Week 5 Staff Predictions – Lions at Cardinals
Week 4 was supposed to be the Lions coming out party, taking advantage of a badly beat up Panthers team that was hurting across the board. What it ended up being was a game exposing more flaws in the Defense and where the Offense wasn't able to come to the rescue, despite having the ball with two minutes lefty and a chance to win.
This week the Lions get a similarly beat-up Cardinals team down several OL and Safety room, but the difference is that they are not a good team in any area, unlike Buffalo and Carolina. The Cards and Jacoby Brissett will be hard pressed to take advantage of the Lions defensive flaws as they simply do not have the players or explosiveness that Carolina did. The Lions will be healthy again and will be pissed off and looking to take it out on the Cards. Also keep in mind that JKelvin Sheppard may well be playing for his job, as another absolute embarrassing collapse could lead to a change in DC over the two-week window with the Lions Bye Week in Week 6.
The one wildcard will be the officiating crew, as they directly contributed to the Lions loss by blowing three key calls against the Panthers that led to 17 points, well above the margin of victory. This crew is one of the top 3 flag happy units on the field. Where it gets dicey is how the NFL Officials as a whole react to being under the microscope this last week with the NFL suspending two of their brethren for on-field actions toward players, the NFL and NFLPA coming to a joint decision on what celebrations are considered unsportsmanlike and the fact the NFL Media is calling out the vast amount of flags being thrown impacting scoring plays. So, either the officials let them play, or they decide to express their reaction to everything via calling games super tight and by the book. It could be a long day in Glendale and all across the league this weekend.
The entire staff is licking their wounds after last weeks embarrasing loss, but at least Chris has maintained his slim lead (via tie-breaker) through Week 4. He is 3-1, with Dan Mickey and Brent hot on his heels. Mike at 2-2 is right there, just needs to go against the grain to catch up, which I am guessing will happen when the Packers vist Ford Field in Week 7 when some of us will go against the majority.
In the meantime, all of us are being gluttons for punishment, believing that the Lions will head to the desert and come away with a high-scoring win against the Cardinals. None of us picked the Lions to score less that 31 pt, and only a couple thinks the defense can slow down Jacoby Brissett.
Mickey
Stop me if you’ve heard this story before. The Lions are traveling to face a team featuring: A) An offensive line that is beat up badly…B) A defense that is operating like a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charity and…C) A quarterback that is generally ranked among the lower half of the starting QB’s in the league. The Cards have given up 103 points over the last three weeks and the Lions have given up 97 over that same timespan. If nothing else this sounds like another week to hammer the “over.” (Started at 52.5 and currently is 54.5) The Cards kept pace with the G-men last week until late when Jacoby Brissette tossed two fourth quarter picks – after OT Paris Johnson went out - including a pick 6 in the last minute when they were in the red zone with a chance to win the game. It should be a big Detroit win, but I just don’t trust this defense at all.
Lions 31, Cardinals 27
Dan
On paper, this should be a mismatch, as the Lions Offense is significantly superior to the Cardinals despite both of the defenses being pretty bad. I feel like the Lions defense, and in particular Dan Campbell and Kelvin Shepard have something to prove, and the defense will bounce back with their best effort of the year while the offense gets back on track with explosive plays. The Cardinals OL is hurting with three starters out or injured, while their Safety room could be down 2 of the top 3 guys. The Lions will have to make sure that they don't allow a fifth straight MVP champ for an opposing QB, although Jacoby Brissett is the worst performing QB the Lions have faced to date and based on his stats, a complete checkdown merchant being dead last in Yards Per Attempt and Yards Per Catch. Regardless, I think this is a game the Lions get "healthy" on both offense and defense and win by at least two TDs.
Lions 38, Cardinals 20
Brent
The Lions are in an early season swoon with their defense ranking 32 out of 32 teams. The offense still seems out of sync despite being one of the highest scoring in the NFL. This week, the offense must get going early and often to ensure a win in the desert.
Lions 31, Cardinals 21
Mike
The Lions are coming off a bitter defeat and are travelling West to Phoenix. The Defense is in shambles, and it doesn’t look like there is an easy fix. The Offense will have to carry the load, but they have had trouble getting going early in games despite having a Top 5 Offense. The Cardinals are injured along the Oline and in the defensive backfield (sound familiar?) but this will be another shoot out (this is going to be the norm for the Lions this year).
Lions 31, Cardinals 28
Chris
A must-win game in Week 5? Yes, really. If the plane lands at DTW without a W from Glendale, the SOL pitchfork crowd will be waiting on the tarmac.
I don't think Kelvin Sheppard fixes this defense in a week. I do think he cleans up the scheme busts that have been hard to miss. That should be enough for a win, not a stop sign.
Fantasy folks, start every Cardinal you own. Another shootout is coming, and the Lions get the last big play.
Lions 34, Cardinals 29
Comments