Well, we’ve made it to Week 16 and the suffering brought on by another disappointing Detroit Lions season is almost over.
After losing to the Buffalo Bills 14-13 last week, the Detroit Lions fell to 5-9 and have officially been eliminated from the playoffs. With the loss, the Lions now hold the No. 7 spot in the 2019 NFL draft so at least there is that Honolulu blue and silver lining.
http://gty.im/1068263488
The Lions are headed home to host the Minnesota Vikings for the final home game of the 2018 season. According to Vegas Insider, the Vikings are 5.5 point favorites over the Lions. It’s interesting that the spread currently sits at less than a touchdown after the Vikings 41-17 blowout win against the Miami Dolphins last week.
The Vikings already bested the Lions when the two teams met earlier this season in Week 9. The 24-9 final score made the game look like a blowout, but the Lions managed to hang around for most of the game before falling victim to a few key mistakes.
Obviously, this season has been a bit of a disappointment for the Detroit Lions, but if the underdog Lions found some way to win this game they’d be playing the role of spoiler for their division rival’s playoff hopes.
While sharing some misery with the Vikings may be an attractive idea to some, winning would also impact the Lions’ draft position.
Bonus Content
Top 25 players in 2019 NFL free agency | Part Two
Last week we kicked off a preview of the top 25 players potentially available in the impending 2019 NFL free agency and today we’re back with part two of the five-part series.
In this post, we’ll be going over players 20-16 on the list.
20. CB Bradley Roby
Every team is looking for cornerbacks because there is no such thing as having too many good cover men. As such, young defensive backs who can start on the outside are more valuable than ever. Bradley Roby is exactly that and should draw a lot of attention during free agency.
During his first four seasons in the NFL, Roby showed nice progression as the Broncos’ third corner and helped make Denver’s defense one of the best defenses in football. The trade of Aqib Talib this offseason didn’t help Roby’s stock, as he’s struggled in the first half of 2018 in his first action as a starter.
Despite the early season struggles, Roby has rebounded and will likely cash in on the high demand.
19. DE Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah
After signing his $17.143M franchise tag this offseason, the Detroit Lions hoped that Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah would continue to be a leader on the defensive line and thrive under new head coach Matt Patricia. Unfortunately, Ziggy spent much of his 2018 season being featured on the injury report until he was placed on injured reserve back on December 11th. While a solid 2018 campaign could have landed Ansah a huge contract with the Lions, it’s now likely that he’ll have to test the waters in the 2019 NFL free agency.
Originally drafted by the Lions in the 1st Round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Ansah will be 30 by the time the 2019 NFL season starts. During his five seasons in Detroit, Ziggy has tallied up 48 sacks and 219 tackles in 80 games/73 starts.
With the 2019 draft setting up to be a great year for the defensive line and pass-rushers galore set to hit the market, defensive coordinators around the league should be licking their lips.
Continue reading the post by clicking the link below:
https://detroitsportsnation.com/detroit-lions-news/kevmarheine/top-25-players-in-2019-nfl-free-agency-part-two/12-2018/199373/