Detroit Lions: Brutal schedule could mask improvement

Even if the 0-2 Detroit Lions start to improve under Matt Patricia, the rest of their regular season schedule and division does them no favors.

Things were supposed to get better in the Motor City under new head coach Matt Patricia. But the Detroit Lions have gone winless through the first two weeks of the regular season and their upcoming schedule of opponents is brutal.

The Lions were an embarrassing mess in Week One, losing to the long-struggling New York Jets and a rookie quarterback in blowout fashion at Ford Field. It was a fail of epic proportions that had critics labeling the Lions as a possible candidate for the worst team in the NFL.

But in Week Two, Detroit actually showed signs of improvement. And they were one questionable defensive holding penalty away from stealing a win from the San Francisco 49ers in the waning moments. When you consider the fact quarterback Matthew Stafford struggled in that game as well, particularly with his deep ball accuracy, fans should feel much better about the team’s direction.

That is until they look at the team’s upcoming schedule. Prior to their Week Six bye, the 0-2 Lions will take on the 1-1 New England Patriots this Sunday night, head to Arlington to play the 1-1 Dallas Cowboys, then return home for a divisional battle with All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the 1-0-1 Green Bay Packers.

There is a real danger of Detroit starting the season on a five-game losing streak. Yet, they still have the majority of their divisional opponents to play. The 1-0-1 Minnesota Vikings, 1-1 Chicago Bears, and the Packers have all scored more offensive points than the Lions through their first two games. They have all allowed fewer points scored by their opponents than Detroit has as well. That’s not a good sign.

Detroit is also scheduled to face off against the 2-0 Miami Dolphins, the 2-0 Los Angeles Rams, the 1-1 Carolina Panthers, the 0-2 Seattle Seahawks, the 0-2 Buffalo Bills, and 0-2 Arizona Cardinals this season.

The good news is, the Lions showed improvement in Week Two against the Niners. Better overall play by Stafford or a late non-call might have landed them the “W”. The bad news is Detroit’s upcoming schedule could result in several more “L’s” in the standings masking the fact the team is actually improving.

According to the Lions’ new head coach, they know they still have a lot more work ahead of them in this transitional process. But their goal is to improve every week despite who they are lining up against. Here’s what Patricia actually told the Detroit Free Press …

"“I think we’re trying to get better, we’re trying to improve, we have a lot of work to do, we know that. We’re up for the task … I can’t predict the future. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen two months from now. But what we have to do right now is fix the mistakes that we made yesterday and get ready to play another game this week.”"

The Detroit Lions showed measurable improvement between Week’s One and Two against a tougher opponent on the road. The arrow is certainly pointing up for this group. Yet, because of their brutal schedule, the Lions’ future status in the standings may indicate otherwise.