The Detroit Lions have begun their year on the right foot. A 2-1 start isn't too shabby, and they look primed to run that record up to 4-1 ahead of their Week 6 bye.
Their offense continues to gel under new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, while their pass rush seems ready to hit a new level every week. Of course, questions remain about the viability of their current cornerback room long-term, but for now, they're being successfully buoyed by the strengths on the rest of their roster.
Looking ahead to their next four games - so, two before their bye week, and two after - it's fair to say that they could only be rocking two losses headed into the second week of November.
Predicting the Lions' next 4 games after 2-1 start
- Predicting the Lions' next 4 games after 2-1 start
- Week 4: Lions at Panthers
- Week 5: Lions at Cardinals
- Week 7: Lions vs. Packers
- Week 8: Lions vs. Vikings
Week 4: Lions at Panthers
The Lions are catching the Panthers at a bad time. Bad for the Panthers, to be clear.
Carolina is dealing with a ridiculous amount of injuries. They'll be without their starting left guard, Damien Lewis, in addition to their two starting cornerbacks and potentially wide receiver Jalen Coker. These aren't just a handful of depth pieces dealing with injuries: these are key starters that help make or break their chances of winning against teams like Detroit.
This game feels primed to become a shootout, with the Lions averaging exactly 31 points per game so far this season. They should be able to take advantage of Carolina's sudden weaknesses in their secondary, while also taking advantage of their weakened offensive line. Thanks to a few sacks, some major gunslinging from Jared Goff, and a more even keeled game from their secondary, we predict the Lions leave this game with a win.
Week 5: Lions at Cardinals
Arizona has also been struggling to begin the year, although you can't help but feel like they're so close to finally breaking that cycle of being a tanking squad. Similarly to the New York Jets, Arizona has some decent players on their defensive front - they're fourth overall in pass rush win rate. However, their offensive line remains a work in progress, and Jacoby Brissett has not been able to do much more than throw some check-down passes to advance the teams' offense.
This is another game where the Lions' defensive line should be able to feast, and help get the offense on the field as much as possible. Assuming Detroit's offensive line remains steady, they should be able to take advantage of Arizona's lack of resistance in their secondary. Detroit's biggest challenge in this one might be containing Jeremiah Love.
We predict that the Lions snag a win on the road against the Cardinals to hit 4-1 ahead of their bye week.
Week 7: Lions vs. Packers
Green Bay, like Detroit, could be getting a key defender back for this game. While the Lions could get Brian Branch back in the fold for this contest, the Packers could get Micah Parsons back ahead of a huge NFC North game. The Packers are struggling mightily to get their offense off the ground, with an injured offensive line and a quarterback seemingly unable to handle the pressure that comes with that.
Additionally, they have no run game. Like, none. As in, they're averaging 48.7 rushing yards per game through three games. Things can change on that front between now and Week 7. They could trade for a running back, or finally get some success with MarShawn Lloyd. But, it's a huge hole on their roster.
Honestly, the biggest threat to the Lions in this game is likely handling the Packers' defense. They have a solid secondary led by Keisean Nixon, Javon Bullard, Xavier McKinney, and others, and they're allowing just 202 passing yards per game so far. This might need to be a big Jahmyr Gibbs game, with Green Bay lacking the interior defensive linemen to handle him. They're currently 28th in run stop win rate.
We predict that the Lions win this one, which should be a rowdy game at Ford Field.
READ MORE: Lions' Jared Goff is absolutely dealing to start 2026
Week 8: Lions vs. Vikings
Now, this is the game where things get hairy. The Lions struggled a ton with the Buffalo Bills' defense in Week 2, namely with their defensive front. Minnesota's defense, led by mastermind Brian Flores, picked Detroit apart last season when they really had nothing much to play for - imagine how passionately they'll come out when an NFC North title seems to be on the line?
This will have to be a huge game for Jared Goff and his ability to handle pressure in the pocket, as well as for the Lions' offensive line. If they fold consistently to the Vikings defense, then it will probably be game over. That's despite the fact that the Vikings still might not have a solid answer at quarterback.
This could end up being a slugfest between the Lions' offense and the Vikings' defense, but it feels like Minnesota will probably win this first round. We predict the Lions drop this game to go 5-2 headed into Week 9.
Add us as a preferred source on Google