Have to say, the staff here at The Grey Manes are licking our wounds after none of us correctly predicted the Lions would look like hot trash and get handled by the Packers last week.  However, we are a glutton for punishment and are back again with more picks, and based on our predictions, we are all still chugging the blue Kool-Aid.  While there were no “winners” in our predictions last week, first tiebreaker will be our Lions final cumulative score from our picks vs the Lions actual cumulative Pts scored.  With that said, I am pathetically the current king by ONLY missing the target by 8 points 😐 Mike  Based on Week 1 there is absolutely no reason to pick the Lions to win in Week 2 vs the Bears. Looking at the stats the Bears look better on paper. However...     This is a must win game for the Lions and it is the home opener and hopefully the Lions come out with some GRIT!! Caleb Williams is still erratic as much as he is pretty good. He can move in the pocket and make plays with his legs. The Receiving corps is solid (including the TE's).     I feel like the Lions Defense who got behind early against the Pack can hold the Bears offense. I am expecting the Lions Offense to come out and play much better.  Long winded write up to say I am cautiously optimistic in a Lions win in a close one (where experience will win out.)    Lions 24, Bears 21       Brent   The Detroit Lions played poorly in Green Bay last week.  The Chicago Bears played well early before falling flat late to lose at home against the Minnesota Vikings.  The Bears upgraded offensive line played better than last season where quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times.  At a rate of two per game through week one,  he would be sacked less than half the times of the 2024 season.  The Lions failed to generate pressure on the Packers quarterback last week and if they don’t get pressure on Williams this week, it could be a high scoring game.    As much as I wish it was Dan Campbell versus Ben Johnson (Campbell wins 220-0 in that matchup BTW), it is the uber talented Lions against the Bears.  However, if the Lions don’t shore up the interior of their offensive line, they may not be able to keep pace with a high-scoring (against our defense if we don’t get pressure) Bears team.  The players and Dan Campbell assured us all these two areas will be fixed this week.  I should be from Missouri, the “show me state” but instead am from the great state of Michigan.  With a rocking Ford Field, it’s the Lions     Lions 38, Bears 24 .      Chris   Last weekend's meltdown left us all questioning reality, but here's the thing about Dan Campbell teams: they don't stay broken for long. The real concern isn't the loss itself; it's how our rebuilt interior offensive line will handle Chicago's front seven when we need to establish the ground game.    Surprise!  I think John Morton is going to get creative with his run concepts.  According to the fan base, he needs to keep his job! Forget the vanilla between-the-tackles stuff that got stuffed in Green Bay. We'll see more misdirection, reverses, and the kind of scheme creativity that made this offense elite in 2024. Meanwhile, Jared Goff needs a Plan B from Morton to bail us out if the rushing attack stalls again.  No more guys running routes in the same area, ok Johnny?!    Chicago's second-half collapse against Minnesota tells you everything about their closing ability. When crunch time arrives, Campbell's squad has shown they can execute while the Bears have shown they can fold. Jake Bates connects on the game-winner because that's exactly the kind of story this season is writing for us.    Lions 24, Bears 23       Dan   After last week, only two words came to mind:  Gut Punch. Expectations were high, but the Packers were the better team that day, and the Lions MUST improve. Great thing is, they have started slow before and have bounced back in both 2022 and 2023, so I still have faith.  Last week the Bears managed to choke away a sloppy game against the Vikings, giving up 21 Fourth Quarter pts and letting JJ McFraud win his first game since the tainted Natty in 2024. Caleb Willaims somehow managed to have worse passing numbers than Jared Goff did against the Packers, despite not even throwing a pick. He had to rely a lot on his legs, leading the Bears in rushing with 58 yards, as Swift averaged a paltry 3.1 yards per carry against a good, but not great, Vikings front. Williams didn't look comfortable, constantly bailing out on the play before he could get through his progressions, despite only 3 pressures and two sacks from the Vikings.  However, the biggest issue for the Bears were the penalties, with Chicago flagged 13 times (12 accepted) costing them 127 total yards. The Offense had a rough time, committing Four False Starts, Three Offensive Holding Calls and an Intentional Grounding and Illegal Shift, setting them back 55 yards.  The Defense didn't fare much better, with two Pass Interference Calls, a Hands to the Face and Roughing the Passer mixed in for good measure handing the Vike 72 yards. The Lions must be feeling good about their Defense bouncing back with Hutch and Davenport ready to focus on rushing Willaims, knowing that Reader, Williams, Anzalone and Campbell are backing them up to corral Swift or Wiliams when they run.  The entire back seven should also be able to handle the Kmet/Loveland TE threat and the Moore and Odunze WR combo, as they struggled to connect with Willaims against a Vikings defense that didn't put much pressure on Williams and only had 3 total Passes Defensed. Likewise, the offense should get the communication issues straightened out on the OL, and Glasgow will play better. The Lions running attack will fare better with Grady Jackson and TJ Edwards likely out or diminished, and the WRs and LaPorta should run wild against a banged-up Chicago defense, making for a better showing than in Lambeau.  The best matchup on the field might be a Sewell-on-Sewell battle, when Penei and his little brother Noah get together in the run game.  Worth the price of admission right there!    Bottom line, I think the Lions will be refocused, accepting the mission at hand that they must punish Ben Johnson and curb-stomp the Bears and Caleb Williams along the way. Ford Field will be rocking and excited to cheer the team to victory, so I fully expect a massive turnaround for both the defense and the offense as they look to extinguish the noise around the new coordinators and reestablish themselves as one of the contending teams in the NFC.    Lions 27, Bears 10

