Game 9: Browns @ Lions Thread

[Tonyballs2]

Would you trade Stafford to the jags for lb t Smith, cb jalen Ramsey and de fowler jr?

The Jags wouldn't. Dumb question

 

[Tonyballs2]

Got through about halfway of this thread. Man, there are some pathetic fucks on this board.

Everyone feel better? Lol

 

[grandy]

Looking at some of the other NFC teams...Seahawks have a pretty rough schedule, Cowboys still have two games vs Philly, South teams will be beating each other up (including two Falcons/Saints games left)

 

[tomdalton22]

Also, if the WC is in play, the tiebreak will likely be conference record for whichever NFC East or West team is in the hunt (any viable South team wins head to head). Lions are currrently 4-3 with Minnesota, GB, TB, & Chicago x2 left to play.

If Minnesota wins on Thanksgiving, head to head will be tied, division record could be too, the tiebreak will go to common games after those two. The Lions and Vikings will ultimately have 12 common games (4 in division, 4 vs NFC South, 4 vs AFC North), but with only the games played, the Vikings are 3-1 and the Lions are 2-2.

Here's an article about the NFC playoff race

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/pag...-10-2017-nfl-season-nine-contenders-six-spots
Detroit Lions (5-4)

Chances of making the playoffs: 32.5 percent

The Lions were a bad team last season -- worse than the Bears and Jaguars, by DVOA -- who sneaked into the playoffs by virtue of Matthew Stafford setting a league record for fourth-quarter comeback victories.

The Lions are a good team this season who might be kept out of the playoffs because they haven't been lucky late in games. The same Lions team that went 8-5 in one-score games a year ago is 1-3 in those same contests this season, coming within a half-yard of beating the Falcons and a goal-line stand of beating the Steelers.

While the 2016 Lions seemed to be unstoppable in the fourth quarter, this team is inconsistent but relentless. You don't necessarily know when they're going to turn things on, and they can get in their own way at times, but look at what the Lions did against the lowly Browns on Sunday. Detroit handed Cleveland a 10-0 lead after an ugly Stafford interception in the first quarter and struggled to stop the Browns on offense until knocking DeShone Kizer out of the game, but the Lions started making steady gains on offense and made a big play on defense.

The biggest difference between the 2016 Lions and the 2017 Lions is that sudden ability to generate takeaways on defense. A unit that forced just 14 takeaways all season in 2016 already has 18 with seven games to go. It has now taken four of those turnovers to the house after Nevin Lawson stripped Seth DeValve of the ball and returned it for a 44-yard score on Sunday. Throw in the goal-line stand that saved Detroit from a minimum of three points after Kizer bizarrely checked to a quarterback sneak with no timeouts left at the end of the first half, and it's easy to imagine how this game might have gone differently for Detroit.

The Lions still have a meaningful chance of winning their division, as FPI gives them a 15.7 percent shot at claiming the North. They hold the tiebreaker over Minnesota after beating the Vikings 14-7 on Oct. 1 and get them at home on Thanksgiving, Detroit's only game remaining against a team that currently has a winning record until Week 17 against the Packers. If the Lions can stay healthy -- which they mostly have outside of the injury to Taylor Decker, who made his season debut against the Browns -- and continue to force turnovers, they could benefit from any sort of Vikings slide.

 

[Tonyballs2]

Rams, Eagles and Saints are head and shoulders better than the Lions. MN is better too but not by that much because they have a shitty QB

Actually, Minnesota isn't better. We fucking beat them on the road. How the fuck are they better?

 

[LKP]

LOL healthy. Ansah banged up now out, Hyder and Ngata. Decker and Lang. Swanson 2 games earlier. Backup tackles and backup guards all out long periods which makes Lang, Decker, Swanson worse.
Davis 2 games against good run teams
Golladay many games
Stafford against the Saints which was huge


Lions are just finally getting healthier and still have big names out.

 

[LKP]

Lions can run the table. They have the talent. When everyone on your schedule look like a bad team. That makes the Lions a good team

 

[tomdalton22]

Actually, Minnesota isn't better. We fucking beat them on the road. How the fuck are they better?

I think they are a slightly better team. The better team doesn't always win. The Pats lost to Carolina...does that make Carolina better than the Pats?

 

[brewer229]

I think they are a slightly better team. The better team doesn't always win. The Pats lost to Carolina...does that make Carolina better than the Pats?

Obviously. Head to head is all that matters when comparing two teams.

 

[grandy]

I think they are a slightly better team. The better team doesn't always win. The Pats lost to Carolina...does that make Carolina better than the Pats?

They?ve had a pretty soft schedule since the Lions game, I?m not all that convinced yet. The Rams and Thanksgiving Day should settle things.

 

[tomdalton22]

They?ve had a pretty soft schedule since the Lions game, I?m not all that convinced yet. The Rams and Thanksgiving Day should settle things.

I think they lose to the Rams...that team is scary good.

 

[mhughes0021]

They’ve had a pretty soft schedule since the Lions game, I’m not all that convinced yet. The Rams and Thanksgiving Day should settle things.

We've had one of the softest schedules in the league...we've beaten no one except the case keenum led Vikings who tony says is no good.

 

[turok]

Vikings must win @ least 3 of their next 4 most crucial games of their season to likely take the division. If they lose 2, including @ Lions on TGD, then maybe if the Packers get Rodgers back ~Week 15 then they could either be still in the race and/or play spoilers vs the Vikings and Lions in their final 2 games of the season. The Vikings staff is reportedly scheduled to have a meeting this week, to discuss if or when they would start an activated Bridgewater instead of Keenum. My guess would be that Keenum will start the next 4 games, esp vs Rams and @ Lions, until or unless Keenum struggles or becomes injured.

 

[mhughes0021]

Ps...gb remaining schedule includes bal, cle, tb and us. So they have it pretty easy too.

 

[LKP]

Ps...gb remaining schedule includes bal, cle, tb and us. So they have it pretty easy too.

at Pit, Min, at Carolina and at Detroit are tough games for the Packers

 

[grandy]

We've had one of the softest schedules in the league...we've beaten no one except the case keenum led Vikings who tony says is no good.

I don?t think either team is good, just on par with each other. The North as a whole is unimpressive this year, the Packers would probably be running away with this division by now if Rodgers never went down.

 

[kdp1980]

I think Keenum is much better than most think. Sam Bradford going down was a blessing for the Vikings imo. I think the Vikings win the division going away. That team is just very well put together. They only way the Lions win the division is if the Vikings get the injury bug on defense and they lose some key starters.

 

[LKP]

I think Keenum is much better than most think. Sam Bradford going down was a blessing for the Vikings imo. I think the Vikings win the division going away. That team is just very well put together. They only way the Lions win the division is if the Vikings get the injury bug on defense and they lose some key starters.

Vikings need to lose one extra game and have a tougher schedule. Lions win on Thanksgiving and Lions win the division with the same record

Lions could be in first by Thanksgiving night. Rams at Vikings this week is a good one.

 

[kdp1980]

Vikings need to lose one extra game and have a tougher schedule. Lions win on Thanksgiving and Lions win the division with the same record

Lions could be in first by Thanksgiving night. Rams at Vikings this week is a good one.

That defense is going to give Goff huge problems, I'm giving that game to the Vikings. Losing 3 straight killed our chances of winning the division imo

 

[LKP]

That defense is going to give Goff huge problems, I'm giving that game to the Vikings.

Gurley can run the ball and Rams have a good D too. Rams can for sure win that game.

And at Carolina and at Atlanta are very tough too. Vikings could lose their 4 games in a row