Detroit Lions record prediction: Picks for every game in 2020

The Detroit Lions haven’t found much success under Matt Patricia but can they turn it around in the 2020 season? Record predictions for the Lions this year.

After the 2017 season, the Detroit Lions made the decision to fire Jim Caldwell after two consecutive 9-7 campaigns. They landed on then-Patriots defensive coordinator and pencil-behind-the-ear enthusiast Matt Patricia to replace him. But after two years, Patricia is just 9-22-1 in the Motor City. And he needs to start turning things around in the 2020 season.

Getting Matthew Stafford back healthy after he missed much of last year will help the offense a ton, as will the addition of running back D’Andre Swift with a slew of talented pass-catchers, such as wide receiver Kenny Golladay and tight end T.J. Hockenson. The defense, however, remains an unknown. They have some valuable pieces in No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah and 2019 free-agent addition Trey Flowers but traded away Darius Slay and Quandre Diggs in the past year as well.

Playing in a tough NFC North, the Lions don’t get many breaks in the division. However, they do get to play a last-place schedule in 2020, which might work in their favor. How much it does is the question, though. Let’s examine that as we make game-by-game picks to make a Detroit Lions record prediction for the 2020 season.

Week 1: vs. Bears – Win

While the Bears defense remains intimidating, their now even more unsettled quarterback situation isn’t going to do that offense any favors. In Detroit, I expect the Lions to start the year on a high note.

Week 2: at Packers – Loss

Of course, after opening up with the Bears, the Lions then have to go face a peeved Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau Field. While the Packers offseason was questionable, you never want to see one of the most talented quarterbacks in NFL history with something to prove, in Green Bay no less.

Week 3: at Cardinals – Loss

There are going to be numerous times in the 2020 season when Detroit’s defense doesn’t allow them to crawl out of a hole. This will be one of those times. Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins will run amok on the Lions and Stafford won’t have the firepower to totally keep up.

Week 4: vs. Saints – Loss

After the season-opening win, the hopes were high in Detroit but a brutal three-game stretch early on will bring them down to Earth. Though they get the Saints at home, that suspect defense is going to have a bad time trying to contain the New Orleans offense.

Week 6: at Jaguars – Win

Detroit comes out of their early Week 5 bye and gets a nice little present in the form of the Jaguars. This defense — and really the team as a whole — is in transition and I’m still not sold on Gardner Minshew. The Lions should get a nice, comfortable victory here.

Week 7: at Falcons – Loss

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t totally know what to make of the Falcons and that still holds true. Their defense, much like the Lions’, troubles me but they have offensive talent. This might be a shootout, which makes me favor the home team in Atlanta.

Week 8: vs. Colts – Loss

Getting the Colts at home is favorable and Stafford might be able to exploit the Indianapolis secondary on a couple of occasions in this game. However, the Lions defense won’t have an answer for Philip Rivers and a new-look Indy offense.

Detroit Lions, Trey Flowers (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /

Week 9: at Vikings – Loss

Don’t sleep on the Vikings this year. Though they lost a ton of defensive talent, Mike Zimmer’s club needed a facelift after a down year on that side of the ball. With the offensive talent retooled too, we could see Minnesota win the NFC North and they’ll show that at home against Detroit.

Week 10: vs. Redskins – Win

There aren’t many spots on the 22-man starting rosters that I’d give Washington an advantage over the Lions. The Redskins defensive line is probably the one spot they win but eh Detroit offensive line is good enough to contain that and control this matchup in every facet of the game.

Week 11: at Panthers – Win

Much like with the Jaguars and Redskins, I don’t see many ways where the Panthers can match up with the Lions in this game. Playing in Carolina might help but, then again, talent normally wins if it’s a strong disparity and I believe there is overall. Detroit gets a consecutive win for the first time in the 2020 season.

Week 12: vs. Texans – Win

Maybe I’m underestimating Bill O’Brien the coach because Bill O’Brien the general manager has been such an abomination, but I’m incredibly down on the Texans. They played above their heads last season and the roster got worse. Detroit at home picks up a nice win, their third straight.

Week 13: at Bears (Thanksgiving Day) – Win

Playing in Chicago on Thanksgiving Day is a bit of an odd turn for the Lions but I don’t think it’ll matter. As mentioned, I have zero faith in the Bears offense this year, so much so that they might be looking at a top-10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft — which they could use to get a quarterback.

Week 14: vs. Packers – Loss

Even in the Motor City, the Packers are just the superior club in this NFC North matchup. Maybe the Lions will put up a better offensive performance than they did in Week 2 but they likely will still lose this matchup by double-digits.

Week 15: at Titans – Loss

Some people are calling for the Tennessee Titans to regress after making the AFC Championship Game last season. And maybe Ryan Tannehill won’t be the player he was last season. But this team is a 9-7 magnet and I don’t expect that to change. Plus, the Lions don’t have anyone to stop Derrick Henry.

Week 16: vs. Buccaneers – Loss

Patricia is familiar with Tom Brady but that won’t matter. Any early-season woes due to a lack of familiarity with the Buccaneers new-look offense will be gone by this point and Tampa should be playing for one of the top playoff spots in the NFC.

Week 17: vs. Vikings – Loss

We’ve already covered the Vikings’ merits this season and, like the Bucs before them, they’ll likely be jockeying for playoff positioning. That doesn’t bode well for the Lions, though I expect Detroit to keep it close as they try to play spoiler.

Next. 2021 NFL mock draft: Jags Tank for Trevor, Lance to Raiders. dark

Detroit Lions 2020 Record Prediction: 6-10

Going 6-10 isn’t going to quell anyone that’s already been calling for Patricia’s job. However, it is a step in the right direction, I suppose. Maybe they can pick up a win against a better team along the way and creep closer to .500 but expect this Lions team to be well short of the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

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