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Lions' losing streak could top 20 games
The NFL didn't do the Lions any favors with their 2009 schedule.
Coming off the first ever 0-16 season and with 17 straight losses overall, the Lions open on the road for the third straight year and don't look to have a game they'll be favored to win until after their Oct. 25 bye.
They open Sept. 13 at New Orleans, when their league-worst pass defense (in terms of quarterback efficiency rating) faces Drew Brees and last year's top-ranked offense. After that, the Lions return home for games against Minnesota and Washington, where new coach Jim Schwartz will see his former pupil (and big-money free agent) Albert Haynesworth.
They face the Bears and Jay Cutler, the quarterback they failed to trade for, in Chicago Oct. 4, host the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers Oct. 11, and play at Green Bay, where they haven't won in 18 years, on Oct. 18.
Despite the tough start, I don't see the Lions threatening Tampa Bay's record losing streak of 26 games (set in its first two seasons of 1976-77). Their schedule gets considerably easier after the bye, beginning with a Nov. 1 home date against St. Louis. The Lions pick first in next week's draft; the Rams, who finished 2-14 last year, choose second.
Also in the second half of the season, Detroit travels to Seattle and Cincinnati, hosts Cleveland, and plays Green Bay in its annual Thanksgiving game. The Seahawks, Bengals and Browns each won four games last year.
If you're looking for an early prediction - subject to revision, of course - I'll pick the Lions to go 5-11 with wins over Washington, St. Louis, Cleveland, Green Bay and, in Matt Stafford's starting debut, Arizona.
Coming off the first ever 0-16 season and with 17 straight losses overall, the Lions open on the road for the third straight year and don't look to have a game they'll be favored to win until after their Oct. 25 bye.
They open Sept. 13 at New Orleans, when their league-worst pass defense (in terms of quarterback efficiency rating) faces Drew Brees and last year's top-ranked offense. After that, the Lions return home for games against Minnesota and Washington, where new coach Jim Schwartz will see his former pupil (and big-money free agent) Albert Haynesworth.
They face the Bears and Jay Cutler, the quarterback they failed to trade for, in Chicago Oct. 4, host the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers Oct. 11, and play at Green Bay, where they haven't won in 18 years, on Oct. 18.
Despite the tough start, I don't see the Lions threatening Tampa Bay's record losing streak of 26 games (set in its first two seasons of 1976-77). Their schedule gets considerably easier after the bye, beginning with a Nov. 1 home date against St. Louis. The Lions pick first in next week's draft; the Rams, who finished 2-14 last year, choose second.
Also in the second half of the season, Detroit travels to Seattle and Cincinnati, hosts Cleveland, and plays Green Bay in its annual Thanksgiving game. The Seahawks, Bengals and Browns each won four games last year.
If you're looking for an early prediction - subject to revision, of course - I'll pick the Lions to go 5-11 with wins over Washington, St. Louis, Cleveland, Green Bay and, in Matt Stafford's starting debut, Arizona.
Labels: Albert Haynesworth, Detroit Lions, Jay Cutler, Jim Schwartz, Matt Stafford, NFL schedule
posted by Paula Pasche at
7:14 PM
12 Comments:
nfl = not for lions
they better win at seattle cuz i plan on being there and i want my first time seeing them to be a good one.
they've got the hardest sched in the north which is a bunch of crap cuz they went 0-16. or is that how it works in the nfl, dave?
hey dave,
How the HELL are they going to beat the skins and cards??
Dave,
I like how you slipped in that "Stafford" reference. It's looking more and more like they're going to pick him, doesn't it?
Nate
guys, seriously. this team was 0 and 16 last year. this roster is in shambles thanks to Millen--did you expect to see a lot of games where the Lions looked to have a strong chance? They'll walk away of day 1 with three starters, and hopefully a fourth at the top of the third round, and things will look better...not for this year, but for next.
I'm in the office right now and I just told one of my colleagues I was probably too generous at 5-11. My reasoning (notice I didn't say logic) is things don't always happen by the book in the NFL so the Lions are bound to spring an upset somewhere. They'll be better next year, but still bad. I just don't see the talent for a Dolphins-like turnaround.
As for the schedule, the formula is laid out years in advance so the NFL doesn't have it in for the Lions. Jesse's right. You could plug anyone else's schedule in and you wouldn't come up with much different results.
As long as they can get a contract done, I do think the Lions will take Stafford No. 1. He'll start at some point next year, but the Lions are committed to grooming him the right way.
What is the right way to groom Stafford in detroit?
Fans will demand him after Culpepper and Stanton are both out for the season by game 3 of the preseason.
After Rich Gannon is signed and dies on the field Stafford goes in with impossible expectations and obviously isn't ready.
GG lions set back 5 years.
Fans having nothing to hope for but that ford sr goes peacefully in the night.
If the rumors are true.. that the lions want Stafford and that Stafford knows this. How is this not the same error and stupidity that Oakland did with Russel by letting him know he is their guy?
If the lions were truly trying to get the best deal for a target.. those targets could only be Monroe or Curry. As they are the ones who will be more likely to accept a low ball offer at this point. Either that or they do not know what they are doing, failed to learn anything from Miami, and are still just as retarded as when we had Millen running the circus.
They will not take Stafford if they can't sign him first and they are NOT going to over pay for him. If he's asking for something astronomical and they can't get him signed soon, they'll just move on to Curry who will accept less, I'm sure.
Am I right Dave?
^no. if stafford doesn't sign, they'll move onto smith. guarantee you he'll be more than happy to sign. he just wants to play. doesn't care where.
i say they'll go at least 4-12, but i hope they do better.
well at least they're not going after WRs in the draft. they're bringing them in via free agency.
with the way things are looking it seems like they have a deal in place for Stafford already, which would cancel the "as stupid as oakland was" theory
nope.. no deal in place...
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