Last season, the Detroit Lions were roaring. This season, they’re purring.
Following a 15-win season that saw them claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Lions are 7-5 this year, have lost four of their past seven games and are currently not in the playoff picture. “FOX NFL Kickoff” analyst Julian Edelman thinks that Detroit is losing its way.Â
“The Detroit Lions may have lost their toughness,” Edelman said regarding the Lions’ Thanksgiving Day loss to the Green Bay Packers. “How are you a tough football team? You can run the football, you can stop the run, you can protect the quarterback. Seven quarterback hits, three sacks on Jared Goff, seven hurries. They couldn’t protect him, and Jared Goff needs to have that middle of the pocket.
“And then, on the other side, the defensive line had zero sacks [and] three hurries. They just couldn’t get anything on [Packers quarterback] Jordan Love, and Jordan Love made them pay.”
Julian Edelman thinks ‘Lions may have lost toughness’
The 31-24 loss to Green Bay put the Lions one game behind the San Francisco 49ers for the third NFC wild-card seed, and they stand in third place in the NFC North, two games behind the Chicago Bears and 1.5 games behind the Packers, who swept Detroit this season.
Michael Strahan thinks the Lions could miss the playoffs.
“Detroit could be the odd man out,” Strahan said on “FOX NFL Kickoff.” “I’m a little worried about Detroit. They could be the odd man out in this.”
The Lions’ offense has continued to perform well despite the departure of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who’s in his first year as the Bears’ head coach. Detroit is fourth in the NFL in total yards (376.3 per game) and points (29.2 per game). Meanwhile, its defense, which is run by first-year defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, is 12th in opponent total yards (316.2 per game) and 16th in opponent points (22.8 per game).
Next up for the Lions is a home matchup against the Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1) on Thursday night. After that, Detroit has a road tilt against the Los Angeles Rams, a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and road games against the Minnesota Vikings and Bears.
Michael Strahan believes Lions could be ‘odd man out’ in playoff picture
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