2 weeks Ago
The Detroit Lions (5-1) host the Tennessee Titans (1-5) at Ford Field on Sunday in some Week 8 NFL action. The Lions are coming off a statement victory over their NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings at U.S.
Bank Stadium last weekend. Meanwhile, it's already been a lost season for the Titans, as they've dropped five of their six games and have issues everywhere you look. The biggest headline this week in the league related to now-former Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Linebacker Ernest Jones IV was also traded to the Seattle Seahawks for linebacker Jerome Baker. Follow us on Facebook The other notable headline involved the Lions, as it was announced that the NFL is suspending wide receiver Jameson Williams for two games, citing a violation of the league's PED policy. Related: Lions WR Jameson Williams officially suspended by the NFL for 2 games The Titans hold the all-time series record at 10-3 and have won six straight matchups.
Tennessee defeated Detroit most recently on Dec. 20, 2020 by a score of 46-25. The Lions have yet to defeated the Titans since they moved to Tennessee, as the last win was against the Houston Oilers on Dec.
10, 1995. Here's a look at some keys to watch and predictions for Sunday's game. Kickoff is at noon CT.
Why I'm Confident Tommy: Lions Riding High, Titans Grasping for Positives Even through some setbacks — namely the numerous injuries to its defensive line this season — the Lions continue to press forward and win football games. Last week was their biggest test of the season and they gave the Vikings everything they could handle on their own field. Head coach Dan Campbell is the ultimate motivator, and will continue to do so against a depleted, lost Titans team.
Josh: Attitude The Lions haven’t been perfect but just keep churning out wins. They’ve weathered numerous injuries and had multiple opportunities to make an excuse but refuse to do it. That’s the culture Dan Campbell has instilled in this team, and when the guys play with that attitude, it makes it feel like they’ll never lose.
Related: Jared Goff continues run of excellence in victory over Vikings Why I'm Concerned Tommy: I'm Not This might be a bit too bold, as nothing is guaranteed on Sundays. The Lions are the superior team and playing at home, and even though Tennessee's defense adds some light of positivity, its offense doesn't seem to have a plan as it just shelled out Hopkins and Will Levis' time may be coming to a close already under center. When it comes down to it, the Titans don't concern me in getting a victory this weekend against a loaded Detroit team.
Josh: Trap Game The win over the Vikings was a big one, an emotional one that the team really wanted. We’ve seen how those games can impact teams the following week, and the Titans’ 1-5 record certainly doesn’t make this seem like a difficult game. However, Detroit’s lone loss of the season came the week after an emotional overtime win in the season-opener so the Lions just have to stay locked in.
Related: Are teams cursed after playing the Detroit Lions? Key Matchup Tommy: Lions Offensive Line vs. Titans Defensive Line It should be a solid matchup here between strength on ech side. The Titans defense — surprisingly — have been one of the better units in the league this season.
Harold Landry and Jeffrey Simmons are highlights on that defensive line and should be a lot to handle against the talented Lions offensive line. A lot of games are won in the trenches, and this should be an entertaining piece of the game to keep an eye on. Josh: Lions Receivers vs.
Titans Defensive Backs Believe it or not, the Titans allow the fewest yards per game in the NFL, including the third-fewest passing yards. If Jameson Williams is suspended as it seems he’ll be, Tennessee is going to load up on Amon-Ra St. Brown and force the rest of the Lions’ quickly-thinning receiver corps to beat them.
Who will step up? All Eyes On Tommy: David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs If the Lions running game dominates, the final score could be even more wide than expected. The Titans have given up the sixth-least amount of rushing yards (633) and tied for the fourth-least yards per carry (3.9).
Both running backs offer different approaches with speed and power and will give Tennessee a tall task nonetheless. If the Lions can balance the run and pass games, both or at least one of these names should have good games. Josh: Jared Goff Detroit’s quarterback has been on some kind of heater of the past three games.
Since the start of Week 4, he’s completed over 85% of his passes — easily the most in the NFL — while averaging 13 yards per attempt — also the easily the highest in the league. In that span, he’s thrown for seven touchdowns, zero interceptions and has only 10 total incompletions. I mentioned above how good Tennessee’s defense has been and the challenge for Detroit’s receivers.
Can Goff continue his MVP-level play? Related: Lions OC on Jared Goff’s MVP-caliber play: ’This is really what we expected’ Prediction Tommy: 31-9 Lions Detroit is simply riding too much momentum for a team that's already heads and shoulders better than a majority of the league. No matter if Tennessee is able to hold their own against the Lions' offense, the Titans offense has too many question marks to come up with the win. Josh: 27-7 Lions The Titans defense may challenge the Lions offense at times but Detroit still has too much talent and is firing on all cylinders at the moment.
As long as the Lions stay locked in and don’t overlook Tennessee — which I don’t think they will — this one should be lopsided. Season Records Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.
