With Divisional Foes Weaker, Lions Should Compete for Playoff Spot
The importance of the 2020 season for the Detroit Lions organization cannot be understated.
With head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn sitting firmly on the hot seat, anything less than a winning season will only intensify calls for their tenure to end.
Following an offseason spent revamping the roster to include players with familiarity with Patricia's scheme, Detroit is poised to rebound with a returning and healthy Matthew Stafford.
Also, some analysts and pundits are not high on the offseason moves made by Detroit's rivals in the NFC North.
Football Outsiders founder Aaron Schatz said Wednesday he believes Detroit's main rivals, the Vikings and Packers, enter 2020 not as strong as they were last season.
As a result, Detroit should have an opportunity to compete for a postseason berth this season.
"In the limited time that he played last year, Stafford was the fourth-most efficient quarterback by our numbers, and that defense is going to be better this year and that division is down," Schatz said last week. "We have both Green Bay and Minnesota down, so Detroit could compete for a playoff spot and if Stafford has a really good season like he did last year, he is definitely a dark horse MVP candidate.”
Detroit has revamped the secondary and offensive line and added a running back in D'Andre Swift, who should bolster the rushing attack.
The question will be can Patricia make his defense respectable and can a handful of second-year players take the next forward to complement the veteran-laden roster?
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