The Detroit Lions face an uphill battle in 2020. Winning their first two games against divisional rivals would boost their confidence for the entire season.
In my previous article, I talked about how the Detroit Lions’ tough schedule can help them prove their worth to the rest of the league. Well, they can immediately start doing that with having two big divisional games to open the season.
The Lions open up the season at home against the Chicago Bears. This is a big way for Detroit to start the season off with a bang. You’re at home against your divisional rivals with a clean slate. It can’t get much better than that.
This is definitely a winnable game for the boys in blue as the Bears have had quarterback struggles with Mitch Trubisky. Which in turn, has led to a lack luster offense in the Windy City.
Yes, Chicago did trade for NFL journeyman quarterback Nick Foles during the offseason. But the eight-year veteran did suffer a broken clavicle last season, and didn’t look good in his time after coming back from injury. Whoever the Bears go with at the helm, it still should be a good matchup for the Lions
Considering Chicago isn’t one of the strongest teams in the NFC North, this is a divisional game that the Lions need to win. Your season opener is always important, especially if it’s at home. Plus, getting the dub would definitely be a well-needed confidence boost going into the next week.
The Detroit Lions head across Lake Michigan to play another divisional rival in Week 2, the Green Bay Packers. Being another divisional game, the stakes are already high enough. You add on the fact that it’s against Green Bay, and you got yourself an extremely important game.
I don’t care what anyone says about the Packers. As long as Aaron Rodgers is the starting quarterback, it’s going to be a tough game, especially on the road. Thankfully, it’s not a primetime game, nor a winter game. But going into Lambeau and beating Rodgers is already a challenging task by itself.
This game is definitely circled in red for the Detroit Lions after having two bitter losses to Green Bay last season. Somehow, Detroit found a way to drop both of those divisional games despite the Packers leading for a total of zero seconds. Hopefully, Detroit can use that to light the fire within them to snag one against the Cheeseheads.
The way you open a season is critical in the NFL. Having a rocky start can hurt team morale, which then can lead to an even worse season down the road. Getting off to a good start can give the Lions confidence for the rest of the season, and help them realize that they’re a good football club. Plus, getting two divisional wins early may save them later down the road if they get into a tiebreaker situation for the playoffs.
At the very least, the Detroit Lions need to be able to split the first two games and go 1-1. The ensuing games after Green Bay aren’t too much easier as they head to Arizona to play the Cardinals (who they tied with last season), and then they’re at home against New Orleans.