It’s a new decade – and it hasn’t started the right way for the Detroit Lions.
They’re dead last, number 32 out of 32 teams in the last edition of this season’s NFL Power Rankings. With Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, their final record stood at 3-12-1.
Even the 3-13 Washington Redskins and 2-14 Cincinnati Bengals are ahead of them.
The reasoning:
“It remains somewhat surprising that the Lions decided to stick with Matt Patricia, a coach who built his reputation on defense, then presided over one of the NFL’s worst defenses of the 21st century in 2019. The Lions allowed 400 yards per game, never finding any solutions as quarterback after quarterback picked them apart. When Matthew Stafford went down with a back injury in early November, Detroit’s house of cards tumbled to the ground over nine straight losses to close the season. Stafford said this week he’s feeling good and is excited to return to action, but that’s not going to change all that much if the Lions don’t get markedly better on the other side of the ball. It is the No. 1 directive of the offseason.”
Of course, the Lions already committed to maligned head coach Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn for next season, already putting them a step back in the eyes of many fans. Will 2020 eventually be kinder to them than 2019 was?
– – Quote courtesy of Dan Hanzus of NFL.com Link – –
