the line to gain, he felt he actually fumbled the ball with a Titans’ recovery. Vrabel challenged the play, and it confirmed what he saw — Hockenson fumbled the ball with a clear Titans’ recovery.

This turnover halted any momentum the Lions had in orchestrating what could’ve been a game-tying drive. The Lions were able to force the Titans to punt for the first time on their ensuing drive, and Matt Prater nailed a 53-yard field on the Lions next drive, but the Titans next three drives all resulted in touchdowns putting this game far out of reach for the Lions.

There were a few other key mistakes, like the Joe Dahl botched snap, and the failed punt fake, but the Hockenson fumble is where it started to go downhill for the Lions.

The Lions head back home to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16, who came back to beat the Atlanta Falcons 31-27 this afternoon. With the plethora of weapons the Bucs possess and the problems that exist amongst the Lions defense, it’s hard to see the Lions coming away with a home victory.

Experts give Lions zero hope of upsetting the Titans in Week 15

The Detroit Lions face off against the Tennesse Titans in Nashville, where experts are giving the Lions zero hope in this Week 15 matchup

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.