Categories
NFL

2015 Lions Preview & NFL Football Future Lines & Pick

2015 Detroit Lions Season Predictions

The Detroit Lions begin the 2015 with lofty expectations after an 11-5 season last year but with a few key members from that team departed for greener pastures. Ndamukong Suh signed in Miami, Nick Fairley is a Ram and CJ Mosely is also gone from a defense that kept Detroit afloat last year and allowed them to qualify for the playoffs.

NFL Handicapping Insight

***2015 BONUSES***
[dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

Detroit Lions Future Odds

Detroit Lions Betting Lines to win the 2016 Super Bowl 40/1
Detroit Lions Betting Lines to win the 2016 NFC Conference 22/1
Detroit Lions Betting Lines to Win the 2015 NFC North +600

Will the Lions’ offense improve this year and realize its potential? Will the losses on defense be too much to overcome? Will the Lions make the playoffs for the second straight year? All questions I will attempt to answer – let’s break it down.

[dfads params=’groups=63753&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

Looking at the Detroit Lions, you’d think that this team was all about offense – but for some reason it is not. Detroit averaged just 20.1 points per game last season – not nearly good enough to be deemed a real NFC contender.

Matt Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate should make up one of the scarier passing games in the NFL but inexplicably they are middle-of-the-pack statistically. I have no explanation.

[dfads params=’groups=66501&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

It could be the lack of a reliable running game or it could be the fact that the offensive line has seriously underperformed the last couple of years. Detroit made strides to improve in both areas this past offseason – they used their first round draft choice on Duke guard Laken Tomlinson and they drafted speedy running back Ameer Abdullah in the second round to compliment Joique Bell.

On paper the Lions should be improved offensively – shouldn’t they? We’ve said it before however but this team just can’t seem to get over that hump. They just don’t scare people the way that we think they should.

Let’s face it – the 11-5 season of last year was due mostly because of the defense! They were terrific in carrying this team when the offense just couldn’t seem to find its way. The departure of Suh and Fairley will hurt this team drastically right off the bat – Suh was a game-changing disruptor the Lions won’t be able to replace.

Haloti Ngata was brought in from the Ravens to plug the hole left but he isn’t quite in the same league as Suh.

Although the defensive line took a hit in the offseason the Lions will return largely the same set of linebackers and secondary – one that was very good last season. DeAndre Levy has emerged as one of the best linebackers in the league, Rashean Mathis is a terrific corner and Glover Quin and James Ihedigbo are a formidable set of safeties to say the least.

[dfads params=’groups=63752&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

Translation – the Lions defense, although it should still be good will likely experience a drop-off this year – they have to with the loss of Ndamukong Suh.

Any drop-off will not be good thing for this team – Detroit relied on the defense last year and won’t be able to in the same capacity in 2015.

Lions 2015 Prediction:

The aforementioned losses on defense will be the difference between a winning season and .500 year. Let’s face it – outside of replacing Reggie Bush with draftee Ameer Abdullah this team didn’t do a whole lot this past offseason to ensure that it will score more points.

After years of forward steps in Detroit, I am expecting a step back this year.

Management had to address the offense that scored just north of 20 points per game last year – they simply didn’t do enough. Detroit ends up 8-8 this year, maybe 9-7 and fails to qualify for the playoffs.

The 2015 NFL futures betting season is right around the corner! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting.

CappersPicks.com has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well.

[dfads params=’groups=63706&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

By DaveB

Dave B has been a Fantasy Football writer for us for 10 years. A couch potato wannabe, Dave’s insights have been read by 10’s of people for years. He hope’s for world peace + global relaxation. Enjoy and remember only smoke things that are completely natural.