Tuesday, 9/9/25 @7pm est we begin our podcast journey together with you! We hope to see you in the chat! Every show will be available for replay on video and also available everywhere you listen to podcasts (including right here on the site). TUNE IN HERE at 7pm est!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhD1Exh0MNY If you're wondering why the Lions looked completely lost against Green Bay and whether John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard can actually fix this mess before it derails the season, this deep-dive analysis will give you the roadmap. We break down the brutal reality behind Detroit's coordinator overhaul - 10 new coaches, 3 new offensive line starters, and almost-zero preseason chemistry. You'll discover why Morton's conservative approach might actually be the right medicine (even if it stings), how Sheppard's player-to-coordinator leap compares historically, and the specific timeline for when this "gel" Coach Campbell keeps promising should actually materialize. We're dissecting snap counts, PFF grades, and the statistical truth about teams starting 0-3 versus playoff hopes. Plus, you'll get concrete markers to watch for against Chicago and Baltimore that will tell you whether this championship window stays open or starts closing fast. No panic. No false hope. Just the analytical breakdown Lions fans deserve to understand what's really happening - and what needs to happen next.

Name:  Land Clark Age:  63 Promoted To Referee:  2020 Graphic form Football Zebras Last Game:  Week 1 2025 TB @ ATL Last Lions Game:  12/24/23 - DET 30  @ MIN 24 The Detroit Lions committed 9 penalties for 52 yards. They were flagged a total of 10 times. The Minnesota Vikings committed 8 penalties for 64 yards. They were flagged a total of 10 times. Together there were 17 penalties for 116 yards. There were 20 total flags in this game. Notable Clark’s Crew has a history of calling more penalties on the Home Team than the Visitors, which does not bode well for the Lions this week.  In addition, there has been a history of strong emphasis on Offensive Penalties (Holding and False Start) by volume, so Lions will need to play pretty clean. Last week, the hyper-agressive Tampa defense was repeatedly guilty of offside and Roughing the passer. 2025 Most Called Penalties  (1 game) 3 - Roughing the Passer 3 - Offensive Holding 3 - Defensive Offside  2024 Most Called Penalties  (17 games) 37 - False Start 34 - Offensive Holding  17 - Defensive Pass Interference

Week 1 starts tonight with the Nationally Televised game on NBC between Dallas and Philadelphia.  However, the rest of the country will have to wait until at least Sunday to see the other 30 teams in action.  Below are the Sunday broadcast maps for CBS and Fox.   NATIONAL BROADCASTS Thursday Night: Dallas @ Philadelphia (NBC) Friday Night: Kansas City vs LA Chargers (in Sao Paulo) (YouTube; Rich Eisen, Kurt Warner) Sunday Night: Baltimore @ Buffalo (NBC) Monday Night: Minnesota @ Chicago (ESPN/ABC) KC-LAC will be simulcast on KSHB (NBC/41) Kansas City and KNBC (NBC/4) Los Angeles.   CBS Early Games   Fox Single Games CBS Late Games All listings are unofficial and subject to change. Check back often for updates.   Courtesy of the folks at 506 Sports

Week 2 kicks off Thursday night with two firsts for the 2025 regular season, the first streaming only game (Commanders @ Packers on Amazon) and the first Monday night double-header (TB@HOU 7pm and LAC@LVR 10PM). The Lions are set to appear on Fox regional this week for their 1PM game hosting the Chicago Bears.  Below are the National Games and Sunday Broadcast maps for CBS and Fox.  NATIONAL BROADCASTS  Thursday Night: Washington @ Green Bay (Amazon)  Sunday Night: Atlanta @ Minnesota (NBC)  Monday Night 7 PM ET: Tampa Bay @ Houston (ABC/ESPN; Joe Buck, Troy Aikman)  Monday Night 10 PM ET*: LA Chargers @ Las Vegas (ESPN; Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky, Louis Riddick)                  *KC-LAC will be simulcast on KSHB (NBC/41) Kansas City and KNBC (NBC/4) Los Angeles.    CBS Single Game FOX Early Game ( Late is National)   All listings are unofficial and subject to change. Check back often for updates.    Courtesy of the folks at 506 Sports

