2016 Lions schedule is suspenseful

Does the 2016 season schedule seem favorably manageable for the revamped Detroit Lions?

Mar 21, 2016; Boca Raton, FL, USA; Vice president of officiating for the NFL Dean Blandino speaks Monday during the NFL annual meetings at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Mandatory Credit: Robert Duyos-USA TODAY Sports /

My step-father used to always tell me as a kid ; “Larry the hardest thing in sports to do is to win an NFL game.” Like a rebellious son who receives chastening out of love, there’s always a contrary wind blowing that can take the disciplined core out of the disciple causing him/them/her to take lightly the tribulations that are waiting around the corner. In simpler words, there’s always that bizarre upset during the NFL season that makes the audience go “how in the world did they lose to that team?” Sorta like when the Atlanta Falcons erased Carolina’s chance to finish the 2015-16 regular season flawless. Whatever the case, after looking at the opponents on the Lions season schedule for 2016, there aren’t any teams that seem strikingly better than Detroit.

Whatever the case, after looking at the opponents on the Lions season schedule for 2016, there aren’t any teams that seem strikingly better than Detroit.

Now NFL administration works tediously to keep the intensity of game play both competitive, physical, safe and interesting. Talk about weighing the balance, there’s always an outside source knit-picking at the structure of the league, it’s disciplinary action regarding abuse, whether football’s are flat or not, who’s celebrating too much, is football too physical and all the rest of the gibberish. We commend you highly NFL, and we hope that the 2016 season will be a delight for NFL fans internationally.

Nov 15, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; The NFL Logo on goal post padding during the game between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Detroit won 18-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

The NFL and it’s suspense.

The approach to scheduling NFL contest throughout the year is no different for the NFL administration. It really is one of the most critical facets of it’s marketing. Now most of us know that half of the 16 game (17 week) schedule includes two match ups with inner division rivals (click here), 4 opposing conference match-ups and 4 inner conference opponents with teams that are in the same division. Yes complex. Seeing that Detroit finished as the 3rd seed in the NFC North last season, their strength of schedule isn’t the toughest. Sadly, only 3 of the 16 teams Detroit will play this upcoming season reached the Playoffs in 2015. Um Ironically neither did Detroit for that matter.

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Now If you’ve been following the NFL for over a decade, it’s hard not to notice the rarity regarding consecutive championships and consecutive Super Bowl appearances among the teams. Not only does the lack of post-season series (NFL players would die if such) increase the chance of upset, the formatted season structured based on prior season performance makes the upcoming season recurrently suspenseful. You can never tell who is the juggernaut until it’s all over and by that time your waiting for the season to start back again.

With all this being said let’s make a prediction on how the Lions season will turn out in 2016. My prediction is that it is too tough to call. The NFC North is rapidly becoming the most competitive division in football to play in. What will determine the success of the Lions in 2016 is not the fact that they’ll be playing teams who weren’t great last season but that they’ll be playing teams that will be greater this year. Their schedule features, the St. Louis Rams (great defense & youth), Vikings (youth, talent & poise), Titans (promising youth), Packers (getting WR Jordy Nelson back) and others. One might play it wise by saying he’s an NFL expert but at this point the suspense involved with preparing for opponents in the NFL will remain rampant.

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