Week 3 Staff Predictions – Jets at Lions
After two weeks, the Lions are exactly where the vast majority of fans would have predicted they would be, 1-1 and facing four straight weeks of teams that were not good last year. The problem is that the defense has been...shall we say...sub-par so far. Giving up 30+ points each week and not looking like a solution is imminent.
The Jets meanwhile are also 1-1, coming off blowing a 10-point fourth quarter lead against a Packers team that played terrible for most of the game and lost countless starters to injury. Regardless, a couple of questionable decisions by Jets coach Aaron Glenn snatched defeat from victory and the Jets are coming into Ford Field as an unhappy team.
Now that we have two weeks complete, and the logjam at the top was somewhat broken by an optimistic but sad Mike, let's take a look at the standings. Dan, Brent, Chris and Mickey are all at 2-0 with their picks, but Brent holds the tiebreaker and is the leader currently. Chris is 1 pt back, Mickey 7 pts and Dan 8 pts off the closest to the pin of Lions total points. Mike is only 3 pts off the tiebreaker but will need some misses from those in front of him to jump back into the race.
Looks like all of us will either be winners or losers this week, as every Grey Mane picked the Lions to win this game against the Jets. Four of the five went with Lions scouring 30+, while Mike thinks that they will "only" get 27 against the NFLs No 1 Defense and will win in a close one.
Mickey
915 yards and 71 points allowed through two games?!? There is still hope as the 2007 Super Bowl champions - the New York Football Giants - allowed a whopping 80 points in their first two games en route to winning Super Bowl 42. But, that team figured it out defensively, allowing just 18.7 points per game from Week 3 through beating the 18-0 Patriots in the Super Bowl. Obviously, the defense wearing Honolulu Blue and Silver needs to step up their game if this Detroit team is going to make it to the promised land. I can't see any Geno Smith led team putting up those kind of numbers. He’s quarterbacked a team to more than 30 points just once in the last 37 games he's played. That doesn't mean I think the Lions will suddenly look like the ‘85 Bears, but I don’t think the Jets top 30 points. The Lions will continue to score, and if Minkah Fitzpatrick is out and/or hobbled, I really expect a field day for Jared Goff and Co. I see this as the game Jamo gets untracked - he hasn't scored a TD in his last five games. The Lions win another game that blows away the Vegas over/under. Detroit 34 J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets 24.
Lions 34, Jets 24
Dan
The Lions have had two stressful weeks of defensive lapses and are pretty much the worst defense in the NFL, but the team is sitting at 1-1 just like the vast majority of us anticipated. As week 3 hits, here come the 1-1 (should be 2-0) New York jets into town with the No 1 Defense in the NFL. However, it's really a bit of a paper tiger, having played the lowly Titans and an unexpectantly bad Packers team. Both are in the bottom half of the league offensively, with the Packers run game dead last in the league and the titans passing game 31st. The Packers are also killing themselves with penalties, wiping away over 100 yards per game so far. The Lions have proven to be a far more disciplined team, and the Jets are not really that dangerous of an offense, so I think this week is a "get well" game for the Lions defense with Kelving Sheppard defeating his mentor, Aaron Glenn soundly on the field. meanwhile, the Lions offense is hitting its stride, should see the OL back intact with both Miller and Mahogany returning, which the Jets haven't seen an offense this good yet this season.
Lions 31, Jets 17
Brent
The Detroit Lions started the season with two of their most difficult games in the first 8 weeks. New Orleans proved their strength in Baltimore and the Buffalo Bills remain Las Vegas #1 favorite to win the Super Bowl. The Lions will get on track this week. The offense will continue to roll after scoring 31 in the first two games, the defense will show better, and the Lions win 41-17.
Lions 41, Jets 17
Mike
This is not your Dad's Jets, although it is early the Jets are one of the best Defensive teams in the NFL. They are Mid- Pack offensively. While the Lions are one of the better Offensive Teams in the NFL while are dead last in Defense.
This will be a tougher game than we all thought when the Schedule was released, add in the return of AG and we should have a good one on Sunday.
Lions: 27, Jets: 24
Chris
Bounce back week for the Lions, and honestly, it's about time. Everybody and their mother has been on this team's neck lately: media, fans, the whole nine -- and if there's one thing Campbell-coached squads do, it's respond when their backs are against the wall.
That said, don't expect a blowout. The Jets aren't the pushover some folks think, and Geno Smith has this weird habit of turning into Superman every time he sees Honolulu Blue. Closer game than the spread suggests.
Lions 30, Jets 24
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