in addition to the signing of OT Devin Cochran we posted about earlier , the Lions officially announced that they have also signed LB Monty Rice to the Practice Squad and released LB Anthony Pittman. The 6' 233lb Rice is an ILB and was a former 3rd Rd Pick of the Titans in the 2021 draft out of Georgia and has spent time with the Saints, Falcons and was recently cut by the Patriots form their active roster. The 3rd year player has 11 starts in his 38 games, so he appears to bring experience to the depth of the roster and likely would be used on special teams. RAS via Math Bomb Pittman was a Lions UDFA from the 2019 draft and has spent time with the Lions, Commanders and Jags before resigning with the Lions last year. He was initially waived at the end of camp (before the big wave of cuts took place) and was re-signed to the Lions practice squad the next day. While Pittman is a bit bigger than Rice, the lions will be getting a bit more athleticism and speed with the former Georgia Bulldog.

Confirmed by his agency, former Cincinnati Bengal OT Devin Cochran has agreed to sign with the Detroit Lions to their Practice Squad.  This signing will fill the loss of Jamarco Jones for the season to the ankle injury he sustained in practice  last Thursday.  The 6’7” 330lb Cochrane was a UDFA signing in 2022 out of Georgia Tech who had one start and nine games played in his 3+ years with the Bengals, with the bulk of his career spent on the Bengals Practice Squad. He was waived on final cuts this year, re-signed to the PS the next day and ultimately cut again the following day when the Bengals signed OT Javon Foster. Cochran's Relative Athletic Score of 9.15 is exactly the type of athlete that the Lions look for at each position, so should be interesting to see what Hank Fraley can do with this kid.  RAS per Math Bomb

In what can only be called an embarrassment, the Lions marched into Green Bay full of expectations and with a roster full of all-pros and were beat in all facets of the game by the Green Bay Packers. The 27-13 loss was only the 3 rd  of Dan Campbell’s Lions Coaching career to the Packers and was about as bad as the Lions have looked since the 2023 season when they were drubbed by Baltimore 38-6. With a week to sort things out before they play the Bears, let's hope that this was a one-time issue and doesn’t snowball into a season-long debacle.      What Went Wrong:   Everything?  On offense, poor OL play, predictable play calling and awful situational awareness by OC John Morton seemed to be the defining factors. The Defense looked lost on communication and Kelvin Shepphard got too cute in the first half, at one point dropping first Hutch, then Barnes and then Davenport into coverage form their Edge positions instead of just letting them do what they do best. To sum it up, the new Coordinators laid an absolute egg in their first game by failing to put players in a position to succeed. Injuries also flared up in the secondary, with both Terrion Arnold (groin) and Daniel Thomas (Hand) leaving the game.  A Microcosm of the poor OL play in Lions loss to the Packers What Went Right:  Very Little.  However, a great catch by Isaac TeSlaa to close the scoring for the Lions proved that the rookie belongs in the NFL and likely should have been on the field more than he was. Jake Bates (2/2 on FGs) and Jack Fox (47 Yards per Punt Avg) also had reliable games, but having to point out your kickers did their job up to expectations as something that went right?  Ehhh…not ideal.  Isaac TeSlaa makes his first NFL TD Catch What’s Next:   The Lions head back to the friendly confines of Ford Field on Sunday 9/14 at 1pm to host Benedict Johnson and the Chicago Bears.

Your Detroit Lions shocked fans Saturday night by signing wide receiver Jameson Williams to a three-year contract extension , securing the speedy wideout through the 2029 season just hours before their opener against Green Bay. What makes this deal particularly surprising is that Williams seemed like the odd man out as the Lions navigate a complex salary cap situation, with GM Brad Holmes previously hinting the receiver might price himself out of Detroit's range. However, Williams' tremendous offseason development and a more reasonable price tag than expected changed the franchise's priorities completely. The extension validates the Lions' patience with a player who overcame early career struggles, including suspensions and inconsistent play, to emerge as a legitimate deep threat who topped 1,000 yards in 2024. Key Contract Details: • Length: 3-year extension (keeps Williams through 2029) • Average Value: $27.7 million per year in new money • Start Date: Extension kicks in for 2027 season (Williams plays 2025-2026 on rookie deal) • Market Position: Ranks 13th among receiver contracts currently • Comparison: Slightly below Jaylen Waddle and Tee Higgins, just above DeVonta Smith • Strategic Value: Price expected to look even better as salary cap inflates and future deals push Williams down the rankings

