Where are the Detroit Lions projected to finish in the NFC North?

NFL Previews across the country are coming out, and the Detroit Lions are still fighting for respect

As I did around this time last year, I made the rounds through as many reputable NFL publications as I could to gain a general idea of what the outside world thinks about this year’s Detroit Lions team. Seeing how the outside world perceives the team is as good a way as any for me to set a realistic expectation for the upcoming season.

I find that Lions fans generally split into two distinct camps when it comes to preseason gazing into the crystal ball. From my experience, neither of these camps are particularly reliable in giving a very accurate prediction for the year ahead.

Each have their own merits and shortcomings, but one is based entirely in fantasy and the other entirely as a defense mechanism. Lions beat writer Dave Birkett is one of the few who will consistently shrug his shoulders and say, “yeah we’ll probably finish middle of the pack, with around seven to nine wins, no big deal”, which is where the Lions have indeed lived for most of the decade.

Where are the Detroit Lions picked to finish in the 2020 standings?

There are the zealous evangelists who come into year after year certain that every draft pick is an All-Pro, and that the Lions are no doubt going to ‘shock the world’ this time. This usually involves a OnePride hashtag and a profane set of insults for anyone who points out that history is against them, and everyone else’s fans think their team has improved as well.

Of course, then there is the equal and opposite approach: “Nope, the S.O.Ls will lose big, because they always do and because they’ve hurt me in the past. 2-14 is inevitable, if we’re lucky.” The longer you’ve been a fan, the more likely you’ll fall into this second category of fan.

It’s fair to say that most of us are a little too close to home to take an unbiased approach towards speculating the results in 2020. My trip through the rabbit hole of preseason predictions didn’t necessarily lead me where I wanted it to this year. Then again, it will make it that much sweeter when the Lions shock the world! #OnePride.