Predicting the Detroit Lions' starting offense for matchup vs. Panthers
On Friday night, the Detroit Lions will play their final preseason game of the year when they hit the road to take on the Carolina Panthers. Earlier in the week, Lions' head coach Dan Campbell spoke to reporters and though he did not commit to anything, he hinted that he would probably rest most of (if not all) of the Lions starters. Knowing that many of the starters will get the day off, we thought we would try to predict what the starting offense will look like against the Panthers.
What did Dan Campbell Say?
Here is what Campbell said earlier in the week about who will play in Friday night's game.
“I'm still trying to think about that one a little bit,” Campbell said. “Really, I want to see how today and tomorrow go, but I think it's gonna look very much like the first two games”
Predicting the Detroit Lions' starting offense
Here is my best guess at the Detroit Lions‘ starting offense against the Panthers:
- QB – Teddy Bridgewater
- RB – Craig Reynolds
- WR – Chase Cota
- WR – Antoine Greene
- WR – Dylan Drummond
- TE – James Mitchell
- LT — Obinna Eze
- LG — Kayode Awosika
- C — Brad Cecil
- RG — Colby Sorsdal
- RT — Matt Nelson
Predicting Which Veteran Offensive Players Will Not Play
This prediction is based on the assumption that the following starters and rookies will not play in Friday's game:
- QB – Jared Goff
- RB – David Montgomery
- RB – Jahmyr Gibbs
- WR – Amon-Ra St. Brown
- WR – Josh Reynolds
- WR – Marvin Jones Jr.
- WR – Kalif Raymond
- LT — Taylor Decker
- LG — Jonah Jackson
- C — Frank Ragnow
- RG — Halapoulivaati Vaitai
- RT — Penei Sewell
- G/C — Graham Glasgow
TL;DR (too long didn't read)
- The Detroit Lions will take on the Carolina Panthers in their final regular-season tune-up game on Friday night.
- Dan Campbell spoke to reporters earlier in the week and hinted that his starters would not play in the final preseason game.
- Look for Teddy Bridgewater to get the start again at quarterback.
Bottom Line: It's Almost Time
Ladies and gents, the preseason is nearly in the books, which means it is almost time for the 2023 NFL regular season! The Lions are currently the odds-on favorites to win their division for the first time since the 1993 season, but their sights are set on doing even more during the upcoming season. Time will tell, but it is shaping up to be an exciting season!
