Detroit Lions: 3 Things that can’t go as badly in Week 2 vs. 49ers
By Ash Thompson
The Detroit Lions can’t be as bad in Week 2 as they were in Week 1. It is statistically very improbable that they have a similar showing vs. the 49ers.
Every NFL season, there are going to be games that stand as outliers and make NFL fans wonder: “what happened there?” Detroit Lions fans hope that the Monday Night Football opener between the Lions and the New York Jets will be one of those games for the 2018 season.
The Detroit Lions are a team that was coming off back to back nine win seasons. The New York Jets were a team coming off back to back five-win seasons. None of that mattered Monday night as the Jets were clearly the superior team.
Going into Sunday’s Week 2 contest, the Lions are on the precipice of disaster. There have been rumors plaguing the team for the entire offseason that Matt Patricia’s more aggressive and vocal coaching style, and much harder practices, were off-putting to the veterans used to the sedating stylings of Jim Caldwell.
Glover Quin‘s recognition earlier this week to reporters that it is natural for people who loved the old coach to not all feel the same way about their new coach has fueled fresh speculation in this regard. Quinn’s remarks made it clear that his voice was not one of those raised in dissent, but it does re-frame a few moves that otherwise looked confusing. Cornelius Washington and Anthony Zettel may simply not have been on board.
A football team can only succeed if 53 players agree to go in the same direction. The proliferation of different schemes and philosophies within the sport tells us that the specifics of that direction matter less than a unity of purpose.
The Lions are not a bad team when they are working as a unit. This week against the 49ers, the Lions will very likely undergo regression to the mean. Here are the three things that are statistically unlikely to go as poorly in Week 2 as they did in week 1 of the NFL season for coach Patricia and company.