Cushy Schedule Against Swiss Cheese Defenses
Let’s start with the most obvious gift the football gods have handed us this year. The Lions play exactly one top 10 defense this season according to DVOA. One. Pretty much everyone else is ranked 20th and below, which means Jared Goff is about to feast on some of the most porous secondaries in the league.
This is a big chance for a huge return to form for the Lions’ offense. When you’re throwing against defenses that couldn’t stop a nosebleed, even the most conservative play-caller starts looking like a genius.
The Thanksgiving Break Actually Matters
Yeah, we’ve all complained about not getting a bye week after the Germany trip. Fair point. But the Lions do get a 10-day break after Thanksgiving, which is basically a second bye week when you think about it.
That extra rest comes right when December football starts mattering most for playoff positioning and division races. Fresh legs in crunch time? Dan Campbell will take that trade every single day.
Indoor Football Paradise
The Lions have 12 indoor games this season. Twelve. The outdoor games they do have are mostly in warm weather spots like Florida and Carolina, plus a September trip to Buffalo before the lake effect snow starts flying.
Yes, there are those back-to-back outdoor games in Chicago and Green Bay at the end of the year, and that’s going to suck. But beyond that nightmare scenario, Ford Field is going to feel like home sweet home more often than not.
Rookie Quarterbacks Everywhere You Look
The Lions’ schedule is absolutely loaded with unproven quarterbacks and guys still trying to figure out this whole NFL thing. Tyler Shough gets his 10th career start against them. Bryce Young might be turning a corner, but would you bet your mortgage on him right now?
They’ll see Geno Smith, Jacoby Brissett, Malik Willis, Jaxson Dart, Tua Tagovailoa, Cam Ward, and Kyler Murray. The real tests are Jordan Love, Josh Allen, and maybe Caleb Williams and Drake Maye if they develop faster than expected.
When you’re facing that many question marks under center, your pass rush suddenly looks a lot more dangerous and your secondary gets a lot more opportunities to make game-changing plays.
Are we finally catching some breaks or is this just setting us up for the most Lions thing ever? Sound off below and tell us which advantage matters most.