As year 96 of Detroit Lions football kicks off, the staff here at The Grey Manes will be having some fun this season with our own spin on weekly predictions.  Instead of guessing the Lions W/L record for the entire year up front, we will be putting pen to paper with a weekly prediction on the winner and final score of the Lions games. We haven't worked out what the “prize” will be for the winner yet but going forward we will show everyone's accrued record with the next week’s prediction.    Mike   The Lions have had some turnover since the 2024 season. A new Defensive Coordinator and new Offensive Coordinator.      Most pundits see this as a downgrade or will require an adjustment period. Both came from within the organization - Kelvin Sheppard elevated from Linebacker Coach, Johnny Mort on hired away from Denver, however many forget that Morton was part of Dan Campbell's original staff when he first came to Detroit. He is familiar with Campbell and what he wants in an offense, and he has TONS of weapons to utilize.      The OL may take a bit of time to gel but running the ball is what Offensive Lineman do best and so do the Lions offense. I expect a run heavy offence Sunday at Lambeau and a hungry Defense out to prove themselves from last year’s early exit from the playoffs.       Lions: 28, Packers: 17    -------------------------   Brent   Detroit has the most talent in the NFL. They have an axe to grind due to all of the pundits disrespect in picking them to lose the NFC North to the Packers and/or Vikings.     The Detroit defense is out to make a statement.  Hutch wreaks havoc in his return and the Lions force 2+ turnovers.     Offensively, losing Kenny Clark weakens the interior of the Green Bay defensive line.  Watch for the Lions to run the ball early right at #1 and to establish the running game mixed with play action.  Lions know Parsons is weak against the run and softens as the game goes into the deep waters.  He taps out in Q3 and the Lions control the clock.     Campbell proves he is the Coach of the Year and Lions roll 31-21  at Lambeau.    ------------------------- Chris   Look, the injury thing is getting old. We're hauling the same baggage from last year into this one, and while our stars are walking upright, losing Levi O, Alim, and Vaki still stings. These aren't just roster fillers - they're pieces that matter.     But here's the deal: we've made Lambeau our second home lately. Three straight years of showing up in Green Bay and walking out winners isn't luck - it's ownership. The Packers can parade around their shiny new toy in Micah Parsons all they want, but that back of his isn't right. You can see it in how he moves.     That gimpy back creates just enough hesitation for John Morton to dial up something special for Jamo downfield. And Gibbs? He's going to punch in at least two scores because that's what happens when you have actual playmakers.     The Packers are good. We're better. Even banged up.     Lions 24, Packers 20   -------------------------   Dan   The frozen tundra of Lambeau isn't so frozen in September, but the game should be one for the season, as the two favorites for the NFC North crown go at it to get the Lions season rolling.    There has been a groundswell of negativity around the Lions this offseason with the loss of both coordinators and two former All-Pros on the Lions interior of the OL. However, the Lions have been planning for these departure for years, and capable replacements very familiar with the systems and Lions way have slid in to replace both the coordinators and the IOL.  The Lions running and Passing game hinge on the OL play, but both should still be highly productive and even more unpredictable this season. The defense has an arguably stronger secondary and is welcoming back several playmakers including Aiden Hutchinson, who didn't play against Green Bay in either game last year.    The Packers offense still has Jordan Love, a decent OL and Josh Jacobs running the ball, but there are some concerns with injuries as two starters are nicked up including the C, WR 1 and two additional depth WRs.  The defense, which saw some major changes, including the swap of Kenny Clark for Micah Parsons, which should boost their pass rush, but negatively impact their run defense. Their back seven has decent LBs but will struggle in pass coverage against the Lions playmakers at RB and TE and their DBs, while serviceable and with an injury to CB1, will get beat when Goff has time to throw.    Bottom line, I think the Lions establish the run game right out of the gate, running at both Rashan Gary and Micah Parsons (if he plays) and then use misdirection and play-action to take their shots downfield.  Green Bay will put up some points, but this lions defense is being criminally underrated and will cause plenty of issues for Jordan Love and LeFluer, ultimately leading to Dan Campbell pushing his record against the Packers to an even more impressive 5-2    Lions 24, packers 17 -------------------------

Whelp, for anyone that has followed the Grey Manes for the last few years, we took a small hiatus due to some life events that took us away from our first passion. The great news is that we are back, and we brought some friends. Expect tos ee some new content, and a new Podcast coming onto the site on a regular basis moving forward. We apologize for the interruption but are excited about the future!

Everything is set for the Week 1 matchup between the Detroit Lions and green Bay Packers in Lambeau on Sunday afternoon.   Time:  4:25pm Location:  Lambeau Field, Green Bay WI Field Surface:   GrassMaster Hybrid Surface TV:  CBS Late National Broadcast Crew:   Jim Nantz and Tony Romo Radio:   Lions Radio Network Crew:  Dan Miller, Lomas Brown, TJ Lang Streaming:   Paramount+ , FUBO Referee:   Clete Blakeman