The Detroit Lions are heading into the new season...a little banged up.
It's nowhere near as bad as things were last season, with the team in a constant juggling act between their roster and the practice squad. But, they've got four important players headed to the IR to begin the year: Cade Mays, Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph, and now Isiah Pacheco.
As a result, the Lions' running back room and offensive line might need some time to gel, again, to kickoff the season. And, their defense is likely to have some hiccups against the pass with a brand new safety room being utilized by defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.
Ahead of the Lions' bye week, and the potential return of a few of these injured players, let's take a look at their games prior to Week 6 and predict what their record will be by that point.
Predicting Lions' record up to bye week amid multiple injuries
Week 1: vs. New Orleans Saints
Prediction: Win
New Orleans is going to be better than what their 2025 record suggests. Tyler Shough showed that he could be a serviceable starting quarterback last season, and they've got some great weapons around him like Chris Olave and Travis Etienne Jr., as well as Alvin Kamara (but he's injured). They'll be without their rookie receiver, Jordyn Tyson, to start the season.
They have a fairly solid offensive line headed into the year, and their defensive line is anchored by Cam Jordan and Chase Young - both coming off 10+ sack seasons. Detroit might have their hands full against those two, specifically, but this seems like a game where their ground game might feast the most. They gave up 120.6 rushing yards per game last season.
Week 2: at Buffalo Bills
Prediction: Win
Now to the first spicy prediction of this piece - the Lions winning Week 2, on a short turnaround, on the road, against the mighty Bills.
Dear reader...as much as Buffalo is painted as a perennial Super Bowl contender, the fact of the matter is that their defense remains a huge pain point for them. I find it hard to envision a world where they don't struggle immensely against the Lions' wide receiver room, or Jahmyr Gibbs.
Their offense is obviously their strength, and they did get better by trading for D.J. Moore this offseason. However, the big question is whether they'll be able to stop the bleeding when it matters against an offense with the potential that the Lions' has. I like Detroit's chances of having the better defensive unit in this one, and I'll go with them to win this game despite the shortened week.
Week 3: vs. New York Jets
Prediction: Win
The Jets are likely to have another stellar defense, as is their right, but some questions around their offense. They "improved" at quarterback this offseason by trading for former franchise hope Geno Smith, but Smith is coming off a really down year with the Las Vegas Raiders.
It might've been a scheme mismatch, though, so perhaps New York can finally begin to show off the young talent on their roster that's just waiting for a quarterback to unlock it.
Of course, I do like Detroit's chances here slightly better as I think their pass game will come into play here. New York's defensive line should be stellar, but I'm less confident about their ability to shut down the Lions' receivers. This will be a huge game for players like Juice Scruggs, Blake Miller, and Penei Sewell as they try and protect Jared Goff against their pass rush.
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Week 4: at Carolina Panthers
Prediction: Win
At this point, you're probably wondering if I'm being a homer for the Lions with a projection of 4-0 to begin the year.
Fun fact, I'm not even a Lions fan. But, in watching out this team has developed over training camp and throughout the preseason, it's hard to imagine them taking a step back from their 2025 campaign against this sort of schedule. So, we'll proceed with another predicted win - this time, against the Panthers.
This could've been the Mays revenge game, but we'll settle for this being a DJ Wonnum revenge game, instead. Wonnum looked spry in preseason in limited snaps, and there's high hopes for his ability to reach his floor this year while alongside Aidan Hutchinson and Derrick Moore.
With Caroline's offensive line looking a little less strong after losing Mays, we'll say that Detroit's defense overwhelms the Panthers and Bryce Young in this contest.
Week 5: at Arizona Cardinals
Prediction: Win
Another road game, and another revenge game on the books. Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing will likely be looking for a respectful victory over his former employer, and it shouldn't be hard to come by - Arizona is one of a few teams projected to be tanking this season as they're in dire need of a franchise quarterback.
Jacoby Brissett, who could've been a target for the Lions at QB2, will likely be starting for Arizona in this one (unless they've decided at this point in the year that he's too good, and have shuffled Carson Beck into the starting role, instead).
While they have some amazing skill players like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride, and an excellent pass rusher in Josh Sweat, they don't have much else around their roster to make them fully formidable. They're, in a way, the Jets of the West at the moment - they need a quarterback badly, and are missing some depth pieces on defense.
As a result of Detroit simply being more well-rounded, we'll go with another win here to get the Lions to 5-0 ahead of their Week 6 bye.
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