Will Detroit Lions start season where they left off in 2019?
With their starter currently out, will the Detroit Lions start 2020 where they left off last season?
As an unpredictable and unprecedented 2020 season approaches, with the Detroit Lions start where they left off in 2019, with a backup quarterback under center? It is certainly a familiar look that fans don’t want to see. But the reality is, starting quarterback Matthew Stafford has tested positive for COVID-19.
If Stafford isn’t available for the Lions’ first game on September 13, the team will most likely be starting newly-acquired backup quarterback Chase Daniel. The irony would be Daniel starting his first game on the Lions against the team he suited up for last season in the Chicago Bears. It would also be just his sixth start of his 10-year career.
Daniel has been a journeyman in his career that started in 2010 with the New Orleans Saints. Three seasons later, he went to the Kansas City Chiefs. Another three years passed and he played for the Philadelphia Eagles for a year, then back to New Orleans for a year before landing with the Bears for the past two seasons. In this time he started five games and accounted for 1,430 passing yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions.
Where Daniel’s teams posted a 2-3 record in his starts, the Lions other option at quarterback didn’t fare as well. David Blough should sound familiar as he started five games for the Lions last year in which the team failed to record a victory. In comparison to Daniel, Blough was a rookie last year and posted 984 passing yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions.
While Daniel has many more years of experience in the league, Blough has one year of experience in the Lions’ current system. With an abbreviated and adjusted training camp, the latter might count for something. But probably not enough to bump Daniel after he was brought in on a three-year, $13-million-dollar deal.
Next. Detroit Lions - Ranking the top 10 quarterbacks in franchise history. dark
Starting the season without Stafford isn’t ideal and nobody can predict that he will be back in time for the first game. But if he’s not there, the Detroit Lions have done more to shore up the backup position than they did the year prior. Daniel is a solid backup quarterback that can be plugged into the starting line up and give this team a chance to win some game. And that’s all this team can ask for should the need arise.