The Detroit Lions will be headed to Cleveland for their final preseason game of 2019 against the Browns this week. What should we expect from this game?
The Detroit Lions will face the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, August 29th at 7:30 p.m. eastern. This will be the final preseason game for the two teams before we head into the regular season, but what should we anticipate out of Detroit?
Detroit seems to be in a fairly good spot to start the season. The first-team offense looks to be clicking and the defense has looked ready to begin the season, even though we haven’t seen much of the starting defensive line yet.
Don’t expect to see Detroit deploy their starters or core players in this game. Some of the second- string guys may even sit this one out. The Lions should be finishing up the evaluation process in this game.
This should strictly be a game for players to show what they have to offer one last time. Whether that be for Detroit or any other team that sees their game tape. This is the final chance to let the entire NFL get a look at them and perhaps make a team, which could be any team.
The number one goal in this game for Detroit should be to try and avoid injuries at all costs. There is absolutely no reason to put any player of value at chance here. The Lions have already sustained a couple of minor injuries to core players and can’t afford anymore. That does not mean this will be a boring game, however.
The men we see on the field in Cleveland Thursday will be fighting for a job. These guys will be giving it all they have to impress. They realize that it is not just Detroit watching, they could just as likely land a job elsewhere in the NFL or even another league if need be.
Don’t expect the Detroit Lions to do much in this game. The play calls will be as vanilla as possible and there won’t be any stars on the field. This game isn’t exactly for the entertainment of the fans, its the last opportunity for fringe players to win a job and the odd-men-out to interview for a job elsewhere.
Teams don’t typically look past a game to focus on the next, but Detroit should make an exception here. Obviously, the coaches still need to coach and evaluate, but the guys that will certainly make the team should be focused on Arizona for Week One against the Cardinals on September 8th. With the tough schedule ahead, the Detroit Lions simply cannot afford to drop game one.